By Dr. Sajilata Gopalakrishnan, Chief Scientific Officer, Nature Pure Supercritical Extracts Pvt Ltd
The bakery industry is one of the fastest growing sectors and the global bakery products market is expected to reach US$447 billion by the year 2017, owing to an increase in the demand for convenience foods such as biscuits, bread, pastries, and cakes. For a high-protein claim, 20% of the energy value is derived from protein without compromising on taste or texture. Soy protein concentrates and isolates contribute emulsification and textural control in bakery products. Pea protein isolate is an alternative protein source containing branched chain amino acids such as leucine, isoleucine, arginine, valine, and lysine. Pea flour, a rich source of protein and fiber, may be incorporated in cookies and bread upto 5% to enhance the nutritional quality of the product. Bakery products targeting the senior market may be calcium-enriched (milk or whey), to reduce osteoporosis. High oleic sunflower and EPA/DHA omega-3 oil may be included as a source of PUFAs in bakery products such as bread and crackers.
Egg replacers cut on production costs, reduce the incidence of allergens, and create possibilities for the production of vegetarian baked products. A blend of xanthan gum, guar gum, sugarcane fiber and soy lecithin can improve texture and cell structure in cakes, muffins, and cookies and replace eggs at 0.3% usage levels. Algal flour can replace eggs in a variety of applications, while reducing fat and total calories and maintaining the desired taste and texture.
Emulsifiers such as sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL), calcium stearoyl lactylate (CSL) and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monodiglycerides (DATEM) function as dough strengtheners and crumb softeners (monoacylglycerols and glycerol monostearate). DATEM produces voluminous baked goods at levels of around 350 g in 100 kg product. Lecithin at levels of 40-140 g per 100 kg of flour for flour treatment improves the processing characteristics and stability of the dough. Sucrose esters as emulsifiers are produced in a wide range of HLB, with the high-HLB variants producing good effects on volume yield and crumb structure. Mono- and di-glycerides such as glyceryl monostearate functions as an antistaling agent. Marine-based hydrocolloids such as sodium alginate and κ- carrageenan are able to reduce the loss of moisture during the storage of bread and the dehydration rate of crumb, thus inducing an antistaling effect.
antistaling effect. Sodium caseinate, which has excellent surfactant properties, is known to increase water absorption in flour systems and is very effective as an improver in wheat bread, prepared by a straight dough baking process. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a water-soluble gum, helpsretain moisture, and improves thevolume yield during baking by encouraging gas bubble formation. The hydrocolloid, chitosan (deacetylated chitin), increases water migration rate from crumb to crust and prevents amylose-lipid complexation and staling in bread.
Enzymes help to increase the volume of baked goods and improve thecrumb structure, shape, and crust color. Amylases and lipases improve the softness of bread and cakes and retain freshness on storage. Enzymes cut costs by excluding additional ingredients such as emulsifiers and gluten.Food phosphates find versatile uses as leavening acidulants, pH and buffering agents, and dough conditioners.
Polyols or sugar alcohols, a group of reduced-calorie sweeteners, are a group of low-digestible carbohydrates, which can replace sucrose. The polyols include erythritol, lactitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, maltitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolyzate, and others. Lactitol, sorbitol and maltitol can replace sugar in low-fat, sugar-free cookies. Glycerol at 2-10% by weight can increase the shelf life and shelf stability of wheat and corn tortillas by decreasing water activity.
Color hues of red and orange may be produced with the coloring ability of the paprika oleoresin carotenoids such as capsanthin, capsorubin, and β-carotene. Oleoresins contain fats, waxes, resinoids, and color, which act as fixatives for the volatile flavoring principles to withstand the high-temperature processing conditions. Ginger oleoresin and oil can replace ground ginger in gingerbread and cookies. Marigold oleoresin, a rich source of lutein palmitate, stearate, and myristate esters, may be used to color bakery products. The water-soluble extract of annatto seeds, norbixin, provides yellow to orange color. Curcumin, a bright orange-yellow colorant, protects against rancidity in bakery products. Lycopene extract from tomato provides color shades of red to yellow and functions as an antioxidant to prevent the free radical degradation of cells. A concentrated natural fruit flavor paste from blueberry adds the subtle taste of blueberry and a desirable hue to frostings and filling creams in cakes. Cookies may be produced with added fruit extracts of goji berry, strawberry cranberry, raspberry, papaya and others. Prune juice concentrate inhibits mold development in bakery products due to its high malic acid content and small amounts of benzoic and salicylic acid.
Flavor extracts such as chocolate, cocoa extracts, coffee, tea extracts, and fenugreek extract, and vanilla oleoresin may be used in bread and bakery products. Bakery emulsions, the water-based alternatives to baking extracts, are preferred over alcohol-based extracts as they are more stable to heat. Bakery emulsions of lemon, strawberry, coffee, cream cheese, hazelnut, orange, strawberry, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon spice are available on the market. Ginger extract, honey powder, jujube extract powder, yogurt powder, almond extract, and sweet corn powder provide flavor to bakery products such as cookies, bread, and crackers.
Soluble dietary fiber, such as fructooligosaccharide, can replace 30% sugar in cookies, without any negative impact on texture. Inulin or soluble corn fiber may be incorporated in reduced-fat products to improve eating quality and shelf-life. Ancient grains such as amaranth, quinoa, sorghum, and teff are a good source of fiber. Apple or orange fiber, as a source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, may be used as bakery ingredients. Shortbread cookies have been incorporated with resistant starch to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels and increase satiety in diabetics. Corn maltodextrin has been shown to replace 30% fat in cookies.
Gluten-free products offer solutions to the aging population and those with a primary health concern with respect to the rising incidence of obesity, diabetes, and celiac disease. The global market for gluten-free products market, currently valued at 4.63 $ billion, is projected to reach $ 7.59 billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 10.4%, owing to digestive health and weight management concerns. Due to the easy availability of corn, oats, sorghum, and quinoa, product innovations for bakery products have been based on these sources. Whole-wheat fiber breads and gluten-free bread products are ideal breads to deliver bitter-free green tea extract for the health-conscious consumers.
Calcium propionate at 0.3% concentration at pH 4.5 and a water activity of 0.93-0.97 can control spoilage molds in bread. The essential oil of clove and cinnamon are strong antifungal agents against Aspergillus and Penicillium species.
In the near future, nanotechnology would be applied to deliver nutrients and flavors into bakery products, for e.g., the encapsulation of flavors to be released at some desired point of time and the encapsulation of nutrients such as iron, folic acid, calcium, and vitamins.
