The baking industry has evolved significantly in recent times and has started exploring new avenues for improving the functional properties of baked goods by incorporating trehalose in bakery formulations. A variety of baked goods have benefited from the use of trehalose in the baking industry. These include baked products like cakes, buns, bread, cookies, and many more.
Trehalose is highly stable at a wide range of pH and up to 120 degrees Celsius. It is water soluble at 20 degrees Celsius. Also, the sweetness of trehalose is 45 percent of the sweetness of glucose.
Trehalose is a naturally occurring non-reducing sugar found in mushrooms, yeast, and honey. Trehalose is composed of two glucose molecules linked together with a glycosidic bond. As the reducing ends of trehalose are not free to react, it is a non-reducing dissaccharide.
Trehalose has long been known for its low calorie and low sweetening effect, but very little information is known about trehalose as a texture enhancer in baked goods specifically
This blog will walk you through the role and significance of trehalose in the bakery industry and its benefits.
Moisture retention by Trehalose
Trehalose is used in baked goods like bread, cakes, and buns because it has exceptionally good water retention capability. So, including trehalose in the bakery formulation helps the baked goods to hold moisture. As a result, the bread or cake does not dry out easily.
Trehalose has a wide range of applications in the bakery industry due to its multifunctional properties and characteristics.
This application of trehalose helps the baked goods to maintain their sponginess, softness, and bounciness in texture. In baked products like cakes, trehalose keeps them fluffy and in the case of other baked goods such as cookies, and crackers, it preserves the crispiness in their texture.
Texture enhancement in frozen dough
Frozen dough has made its way into the food manufacturing industry because of its long shelf life and convenience in use. This is where the use of trehalose has helped to improve the properties of frozen dough significantly. Incorporation of trehalose in dough before freezing produces the dough and bread that have desirable viscoelastic properties. The bread made from such frozen dough which has trehalose added to it, has desirable fluffiness, softness, and bounciness.
Adding trehalose to the bread dough allows the resulting bread to have greater bread volume and less firmness. As a result, the bread manufactured from such dough is softer, fluffier, and more spongy. The hygroscopic nature of trehalose helps to bind with water so that the moisture content of the food product is in the desirable range. This allows the food product to have a good texture.
Anti-staling property of Trehalose
The anti-staling property of trehalose helps to retain the moisture in the baked goods, therefore preventing the drying out of the bread crust and maintaining a protective layer around the bread.
As a result, moisture is not able to escape the surface of the bread or cake. Eventually, trehalose shields the bread from going stale, preserving its texture and increasing its shelf life.
Antioxidant properties of Trehalose
Trehalose also exhibits antioxidant properties. Trehalose works as an antioxidant as it protects the food product from damage caused by free oxygen and free radicals.
Trehalose being an antioxidant reacts with the free radical or oxygen and prevents it from reacting with the food compounds. Thus preserving the overall quality of the food and enhancing its shelf life.
Freshness of Food
Bakery products like bread, cakes, and cookies are desirable only if they are fresh or crisp and not soggy. This crucial property of baked goods is protected by trehalose.
Trehalose is hygroscopic which means it can attract water in the food products. This property of trehalose helps to protect the texture and freshness of baked food products.
Trehalose keeps the baked goods fresh and intact for a longer period. Moisture retention due to the addition of trehalose to the bakery formulation plays a crucial role in maintaining the freshness of the baked goods. Trehalose helps to keep the cake or bread fresh, soft, and bouncy.
Prevents Maillard Reaction
Trehalose prevents any unwanted browning due to the Maillard reaction. In some cases, browning is not desirable in the final baked product. In such cases, trehalose helps to prevent browning or the Maillard reaction.
Since trehalose is a non-reducing sugar, it does not have a free carbonyl end. As a result, trehalose does not have a reactive group available for reacting. Therefore, upon application of heat during baking, trehalose prevents the formation of any undesirable brown color.
Low-calorie baked goods
As more and more people are becoming health conscious and aware, food processing industries are also trying to find new ingredients that could decrease the sugar level of the food. Eventually, not shooting the blood glucose level upon consumption. One such solution is trehalose powder, as trehalose has a low glycemic index. So consumption of trehalose in baked goods does not shoot the blood glucose level in the body. Thus making it a good and healthy option for health-conscious consumers.
Conclusion
Trehalose is an ingredient with multiple functionalities and properties. These functionalities of trehalose make it a super ingredient in the realm of baking. These properties and functionalities include moisture retention, improving the texture of baked products, acting as an anti-staling agent, and reducing glycemic index.
Check also: Trehalose: Stabilizer, Humectant, and Cryoprotectant Revolution in the Food Industry
As consumers are becoming more and more aware of health and food, trehalose is finding more use and application in the food industry. Thus trehalose proves to be a crucial and significant ingredient in the baking industry.