World Grain - January 2022 - 24

FEATURE: SACHIMA: A SWEET SNACK WITH CULT STATUS
Parameters of standard flour
suitable for sachima production
Moisture
no account should it soak the crumb. It takes considerable
skill and care to achieve this balance and distribute
the sticky, viscous mass evenly over the fried product.
Finally, the caramel noodles are filled into large,
rectangular molds, pressed down with the palms of the
hands and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Besides this classic Manchu version, the Cantonese
variant is the most popular. In this case, the fried noodles
are first coated with syrup, then rolled additionally
in sesame seeds, nuts, dried fruits or coconut flakes.
Consumers who enjoy experimenting will find what
they are looking for in the country's typical snack
shops. These are a veritable sachima paradise. With
cheese, algae or buckwheat - many different flavors
are offered, and the diversity is growing continuously.
According to the market analyst Innova, 66 new sachima
varieties have been launched in China since 2015.
Fully-automated production lines
Even if traditionalists swear by hand-made sachima, the
huge demand from more than 1.4 billion Chinese consumers
can only be met by the confectionery industry.
According to the trade information service " fooddaily, "
the company HSU FU CHI is the undisputed leader with
a market share of 70%. At its headquarters in Dongguan,
the group operates the world's biggest sachima plant,
where up to 135 tonnes of the rectangular sugar bars
come off the production lines every day. Competitors of
HSU FU CHI include UNCLEPOP and BESTORE.
Although the production of sachima dough does not
require sophisticated ingredients, it is time-consuming.
To relax the gluten network, the dough should rest at
room temperature for about 10 hours.
The following is a standard recipe with the most important
steps in preparation:
%
Bread flour
Vital wheat gluten
Baking powder
Egg
100
10-15
1
66
The process involves these steps:
1. Mix all ingredients into a smooth dough.
2. Rest the dough for 10 hours at 20 degrees C or 5
hours at 37 degrees C.
3. Pass the dough through the dough sheeter to a
thickness of 3 to 5 millimeters.
4. Cut into small slices about 5 to 8 centimeters
in length.
5. Fry in palm oil for 1 minute at 190 degrees, then
remove and leave to cool.
24
Wet gluten
Dry gluten
Gluten index
Ash (as basis)
Falling number
Farinograph
Water absorption (500 FU)
Development time
Stability
Degree of softening (ICC)
Farinograph Quality Number
Extensograph
Water absorption (500 FU)
Energy
Resistance
Extensibility
Maximum resistance
%
%
%
%
%
sec.
%
Min
Min
FU
12.6
32.4
13
86.5
0.59
484
65
9.2
17.7
34
190
%
65
cm2 133/143/139
BU 294/316/306
mm 145/157/150
BU 491/548/521
6. Mix with invert syrup; the ratio of the fried slices
to the syrup should be 1:1.
7. Shape and cut into cubes, then package.
The properties of the flour are of prime importance
for the machinability of the dough and the quality of sachima
pastry. The dough must be elastic and extensible,
and there must be no hint of stickiness or weakness.
Usually, high gluten flour (flour specification below)
with an addition of vital wheat gluten is used. For
grinding, the Chinese mills mostly combine imported
wheat with domestic batches.
Enzyme-based upgrading of flour
To meet the increasing demands in terms of flour quality,
flour treatment is gaining more importance. The use
of vital wheat gluten is an established method for raising
the protein value. Moreover, the addition of ADA
(azodicarbonamide) to enhance the volume, color and
structure of baked foods is permitted in the Chinese
milling industry.
But more mills are shifting toward more sustainable,
innovative alternatives. They are concentrating
on enzyme-based solutions for enhancing the properties
of their flour products and ensuring a high level
of standardization.
Mühlenchemie is one of the best-known suppliers of
this key technology. Via its affiliate, Stern Ingredients
China, which is located at Wujiang/Suzhou, it operates
an applications center of its own with a rheological and
baking laboratory, where any flour can be adjusted precisely
to the customer's requirements.
Since the extensibility of the dough has top priority in
the production of sachima, special compounds of amyJanuary
2022 / World Grain / World-Grain.com
Source: Mühlenchemie
http://www.World-Grain.com
World Grain - January 2022

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