Bao Guzhen is corn flour, and alkali is added because the B vitamin nicotinic acid (also called nicotinic acid) in corn is in a combined state and is not easily absorbed by the human body. If alkali is added, it can be released. In the past, when people only ate corn and had nothing else to eat, people were more likely to lack nicotinic acid, so some areas advocated adding some alkali when cooking corn porridge.

In this way, nicotinic acid is enough, and vitamins B 1 and B2 are sacrificed. Because corn contains a lot of B 1 and B2, people can supplement it by eating corn cakes without alkali.

The reason why northern residents add alkali to porridge lies in the special function of alkali, which can improve the affinity of most protein with water. For example, when all kinds of seafood are soaked, if a little alkali is added, more water will be absorbed and it will be full after soaking. For all kinds of coarse cereals, adding a little alkali will make protein absorb water more easily and dissolve it in the soup, so that the starch particles will disperse more easily and the porridge will taste stronger after cooking.