Food raw material for industrial use – Bread

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

• Enzymes are not considered as ingredients according to the legislation, but as supporting to the processing, as their action is inactivated by the dough cooking temperature. For that reason, its statement in the industrialized loaves of bread label is not mandatory.

WHAT ARE and the REASONS to use ENZYMES:

They are proteins with chemical reactions catalyst properties (accelerator). Types of enzymes usually added to dough: amylases, proteases, hemicellulases, lipases and oxidases.

The use of enzymes enhances the gluten chain and increases the dough stability; it increases the bread volume; it reduces the leavening time and substitutes the use of chemical oxidants and emulsifiers (totally or partially).

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

• Gluten used in 59 products.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use GLUTEN:

it is a protein compound, basically formed by glutenins and gliadins, obtained from cereals of grass seeds cereals, mainly wheat, barley, triticale and rye. It is a viscoelastic network formed by glutenins and gliadins proteins, by means of the dough manipulation.

The network is responsible for retaining the gases that make the dough to grow. The glutenins and gliadins are responsible for the dough consistency, viscosity, extensibility, strength and firmness.

Notes

High-quality flours usually do not require adding gluten in as an ingredient. However, other flours need to be strengthened to meet technical and quality requirements in making bread.

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

• 3 products use sucralose.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use SUCRALOSE:

it is a synthetic sweetener of high intensity and low calories, being approximately 600 times sweeter than common sugar. Sucralose is synthesized from sucrose (common sugar) by means of a process in many stages, in which 3 of hydroxyl groups from sucrose molecules are replaced by 3 atoms of chloride.

In bread, it is used to replace caloric sweeteners, such as sugar. It is capable of maintaining its sweetness for prolonged periods, including during bread baking, as it has excellent thermal stability.

Notes

Due to the fact the sucralose molecule is extremely stable, it does not react with acids, stabilizers, aromas, dyes, etc. They do react chemically with the ingredients, allowing its use without special care in any stage of the process.

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

• 3 products use whey powder.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use WHEY POWDER:

It is obtained in liquid form din the cheese manufacturing process, and can be slightly sweet or acid. In order to change it into powder, it is necessary to place it in evaporators, an equipment that almost totally remove the water from the whey.

the addition of whey powder in bread helps in the formation of a softer bread crumb, brad crust with a beautiful brown-golden color, it gives a slight flavor or milk to the bread and delays its aging. In addition, it increases the bread nutritional value as it has proteins and high content of minerals, and it ca partially or totally replace the powdered milk and egg by-products, providing a cost reduction.

|Notes

Whey powder is widely used by the food industry.  Due to its high nutritional value, whey is isolated (whey protein) and many times used in products designed to physical performance.

Whey powder is considered as a food. Usually, 2% to 4% of whey is used in relation to the flour weight.

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

• 1 products use inulin.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use INULIN:

It is a fiber (Frutooligosaccharide – FOS) extracted from different varieties of plants, such as chicory root.

Prebiotics ingredient, non-caloric, capable to replace sugar and fat. Flavor enhancer. Emulsions stabilizing properties.

Notes

It Ingredients used in the functional food preparation, due to the prebiotic properties.

In the samples of 70 hamburgers in a study conducted by Ital:

• 2 gluten-free products use modified starch

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use MODIFIED STARCH:

it is the starch obtained from vegetable source with some characteristics modified by enzymatic, physical, or chemical processes.

Its use improves the dough texture, appearance, and stability, and gives more resistance to downgrading.

Notes

Examples of processes used to change the natural starch: Oxidation; Acid hydrolysis; Cross linking; Esterification.

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

• Plant-based fat is used in 9 products. It is not specified in the label if the fat used is hydrogenated or interesterified.

WHAT IS and the REASONS to use HYDROGENATED FAT:

It is formed by the hydrogenation of plant-based oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids, a process that incorporates hydrogen acids to the fatty acids or change them into saturated acids. That fat can have many saturation degrees, according to the type of industrial application intended.

Used to obtain the desired mix of saturated and unsaturated fat to achieve the desired characteristics to manufacture bread, such as softness, flexibility, melting point, etc.

Notes

it is mandatory to state the quantity of saturated fats in the label. Products claiming for “low saturated fat” need to have, at most, 1.5 g saturated fat per portion, including trans fat. For the claim of “does not contain”, a maximum of 0.1 g of saturated fats per portion and, a maximum of 0.1 g per portion of trans fat.

Trans fats are formed in the partial plant-based oils hydrogenation process.