NZ Baking Industry

Innovation

Firm claims yeast product will inhibit acrylamide in foods

Bakeryandsnacks.com(16/03/10) reported on a newly filed patent application for a yeast technology that claims to reduce the formation of acrylamide. Acrylamide is formed when asparagine, an amino acid found in all starchy, high-carbohydrate foods, reacts with the heat of cooking. Since 2002, acrylamide has been recognised as a serious food safety issue and has been found in products such as bread, cookies, crackers, baby food, breakfast cereal, French fries and potato chips. Since its discovery, food manufacturers have been working with regulatory authorities and competitors to develop new methods to reduce the formation of acrylamide. Techniques trialled have included changing the pH to alter the reaction products, cutting heating temperatures and times, using an enzyme to convert asparargine into an impotent form and binding asparagines to make it inaccessible. However most of these approaches are too costly or not effective. The new yeast technology works by metabolising asparagine faster than regular yeast through its enhancement of the yeast cell’s innate ability to degrade asparagine and reduce its presence prior to the heating process. In bread making or any product requiring bakers yeast, the new yeast would be used in place, directly reducing the amount of acrylamide. The efficacy of the product has been quite good in preliminary testing, with up to a 90 per cent reduction in the end product. The cost of the new yeast product is likely to range between premium to current bulk yeast costs. The next step in this project is for the new yeast to be trialled with companies involved in yeast, bakery and general food production to accelerate the proprietary yeast strain product development and commercialisation.

Pectin-rich ingredients show fat replacing potential

Bakeryandsnacks.com (15/3/10) reported on the potential of pectin to be used as a fat replacer in baked goods. Pectin, with worldwide production estimated at 35,000 tonnes a year, is currently widely used as gelling agents in jams, confectionery, and bakery fillings, and stabilisers in yoghurts and milk drinks. The majority of pectin used currently comes from citrus peel and apple pomace. The functionality of pectin is dictated by the chemical fine structure, and other sources of the ingredient, like sugar beet and pumpkin, have remained largely unexploited because of certain undesirable structural properties. With obesity levels rising across the globe, consumers are increasingly seeking out low-fat and low-calorie versions of their favourite foods. As a result reduction of fat in products is a growing area of interest to food manufacturers. A new study, published in Bioresource Technology, indicates that cookies formulated with a pectin-enriched material from apple pomace were considered to be more tender, with higher moisture content, than cookies formulated with shortening. During the trials, water soluble pectin-enriched materials (PEMs) was made from apple pomace. and was used to replace shortening in cookies. Compared to cookies made with shortening, the pectin-formulated cookies had less spread during cooking, while the height of the cookies was higher and gas retention was less. It was recommended that replacement of shortening up to a level of 30 per cent was found to be possible without detrimentally affecting the texture of the finished baked good. Source: Bioresource Technology. Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.02.022 "Utilization of pectin-enriched materials from apple pomace as a fat replacer in a model food system". Authors: B. Min, I.Y. Bae, H.G. Lee, S-H. Yoo, S. Lee

Lactic bacteria breakthrough may reduce bread additive use

Bakeryandsnacks.com (15/03/10) reported on researchers in Finland who have discovered lactic bacteria that naturally produce hydrocolloids in wheat bread using sourdough, which could be used to make additive-free products that meet taste and texture requirements. Sourdough always contains lactic acid bacteria, which are responsible for the fermentation process. A three year project at VTT Technical Research Centre has screened over 100 other cereal and food-based microbes to find out which ones work in a wheat matrix and can yield helpful hydrocolloids. The first phase of the project involved a modelling system which narrowed down the potential candidates, and then the project progressed to a baking stage. Four or five lactic bacteria were discovered that helped the mechanical processability of the dough, improved shelf life, and increased volume. The taste was mild and lacked the pungency often associated with sourdough bread. The effect is attributed to the production of exopolysaccharides during the fermentation process, which act as coagulants and emulsifiers. Weissella confusa was identified as a strain with particular potential. Others from the general Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Weissella were seen to produce exopolysaccharides, but with some strains the positive technical results were marred by acidification. This was not the case with W confusa. The indication is that the addition of the lactic bacteria early on means there is no need for other additives to be used in the manufacturing process, in order to achieve the same high quality results. Some bakeries are already putting these strains to use in their projects and there is further potential to use the technology for producing ingredients for other cereal products and foods, such as extruded snacks. Further work will also focus on the nutritional aspects of sourdough, which is already know for its low glycaemix index and the effect of hydrocolloids may further improve this. Source: Food Microbiology Volume 26, Issue 7, October 2009, Pages 734-743 doi:10.1016/j.fm.2009.07.008 In situ production and analysis of Weissella confusa dextran in wheat sourdough Kati Katina, Ndegwa Henry Maina, Riikka Juvonen, Laura

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