11 Role of ingredients in bread products manufacture-4: Salt and other minor ingredients

Ms. Deepika Goswami

1.0 Salt

Common salt (NaCl) is used in a very small quantity in the formulations but it serves important functions as follow:

To impart taste to the baked products
To enhance flavour of other ingredients
To act as a measure of adjustment of sweetness in baked products
To control yeast activity and hence the fermentation
To strengthen and tighten the gluten structure and make it more extensible
To prevent growth of undesirable bacteria in yeast raised dough
To inhibit enzymes that softens protein and hence protecting the gluten protein from destruction

Role of salt in controlling yeast activity: Salt retards the process of yeast fermentation. Salt attracts water, the necessary component of yeast fermentation. As the availability of water reduced yeast activity retards and hence there occurs controlled fermentation.

Regulation in amount of salt to be used: The amount of salt to be used in bakery formulation should be precise for optimal outcome. It depends on several factors. Weak flour needs more salt whereas when hard water is used amount of salt needs to be reduced.

Too much salt will prevent the yeast from feeding, causing little rise, if any. The dough’s texture will be tight, and flavor will be too salty to eat.
Reducing the amount of salt in a yeast dough will cause the dough to rise too quickly, which will negatively affect the flavour and shape of the loaf of bread.

2.0 Other minor ingredients

2.1 Eggs: Eggs are important ingredients in baked goods because of the many functions they serve. The egg is composed of three main parts – the egg shell, yolk & white plus membranes and two white strands called chalazae. The shell contains egg. The yolk is high in both fat and protein and act as a natural emulsifier. The egg white is mainly albumin protein. The major functions of egg in baking are as follows:

To provide moisture to the produc
To contribute to the light, airy texture of the dough and baked produc
To incorporate air when beaten and hence contribute to leavening
To impart colour to the product
Used as washes on bread loaves to give them a glossy finish and hold sesame seeds and other accoutrements in place
To add flavour
To enhance the nutritional quality (fat, protein)
To act as natural emulsifier

Egg is used either whole or as egg white and egg yolk. Egg white is used as foaming agent as the foam produced is stable enough to support large quantities of flour or sugar. Egg yolk is mostly used in manufacture of mayonnaise and salad dressings.

2.2 Dough conditioners: There are some functional ingredients that are combined with flour to improve processing and baking quality, termed as dough conditioners. These are also called as dough improver, bread improver and flour improving agents. To increase the speed of dough rising, to improve the strength and workability of the dough etc. are some of the functions achieved by these functional ingredients. There are wide ranges of these conditioners used in bakery processing, which fall into four main categories: bleaching agents, oxidizing and reducing agents, enzymes, and emulsifiers. These agents are often sold as mixtures in a soy flour base, as only small amounts are required.

Vital wheat gluten: It is the insoluble protein portion of wheat flour obtained by separation, washing and drying so that it contains about 75 to 80 percent protein. Gluten is used to raise the protein content and absorption of flour, to increase dough tolerance and to improve the volume and crumb texture of the finished product.

Yeast nutrients: There are certain inorganic salts that supply nitrogen or phosphorous for the yeast activity during fermentation. These act as yeast nutrients. Ammonium chloride, ammonium sulphate and ammonium phosphate are most commonly used as yeast nutrients.

pH regulators: Inorganic calcium salts are most commonly used as pH regulators for acidic and alkaline water. Calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate raises the pH and monocalcium phosphate lowers the pH.

Oxidizing agents: Oxidising agents act on the gluten in flour to increase its strength and produce larger, more-uniform finished products. Natural ascorbic acid and chemicals like potassium bromate are used as oxidising agents.

Reducing agents: Reducing agents act on the gluten in flour to increase extensibility, reduce elasticity, and shorten mix time. These include L-cysteine and non-leavening yeast, which is a natural source of glutathione. Reducing agents can be used in combination with oxidizing agents to optimally develop gluten in no-time doughs.

Enzymes: Enzymes act as natural catalysts to speed up reactions in dough or make reactions take place that otherwise would not. They include concentrated microbial enzymes in liquid, powder, or tablet form and enzymes present in flour or malt syrup form. The following enzymes are used for specific functions-

Protease : Increases extensibility

Carbohydrase : Improves oven spring and freshness

Oxidase : Forms oxygen via hydrogen peroxide

In addition to these enzymes diastatic malt syrup and malt flour are also used to supplement the flour enzyme activity. Lipoxygenase enzyme present in enzyme active soy flour whitens the crumb of the baked product.

Emulsifiers (surfactants): Emulsifiers include natural lecithin and a variety of amphiphilic chemicals that are soluble at low concentrations in both oils and water. They disperse fat more evenly throughout the dough, helping it to trap more of the CO2 produced by yeast. Emulsifiers tend to produce a fine grain, larger baked volume, and improved slicing. Some of these strengthen the dough and improve finished product volume by interacting with gluten while others soften the crumb and improve shelf life by complexing with the amylose starch in flour to keep it from firming after baking. Emulsifiers can be used individually or in combination to achieve both strengthening and softening effects. Lecithin, monoglycerides, diglycerides, and DATEM are used as emulsifiers.

Fillers: Fillers are used to standardize the strength of dough conditioners and make concentrated ingredients easier to scale. Flour, starch, and calcium sulphate are most frequently used as fillers.