Baking & Snack - February 2005 - 83

PUTTING THEM TO WORK

ᮣ Formulators choose hydrocolloids for

What bakers must remember is that hydrocolloid use is formulation speciﬁc.
In certain batters, microbial-derived xanthan gum contributes smoothness, air incorporation and retention, and recipe tolerance.
The baked product will have increased volume and moisture, higher crumb strength,
less crumbling and greater resistance to
shipping damage compared with baked
products made without xanthan. In refrigerated doughs, as well as reduced-calorie
baked foods, xanthan improves volume,
texture and moisture retention.
Indeed, moisture control is very important
in baked foods, particularly cakes, which are
among the highest-moisture baked food
categories. Improper moisture control can
result in lumpy cake batters and uneven
mixing, giving poor structure. This leads to
cakes collapsing during or after baking.
Poor hydration of dry ingredients during batter mixing can also harm the quality
of the baked cake, particularly after storage because volume may be reduced. Also,
when moisture is not evenly distributed, a
cake's texture may be nonuniform or fragile. This is where xanthan gum can help.
When xanthan is added to cake batter at
0.05% of total batter weight, without any
other formulation changes, it hydrates rapidly and evenly, helping prevent lumping
during the critical initial mixing stage. This
even hydration aids in the uniform distribution of moisture in cake batter, which
helps stabilize the ﬁne air cells formed

bakery creams and fruit ﬁllings that must
remain stable during baking.

86 / BAKING & SNACK / February 2005

ᮢ Specially processed blends of hydrocolloids and emulsiﬁers allow reduction of fat
in baked foods such as pizza crusts..
Degussa Foods Ingredients

during the mixing process.
Obtained from plants, carboxymethyl
cellulose (CMC) helps improve the volume
yield of certain cake batters and doughs
because of its viscosity drop during baking. And CMC can improve suspension
and distribution of ingredients such as
fruits and nuts in batters.
Fine grinds of CMC are typically used
in bakery mixes, allowing better water
absorption. In fact, when CMC is used, additional water is required compared with
recipes not containing CMC. This results in
increased yields and improved moistness,
particularly after storage.
"Recently, there has been a lot of activity with konjac gum," said Joshua Brooks,
vice-president of sales, Gum Technology,
Tucson, AZ. Konjac is a linear polysaccharide composed of mannose and glucose
and is derived from tubers of elephant yam
(Amorphopallus konjac).
"Konjac has been used for years in Japan
and is a rather new hydrocolloid in the
United States," he continued. "It both thickens and gels, and can be used as a dough

conditioner and extender in bakery applications, much like xanthan. Usage level in dry
mixes ranges from 0.05% to 1.0%."
Derived from algae, the hydrocolloid
alginate suits a wide range of bakery products, mainly bakery ﬁllings. "In fruit ﬁllings,
alginate imparts outstanding bake stability,
which prevents boil-out," Ms. Pechillo said.
"It provides fruit ﬁllings with a very pulpy,
rich-in-fruit appearance and high gloss.
"In custard and Boston cream-style ﬁllings, alginate is a typical ingredient used
to formulate dry mix preparations," she
continued. "Alginate allows instant bakery
cream to hydrate easily, build up viscosity, create a shiny appearance and provide
very good heat-bake stability."
Carrageenan, another algal hydrocolloid, is a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide. There are three types of carrageenan - iota, kappa and lambda - each
having different chemical and functional
properties. Kappa makes a strong, rigid
gel, while iota forms an elastic gel. Lambda, on the other hand, yields a viscous
solution that does not gel at all.
"Iota carrageenan offers a unique capability to protect yeast cells and retain gluten
functionality during dough freezing," Ms.
Pechillo explained. "Therefore, after thawing,
the volume of the baked dough is improved,
allowing for better consumer appeal."
Iota carrageenan can also be used in
icings and glazes to prevent drying out
and cracking. It improves stability and
coating properties.

Baking & Snack - February 2005

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