Role of Shortenings, Starch, Milk Products, Egg Albumen and other Aerating agents

1. Role of Shortenings, Starch, Milk
Products, Egg Albumen and
other Aerating agents
In Bakery, Confectionery and Snack Products

2. •Shortening is used in baking to help make products
crumbly, flaky and tender.
It “shortens” gluten strands so the pastry is more tender.
Shortening (fat) is used to keep gluten strands shorter,
making the mix more pliable and soft.Coating the flour in
fat prevents the flour from absorbing water, hindering the
formation of gluten.
Desirable characteristics include bland or pleasant flavour;
freedom from objectionable odour; light or clear colour; a
high degree of plasticity; long storage life; and good
shortening power, or ability to weaken and lubricate the
structure of baked products to produce tenderness

3. How does butter differ?
Butter, with yellow colour, solid consistency, and about 80
percent fat content, is valued for its sweet flavour, pleasant
aroma, and ability to contribute great tenderness to baked
products.
It is popular for specialty breads, cookies, and pastries and is rolled
into doughs from which flaky and tender pastries.
Because of its high cost, it is used, alone or in shortening mixtures,
mainly in higher-priced baked goods. It is fairly perishable,
requiring storage at low temperature, and is not easily creamed
(blended with sugar), producing cakes with lower volume and
coarser grain than those made with more easily creamed
shortenings.

4. •There are four types of shortening: solid, liquid, all-
purpose, and cake or icing shortening.
Margarines are emulsions containing about 80 percent fat,
from either animal or vegetable sources, plus water, salt,
emulsifiers, and sometimes milk solids.
They are white to yellow in colour, with neutral or
butterlike flavour and solid consistency.
Margarine has a high melting point, produces tender
products, and is especially popular for use in puff pastes.
Margarine is the most commonly used vegetable fat in
baking technology.

5. Role of Starch
•When starch is heated with water, granules absorb the
water, and swell. Eventually they burst and the inner part
of the granule spills out to form a thick gel. This process
is called gelatinisation.
•Starch also interacts with gluten during baking. The
gluten breaks down and gives up water which is quickly
taken up by the starch. This makes the gluten set and
become rigid, which is why loaves of bread don’t
collapse when they come out of the oven.

6. •Starch represents the major ingredient in bread or
cookies, especially in gluten-free baked goods, where it
provides structure and texture to a final product.
•In the confectionery industry, however, starches are
applied mostly as gelling and dusting agents.
•In the manufacturing of fried snacks ,starch is used as a
thickener, binding agent, emulsifier, clouding agent or
gelling agent

7. Staling…
•Starch contains two polysaccharides, amylose and
amylopectin, the latter of which plays a major role in the
staling process.
•In its natural state, amylopectin is crystalline in
nature.While baking, the starch gelatinizes. As time
passes the amylopectin component in the starch begins
to recrystallize, and this process in layman’s terms is
called staling.
•This is nothing but the firmness of bread as it ages.
Temperature and time are the main factors determining
staling.

8. •Starch also provides “food” for the yeast to feed on during
fermentation. α-and β-amylase work together to build
starch into sugar. It is this sugar that feeds the yeast in
fermentation and produces carbon dioxide which helps
the bread dough rise and gives bread its finished texture.
•Cornstarch, also known as corn flour or maize starch, is
the most common starch around.

9. Role of Milk products
•In baking, it moistens batter or dough, and adds protein,
color and flavor to baked goods.
•The most common form of milk in baking is non-fat dry
milk (NFDM), which is dehydrated skim milk. It is also
known as SMP (Skimmed milk powder).
•Milk plays a role in golden brown colour of baked goods.
It gives enough support to impart some structure and a
slight crunch to the outer layer. The browning effect is
actually the same as caramelising sugar, and this is due
to the sugar content in milk.

10. • Generally, eggs are used for their protein content to give
the final egg wash which gives a better colour, texture
and crispiness to the crust of the baked goods either
sweet or savoury.
•This same texture can be achieved by a milk wash for
production of vegetarian baked products.
•Vegan alternatives include soy milk can be used for
satisfactory sensory compliments. But not as good as
liquid milk.

11. In confectionery….
•The various constituents of milk form an important part of
confectionery products. They impart characteristic texture,
flavour and appearance to milk chocolate, caramels
and fudge.
• Sweet cream unsalted butter is used in toffee, caramels
and fudges for the required flavour profile. Sweetened
condensed milk, as we know is very important for the
chewy enrichment in taffy.
•Whey protein isolate, Whey protein concentrate,
Caseinate are all important ingredients in protein bars
with desirable milky flavour.

12. •Whey protein powder and AMF (Anhydrous milk fat) is
used in making milk chocolates. They are reported to
increase overall mouthfeel when combined with regular
cocoa butter.
•Milk and Vanillin also go together very well in baked
goods.
•Milk can improve the nutrient profile of the snacks
produced as a healthy alternative. Studies have shown
that consuming snacks produced with extra toned milk
makes for a healthy snack that even reduces hunger
pangs.

13. Role of Egg Albumen
•Eggs are natural binders, helping hold all other baking
ingredients together and increasing the viscosity of
batters and doughs.
• Using more whites in a cake mixture will help create a
fluffy, light baked product with good volume and texture,
while using more egg yolk will help create a denser rich
flavoured cake.
•Beaten egg whites are highly effective leavening agents,
incorporating air into the dough or batter. A foam is
created, which will expand in the oven, causing cakes to
rise.

14. •Egg yolk is rich in fat and lecithin, an emulsifier, and can
therefore be used as a highly effective, natural aid to
emulsification.
•Emulsifiers provide superior palatability, mouth feel,
texture and a consistent, high-quality appearance.
•It is tough to substitute egg albumen in cakes to get the
same outcome. Also, being neutral in flavour, egg
whites do not alter the flavour profile of the product
irrespective of the quantity.

15. In Confectionery…
•The effect that egg albumen has on the crystallization of
sugars is inevitable.The need for controlled crystallization
in confections presents a special case for candies
wherein sugar crystals are dispersed in a foam matrix.
•Albumen is the main source of protein in eggs which
serve to disrupt crystal formations by acting as an
emulsifier.
•When too much albumen is deployed, the candies get a
chalky nature and at very low quantities, the candies
harden uncontrollably.

16. •Eggs as a whole are nutrient dense food. It can be
effectively used in snacks as appetisers, fried snacks or
simply as binders for stuffed products.
•Egg powder is commonly incorporated in baby food.
•Snack dressings like mayonnaise require eggs for its
taste and flavour too.

17. Role of Aerating agents.
•Baking soda (NaHCO3) is commonly used as a chemical
leavener. In presence of moisture, it could react with any
acidic compounds in the mixture thereby releasing CO2.
•One added benefit is that this nature of the chemical can
be exploited to adjust the acidity of the dough too.
•In candies, when added along with cream of tartar,
excessive acidity can be neutralised while also making
the candy fluffy due to the release of CO2.

18. •Ammonium bicarbonate is used in the food industry as
a leavening agent for flat baked goods, such as cookies
and crackers.
•This is the most common treating agent in biscuits
because under heat, it completely decomposes to give
CO2, NH3 and water, leaving no residue in the biscuits.
•It is associated with the unique crispness and light but
hard texture in traditional tea mates and biscuits.

19. •Food grade Calcium stearate is mainly used as a dough
conditioner and is commonly used with other dough
softeners such as mono and diglycerides.
•They act as an aerating agent i.e anti-caking agent in
solid mixtures like salt, confections etc.
•Powdered confectionery products require an anti-caking
agent for longer shelf-life.

20. •Monocalcium phosphate (MCP) is a leavening acid
commonly found in baked goods.
•It has a neutralizing value of 80 CCE and is very fast
acting.
•It is used in conjunction with baking soda to provide
aeration and volume in cakes and cookies.
• It is the preferred leavening acid because it doesn’t
contain sodium and has no aftertaste.1
•In products where little bench time is desired, this
chemical is used.