Common food raw materials – Bread

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 68 products use wheat flour (white or whole) as main ingredient;
• Other wheat by-products are used: wheat fiber (24 products), wheat as grains (11), wheat bran (5), wheat germ (2) and wheat flakes (1);
• Only two 2 “Gluten-Free” products do not use wheat flour, replacing it to starch and linseed flour

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use WHEAT FLOUR:

Used to give the dough structure and volume, as it contains: starch, that forms the dough volume by absorbing water; glutenin and e gliadin proteins, that compose the gluten; enzymes, proteins such as amylase, capable of changing part of the starch into sugar; gums (carbohydrates) such as pentosans, important in the dough formation due to its capacity go absorb great quantities of water; fats important to develop gluten due to its emulsifying property.

Notes

In Brazil, the legislation determines the enrichment of flour with iron and folic acid.

In the sample of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• They use other flours: corn flour (13 products), linseed (9), malting (5), oat (4), rye (2).

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use OTHER FLOURS:

Rye, corn, oat, soybean, buckwheat, durum wheat etc., used as an alternative to make different types of bread, to make gluten-free bread and to enrich bread made with wheat flour.

Notes

Rye, oat, and durum flour do not have gluten-forming protein in quantity and quality as it occurs with wheat flour. Corn, buckwheat, and soybean flour do not contain gluten-forming proteins.

Other flours can be used go form the bread dough, such as amaranth flour, millet, teff and barley.

In the sample of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• All the products use water.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use WATER:

The use of water to make the dough by the flour hydration and starch gelatinization during the cooking; it enables leavening and gluten development; it releases vapors at cooking, which contributes to the dough leavening and controls the dough temperature.

Notes

The water hardness (minerals content) and pH (acidity or alkalinity measure) affect the dough elasticity, smoothness and viscosity. It is possible to obtain the water ideal conditions by means of treating it, using conditioners, adding alkaline or acid substances in the dough.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• Its use is common in most part of the products.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use BIOLOGICAL YEAST:

It uses specific yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that produces enzymes that promote the dough leavening, changing sugar into carbonic gas and alcohol (it evaporated during and after the dough baking), which makes the bread dough to grow. At leavening, the yeast generates aromatic compounds that grant flavor to the bread.

Notes

The sugar consumed by the yeast can be added to the dough, produced by enzymes naturally present in the dough or enzymes added to it.

According to the legislation, yeast is considered a supporting ingredient in the manufacturing technology and is not included in the list of ingredients.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• Its use is common in most part of the products.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use CHEMICAL YEAST:

They are substances (examples: sodium bicarbonate and ammonia bicarbonate) that cause chemical reactions and produce carbonic gas in the moist and acid environment of the dough and make the bread dough to grow. At leavening, the yeast generates aromatic compounds that grant flavor to the bread.

Notes

The sugar consumed by the yeast can be added to the dough, produced by enzymes naturally present in the dough or enzymes added to it.

According to the legislation, yeast is considered as a supporting ingredient in the manufacturing technology and is not included in the list of ingredients.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• Its use is common in most part of the products.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use NATURAL YEAST:

Mix of wheat and water with natural microorganisms from the environment capable to cause the dough leavening (Massa Madre, Levain). Used to make bread according to an ancestral recipe, with differentiated flavor in relation to the bread made with other types of yeast.

Notes

The sugar consumed by the yeast can be added to the dough, produced by enzymes naturally present in the dough or enzymes added to it.

According to the legislation, yeast is considered as a supporting ingredient in the manufacturing technology and is not included in the list of ingredients.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• It is used in 67 products, and 3 use only light salt;
• 26 products combine common salt with low-sodium salt.
• Note: 3 products combine common salt with POTASSIUM CHLORIDE.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use SALT:

Kitchen salt (Sodium Chloride, NaCl), used to strengthen and increase the gluten elasticity, in addition to enhance the dough expansion, improves the bread structure, assisting in the leavening control and to intensify the bread flavor.

Notes

Loaves of bread are not usually a low-salt content food. There are programs to reduce the sodium content found in bread, as this ingredient is associated to high blood pressure.

Light salt and low-sodium salt are ingredients available in retail stores.

In the sample of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• Common sugar is used in 47 products, brown sugar in 16 and crystal sugar in 8;
• 9 products do not have sugar or sweeteners added.
• 2 products use maize glucose and 1 fructose.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use SUGAR:

Sucrose is the sugarcane or beetroot sugar.

Maze glucose (glucose, or dextrose) is a natural sugar, a six-carbon monosaccharide (C6H12O6), also designed as aldohexose, which can be obtained from several sources, including any type of starch (potato, manioc, rice, etc.). In the case, maze glucose is obtained by the corn starch hydrolysis.

Fructose is the sugar present in fruits, honey, and in many vegetables. Chemically, it is a six-carbon monosaccharide (C6H12O6), also designed as levulose or ketohexose.

Used to develop leaven and the dough leavening. It optimizes the dough elasticity. It helps retaining the bread moisture. It contributes to the bread flavor, color, softness and volume. It contributes to forming a the golden-brown crust, due to the sugar caramelization and the Maillard reaction.

Notes

Glucose was isolated in 1747 for the first time by Andreas Sigismund Marggraf. The name “fructose” was invented in 1857 by the English chemist William Miller.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 47 products use only soybean oil;
• Butter is used in 4 products, but always in combination with soybean oil or plant-based fat;
• Other oils and fat used: canola oil (5 products), corn oil (3) and linseed oil (1).
• A plant-based fat is used in 9 products. It is not specified in the label if the fat is HYDROGENATED or INTERESTERIFIED.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use OILS AND FATS:

They are plant-based oils, margarine, butters, lard, etc. that contribute to the dough expansion, enhances the bread flavor, color, and texture, grant the moisture and smoothness to the bread dough and has emulsifying property.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• Several ingredients are added to enhance the bread flavor and nutritional value. The most frequent are: sunflower seed (17 products), linseed (16), and oat in flakes/fibers/grains (16), soybean in lakes/fibers/gritz (14), rye in em flakes/fibers/grains (11), quinoa white/red/grains (11), Freekeh (7), sesame (7), Setaria Italica (4), chia (4), barley i flakes/grains (4).

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use GRAINS:

They are cereals, pseudo-cereals, leguminous and oil seeds: rye, corn, oat, soybean, buckwheat, durum grains, etc., used as an alternative to make different types of bread, such as multi-grains, enriching bread and incorporating fibers and nutrients.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 8 products have Brazil nut added, 7 have cashew nut, 5 pecan nut and 2 macadamia.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use ALMONDS:

Nuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, hazelnut, macadamia, peanut, pistachio, etc. are used to enhance toe flavor and incorporate nutrients.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 2 contain prunes, 2 apples, 1 hazelnuts and 1 nuts.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use FRUITS AND BY-PRODUCTS:

Use of fresh, dried, glazed, canned fruit, purees, jellies etc., to incorporate flavor and nutrients to the bread dough.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 4 products use egg.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use EGGS:

The use of pasteurized chicken eggs in natura or dehydrated contributed to the formation of the dough structure, the bread flavor and color; it incorporates proteins and fat to the dough and has emulsifying property.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 3 products use powder milk.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use MILK:

The use of liquid or powder, pasteurize or UTH cow milk contributes to the development of gluten, color, flavor, and the bread texture.

In a sampling of 70 loaves of bread analyzed in a study conducted by Ital:

• 18 products use vinegar in the formulation;
• Other raw materials used in few portions of products: grated coconut (3), cinnamon powder (2), fennel (2), pumpkin (1), pumpkin candy (1).

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use EGGS:

Ingredients such as vinegar, grated coconut, cinnamon powder, fennel, pumpkin are also used to grant flavor.

Vinegar contributes to provide flavor and to preserve the bread.