Baking & Snack - February 2016 - 77

FORMULATION
Chemical Leavening

multi-faceted
Chemical leavening also helps control color,
texture and flavor of baked foods.

SYSTEMS

by Laurie Gorton

Are you revamping a bakery formula to
present a cleaner label? When you trim the
list of ingredients, don't toss out the multidimensional ones. Chemical leavening systems, for example, contribute benefits beyond their
ability to aerate and raise cakes, muffins, pancakes
and a host of other baked foods. They can play important roles in color, taste, appearance and shelf life.
Of course, the primary job of leavening systems is
to leaven. They qualify as direct food additives with that
specific function. The additional influences they have on
in-process and finished baked foods are best described as
benefits, not functions, noted Sharon Book, PhD, bakery
technologist, ICL Food Specialties.
"The function of baking powders and their components is to provide gas to aerate baked products," Dr.
Book said. "This will improve sensory characteristics
such as visual appeal, mouthfeel, bite and so forth.
Leavening, like all ingredients, will have an impact on
appearance, color, texture, cell structure and volume, as
well as the critical attribute of flavor."
Chemical leavening is an acid-base reaction in which
an organic acid reacts with a bicarbonate, releasing carbon dioxide gas into a dough or batter. During baking,
these gases expand to aerate the finished product.
"The choice of acid and bicarbonate can also add to
various other properties such as color, flavor, texture,
mouthfeel, appearance and nutritional profile of the final
product," said Kim Powell, commercial development specialist, bakery, Innophos, Inc."In terms of manufacturing,
these ingredients can also contribute to shelf life of dry
mixes, process tolerance and overall bake performance."
Don't discount these other facets of leavening, noted Nita
Livvix, R&D director, Clabber Girl Corp. "These activities
can be very important because they can affect the appearance, shelf life and flavor of the finished products," she said.

Robert Mason, senior scientist, applications lab, encapsulates and inclusions, SensoryEffects Ingredient Solutions,
a division of Balchem, grouped these benefits into four
aspects: controlling dough and batter viscosity, regulating
pH, altering crumb structure and determining shelf life.
"It's nice to have these additional activities, but leavening
choice always comes back to gassing power," he said.

Clean it up
Poll after poll confirms consumers' interest in "less is
more" when it comes to the ingredients listed on packages of processed foods. This trend is interpreted by
food manufacturers as "clean label," and increasingly,
their formulators and product developers seek ingredients with multi-dimensional uses that allow elimination
of compounds some consumers consider problematic.
Among these are the mold inhibitors calcium and
sodium propionate. "We've done some research with
leavening acids - glucono-delta-lactone (GLD), particularly - used in amounts in excess of neutralization requirements and found them to be very effective
preservatives," Ms. Livvix said. "Because these acids are
non-synthetic, they have appeal to bakers wanting to
Chemical leavening systems must produce the rise that supports inclusions
while generating light texture.
Kudos Blends

www.bakingandsnack.com / February 2016 Baking & Snack 77

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking & Snack - February 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - February 2016