Studying the composition of bakery products, you can stumble upon a component such as a baking improver. What is it and why is it added? Its use causes a lot of controversy among buyers. Why do we need a baking improver, what is it, what is its effect on the body and which of the best options is better to choose, is indicated in this article.
general information
Improvers for baking production are special components that contribute to improving the quality of bakery products and are added to flour or to ready-made dough. By their origin, they can be of biological origin or chemical. Many amateur bakers find baking improvers and nutritional supplements interchangeable. In fact, this is not so, and each of them is an absolutely independent group.
Why enterprises resort to the use of improvers
Very often, people complain about adding improving ingredients to bakery products. As a rule, they simply do not understand why manufacturers used to do without these additives before and why it is simply impossible to avoid now. The catch lies in changing the quality indicators of flour. Now the market has a huge share of flour with low baking properties. It is also oversaturated with extraneous microflora. So, in order for the buyer to receive bread of the highest quality, manufacturers have to resort to the addition of baking improvers. It is worth noting that the percentage of use of this additive among the baking giants is significantly lower in comparison with small enterprises. The reason for such an outcome of events lies in the fact that private enterprises do not have sufficient capacities and technical equipment to use in their work sourdough, sponge and other semi-finished products. But small bakeries buy flour in small volumes, and therefore its quality often reaches a higher level, which eliminates the use of improving components.
Kinds
There are five types of baking improvers. What it is?
- Oxidizing. The main representatives of this species are ascorbic acid, calcium peroxide and others.
- Restorative. In this case, we are talking about sodium thiosulfate and elcysteine.
- Enzymatic
- Integrated. They include several components in their composition.
- Surfactant. The use of emulsifiers is contemplated herein.
Also, manufacturers can add stabilizers and other additives to improve the quality of the foam.
Oxidative improvers
The main representatives of this type are:
- perborates;
- bromates;
- oxygen;
- azodicarbonamide;
- potassium iodates.
The root cause of their use is the ability of oxidative improvers to change for the better protein and proteinase indices. Using these components, the manufacturer provides himself with better flour, which makes the dough airy and holistic. For hearth bread, they are real saviors, as they limit its vagueness. Another ability of such improvers is the ability to bleach the crumb of bakery products.
Restorative Improvers
The properties of the test can also be improved with the help of reducing components. The reason for their use is considered to be excessively strong gluten. It will also be effective if gluten breaks shortly. As a result, bakers get more voluminous bread. It also becomes more elastic and looser. And importantly, the surface of the finished product is not subject to cracks and gusts. Restorative type baking improvers usually include:
- glutathione;
- wheat gluten;
- sodium thiosulfate;
- cysteine.
The most common improving component of this type is dry wheat gluten. It favorably affects the creation of bakery products from flour with insufficient gluten content. The manufacture of the following finished products is not complete without it:
- puff buns;
- convenience foods frozen type;
- bread for people with diabetes;
- bran bread.
Modified starch has a miraculous effect on increasing the volume of finished products. Its presence in the composition also contributes to the porosity, elasticity and greater whitening of bakery products. The main advantage of using this baking improver (what it is, you already know) manufacturers attribute its beneficial effect to increasing the shelf life of finished products.
Enzyme preparations
The root cause of their use is the acceleration of biochemical processes that occur during fermentation. Thanks to this property, producers get a unique opportunity to create large volumes of bread in the shortest possible time. The most common in Russia and abroad are drugs based on amylolytic and proteolytic components.
By adding an enzyme preparation to the dough, the baker will receive a more voluminous bakery product. It should be remembered that such an improvement should be made in the optimal amount. It is competent observance of proportions that enables bakeries to get a more structured, porous and delicate crumb. The taste, aroma and external characteristics of the finished product also begin to "play with new colors." In Russia, amylolytic drugs such as Amilosubtilin and Amilorizin are openly sold. It is worth noting that this kind of enzyme is often added to rye malt. It is also found in malt extracts.
In addition to amylotics, the use of lipolytics is practiced in Russia.
Combined or combined improvers
The essence of the application of these additives is the desire of the manufacturer:
- make more efficient the process of creating bakery products;
- stabilize the quality of the produced bread;
- increase the biochemical ability of the used yeast;
- increase the shelf life of the final product.
This type of improvers got its name due to the fact that its composition, as a rule, includes from two to four components. They are released both in powders and in the form of paste or syrup. If the baker is faced with the fact that the flour used by him is distinguished by low elastic gluten, he should give preference to the following options for complex baking improvers:
In the top of the additives of this type are Panifarin and Mazhimiks. What is Panifarin? Baking improver of natural origin. It is perfect for all types of flour. Most often it is added to flour with a low level of gluten. The composition of such a baking improver as Panifarin includes: gluten (wheat gluten) and rapidly swelling flour, enzymes. If there is too little protein in the flour, then adding Panifarin will surely correct the situation.
Magimix as a baking improver is used to increase the shelf life of the finished product. Its main active ingredients are amylases, fatty acids, calcium carbonates and wheat flour. This supplement can often be found in loaves, croissants and muffins.
In addition to the above additives, imported improvers such as Sovital-Mix, Forex, Forts-Rit are available for purchase in Russia.
Surfactant
In this case, we are talking about surfactants, or, in other words, about food emulsifiers. Thus, it becomes clear that the basis of this additive is a chemical compound. Here we are talking about such improvers as "Lux", "Effect" and "Lecithox".
Apply them in the following cases:
- If necessary, strengthen the structure of the test.
- To improve fermentation.
- In order to better form dough pieces.
By adding the required amount of surfactant to the dough, the baker gets a more voluminous product with a uniform and thin crust and porous crumb.
What is azodicarbonamide?
Not so long ago, the media began to heatedly discuss cases of additives in bakery products such an improver as azodicarbonamide. People were struck by the fact that it can be found both in bread, in yoga mats or in shoe soles. It is believed that it negatively affects the state of the human body. In this regard, in the EU it belongs to the category of banned, while in America its use is absolutely free. So, almost all fast food buns are made using azidicarbonamide.
According to a number of studies, this improver (in baking it is used almost everywhere) negatively affects the functioning of the respiratory tract. Now, for this reason, its use in its pure form is prohibited in Russia. But as an additional component of a complex improver, it is common. Thus, according to SanPiN, this component is not completely prohibited, but only limited in large volumes. Thus, when choosing bread, you should look at its composition, and if this component is there, it is recommended to abandon such a product. Perhaps a loaf of bread does not affect the health of an adult, but it’s better not to risk your life. Moreover, the range of bakery products in modern stores is simply huge.