FLOUR & PRODUCT QUALITY TESTING

EQUIPMENTS
The raw material of foremost importance in bakery products is the wheat
flour. Bakery units prefer the flour obtained by milling in roller flourmill with
70-72% extraction. Flour quality may be defined as the ability of the flour to
produce an attractive end product at competitive cost, under conditions imposed
by the end product manufacturing unit. The concept of quality differs from
producer and consumer point of view. However, in general, the term quality
may refer to fitness of a raw material or a product for a particular process or
consumer. For a consumer, the following parameters are important criteria of a
product quality.
1. Uniformity and consistency of quality
2. Health safety of the product and
3. Price
Testing of wheat and flour is commonly done for quality control
purposes, result from these tests have a direct relationship to finished product
quality. For manufacturing of any product, various specifications or particular
characteristics are required, these specification decide how flour will perform
during the processing.

Following are the contemporary equipment for the analysis of wheat and
flour:
1. Falling Number
2. Deoxynivalenol (DON) Test kit
3. Single-kernel characterization system instrument
4. Flour Colour Value Analysis
5. Alveograph
6. Rapid Visco Analyzer
7. Differential scanning calorimetry
8. X-Ray Diffraction
9. Texture Analyzer
10. Glutomatic
11. DoughLab
12. BVM Volume Measurement

Falling Number
The Falling Number System measures the alpha-amylase enzyme activity
in grains and flour to detect sprout damage, optimise flour enzyme activity and
guarantee soundness of traded grain. Alpha-amylase activity is crucial for final
product quality of bread, pasta, noodles and malt.
Under conditions of prolonged dampness or rain, grain kernels may start
to germinate, or sprout, when the crop is still standing. Germination begins
when kernels absorb water and generate enzymes that break down stored starch
and protein in the endosperm. The enzymes release sugars from starch and
amino acids from proteins which nourish the growing embryo.
Alpha-amylase is one of the enzymes produced in the sprouting kernel.
Although some alpha-amylase enzyme is present in the embryo or germ of
sound wheat kernels, when germination begins the embryo and layers
surrounding the starchy endosperm produce the enzyme at an accelerating rate.
A severely sprout-damaged kernel contains many thousands of times the
amounts of enzyme present in kernels that are in the early stages of germination.
Because of this, a wheat sample containing very low levels of severely sprouted
kernels may exhibit significant amylase activity. Alpha-amylase converts starch
into sugars in the sprouting kernel, and similarly breaks down the starch
granules in wheat flour when mixed with water to make bread dough. Alphaamylase activity has direct impact on bread and pasta quality and adversely
affects the malting process. As little as 5 % sprouted grain, mixed with 95 %
sound grain, can render the entire mixture unacceptable.
When the tubes containing slurry are placed in the boiling water bath, the
starch begins to gelatinize and the slurry becomes more viscous. The mixing
makes sure the gelatinization is homogeneous in the slurry. What also happens
at this elevated temperature is that the alpha-amylase enzyme starts to break
down the starch and the viscosity thus decreases. The amount of starch break-

down is dependent on the alpha-amylase activity and this means that the higher
the activity of the alpha-amylase the lower the viscosity will be. When the
stirrer is dropped, its speed and thus the time it takes it to fall to the bottom will
be determined by the viscosity of the slurry.
In other words, the more sprouted the grain was the higher the alphaamylase activity will be. The higher the alpha-amylase activity, the lower the
viscosity of the slurry. The lower the viscosity of the slurry the faster the stirrer
will fall to the bottom. That is why more sprouted grain results in a lower
Falling Number as Falling Number is the time it takes the stirrer to fall to the
bottom. The total time in seconds from the start of the instrument until the stirrer
has fallen a measured distance is registered by the instrument.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) Test kit

Levels of deoxynivalenol (DON), also referred to as vomitoxin, and are
measured in the marketing channels with commercially available test kits. Test
kits are based on immunochemical technology. DON has been implicated in
moldy corn toxicosis of swine. DON is often present with other mycotoxins and
has been isolated from grains and feeds throughout the world at levels as high as
92 ppm. Because of concerns about DON, the United States FDA has instituted
advisory levels of 1 ppm for wheat products for human consumption, 5 ppm for
grain products for most animal feeds and 10 ppm for grain products for cattle
feed.

The lateral flow strips used in test kits provide a yes or no answer
to whether the sample tested contains DON above a certain
amount.

Usually within 5 to 15 minutes the results can be read.

All tests include an internal procedural control line that is used to

validate the test result.

The appearance of two lines indicates a positive result, while a

negative test produces only one line.

DON is a toxin produced by fusarium fungi. DON occurs in feed grains

when grown under certain climatic conditions. Illnesses have been observed in
livestock that have consumed feed grains containing high levels of DON
concentrations.

Single-Kernel Characterization System

The Single-Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) is a unique analytical
tool. In addition to determining the average quality of an entire sample of grain
kernels, the SKCS determines the characteristics for each and every kernel in
the sample one by one - in a fully automatic mode. Moisture, hardness,
diameter and weight are analyzed for each individual kernel. Uniform wheat
performs better in the flour mill and uniform barley results in better malt yields.
The SKCS makes it possible to objectively test for uniformity. SKCS is the only
tool for grain uniformity testing. Moisture, kernel size, weight and hardness are
determined for each kernel and presented in histograms and as averages.

Wheat kernel characteristics are analyzed for: kernel weight by

load cell, kernel diameter and moisture content by electrical
current, and kernel hardness by pressure force.

Averages and standard deviations of these parameters are

reported as SKCS results in terms of values: kernel weight is
expressed in milligrams (mg); kernel diameter is expressed in
millimeters (mm); moisture content is expressed as a percentage;
and kernel hardness is expressed as an index of 20 to 120.

The single-kernel characterization system test evaluates wheat kernel texture

characteristics by measuring the weight, electrical current, and force needed to
crush the kernels. Kernel characteristics are related to important milling
properties, such as conditioning (tempering), roll gap settings, and flour starch
damage content.

Flour Color Value Analysis

Flour color is determined by measuring the whiteness of a flour sample
with the Minolta Chroma Meter. Flour color results are reported in terms of 3dimensional color values based on the following rating scale:
L* value whiteness 100 white
0 black
a* value positive values +60 red color
negative values 60 green color
b* value positive values +60 yellow color
negative values 60 blue color
The color values of a typical white flour, for example, are:
L* value +92.5 whiteness
a* value 2.4 green color
b* value +6.9 yellow color
Flour color often affects the color of the finished product and is therefore
one of many flour specifications required by end-users. Generally speaking,
bright white colour flour is more desirable for many products. Colour measuring
devices such as tristimulus colorimeters (e.g. the Minolta CR series) and
spectrocolorimeters (e.g. the HunterLab UltraScan, ColorQuest and LabScan
series), are frequently used to measure flour color.

Alveograph
The Chopin Alveograph is a tool for flour quality measurement. It
measures the flexibility of the dough produced from the flour, by inflating a
bubble in a thin sheet of the dough until it bursts. The resulting values show the
strength of the flour, and thus its suitability for different uses. t was developed
in 1920 in France by Marcel Chopin, who named it the Extensimeter.

The Alveograph determines the gluten strength of dough by

measuring the force required to blow and break a bubble of
dough.

The results include P Value, L Value, and W Value.

A stronger dough requires more force to blow and break the

bubble (higher P value).

A bigger bubble means the dough can stretch to a very thin

membrane before breaking.

A bigger bubble indicates the dough has higher extensibility; that

is, its ability to stretch before breaking (L value).

A bigger bubble requires more force and will have a greater area
under the curve (W value).

The Alveograph test provides results that are common specifications used
by flour millers and processors to ensure a more consistent process and product.
The Alveograph is well suited for measuring the dough characteristics of weak
gluten wheat. Weak gluten flour with low P value (strength of gluten) and long
L value (extensibility) is preferred for cakes and other confectionery products.
Strong gluten flour will have high P values and is preferred for breads.

Rapid Visco Analyzer

The Rapid Visco Analyser is a unique tool for product development,
quality and process control and quality assurance.
The RVA is a cooking, stirring viscometer with ramped temperature and
variable shear capability optimized for testing the viscous properties of starch,
grain, flour and foods. The instrument will analyse as little as two or three
grams of sample using international standard methods or your own tailor-made
test routines of mixing, measuring, heating and cooling.
Applications include: flour and grain quality, native starches, modified
starches and starchy samples, formulated foods (e.g. sauce, ketchup, gravy,
dressing, mayonnaise, soup, dairy beverages) other ingredients and foods (e.g.
hydrocolloids & proteins), cooked and extruded foods (e.g. ready to eat
breakfast cereals, snack foods, pet foods, fish feeds and animal feeds),
meltability tests (e.g. process cheese, chocolate and confectionery)

and

Miniature Pilot Plant small scale process emulation.

The rapid visco analyser indicates starch viscosity by measuring

the resistance of flour and water slurry to the stirring action of a
paddle.

When the slurry is heated, the starch granules swell and make the
slurry thicker.

A thicker slurry has more resistance to the paddle during stirring

and has a higher peak viscosity.

The highest point during the heating cycle is the peak viscosity.

Rapid visco analyser results include peak viscosity and are

expressed in rapid visco units (RVU).

The rapid visco analyser test measures flour starch properties. For Asian
noodle products, flour of medium to high peak viscosity is preferred because it
gives noodles better texture characteristics.

The rapid visco analyser can also be used to determine the stirring number,
which is related to sprout damage. A stirring number test is performed to
measure enzyme activity that results from sprout damage (alpha amylase
enzyme activity). Sprouting in wheat results in flour that produces sticky dough
that can cause problems during processing. Sprout-damaged flour also produces
products with poor colour and weak texture.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Differential Scanning Calorimetry or DSC is a thermo-analytical
technique in which the difference in the amount of heat required to increase the
temperature of a sample and reference is measured as a function of temperature.
Both the sample and reference are maintained at nearly the same temperature
throughout the experiment. Generally, the temperature program for a DSC
analysis is designed such that the sample holder temperature increases linearly
as a function of time. The reference sample should have a well-defined heat
capacity over the range of temperatures to be scanned.
One of the most important physical properties of starch is its ability to
form pastes on heating in water. The temperature at which the granules swell
and burst to form these pastes depends upon the botanical source of the starch.
These changes to the granules are detected readily by microscopy and
differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and are affected by the concentration of
the starch, the rate of heating and the presence of sugars, fats and other food
components. DSC has been used to determine the change in enthalpy during
gelatinisation of starch. A DSC thermogram of the wheat grain section heated in
excess water shows biphasic transition characterized by peak temperatures of
64.5C and 86C. Similar shape and temperatures are indicated on the
thermogram of isolated wheat starch heated in limited water conditions (48.8%
w.b.). During the cooking process, exposure of wheat grain endosperm to heat
without adequate moisture causes alteration of the starch structure, which in
turn, causes a broadening of the gelatinization temperature range and shifting of
endothermal transition toward higher temperatures.

X-Ray Diffraction
The discovery of X-rays in 1895 enabled scientists to probe crystalline
structure at the atomic level. X-ray diffraction has been in use in two main
areas, for the fingerprint characterization of crystalline materials and the
determination of their structure. Each crystalline solid has its unique
characteristic X-ray powder pattern which may be used as a "fingerprint" for its
identification. Once the material has been identified, X-ray crystallography may
be used to determine its structure, i.e. how the atoms pack together in the
crystalline state and what the interatomic distance and angle are etc. X-ray
diffraction is one of the most important characterization tools used in solid state
chemistry and materials science.
X-ray diffraction is a method used for studying starch structure; starch
can be characterized by using X-ray diffractometer. The distinct peaks
demonstrate the crystalline nature of the starch granules and the area above the
curve can be taken as the measure of the crystallinity of starch.

Texture Analyzer
Evaluation of texture is often based on sensory evaluation and
experience. The texture analyzer is rapid & more sensitive and reproducible
than subjective sensory judgment. The texture analyzer applies controlled
conditions of stress or strain to food and other samples to measure a complete
texture profile. It accurately measures compressive and tensile force and
position over time using standard test modes including single and multiple cycle
compression,

tensile

strength,

compress-and-hold,

extend-and-hold,

fracturability and springback to describe product texture. Data is captured as a

graph and stored in a tabular data base for analysis and export to spreadsheet
programs. The probe is what the texture analyzer uses to analyze the sample. As
the probe comes into contact with the sample the instrument will measure the
force needed to bend, compress, break, extend or displace the sample. To get
the right information about the sample one need to use the right type of probe.
The flexibility of the TVT 6700 Texture analyser makes it suitable for a
wide range of applications including:

Quality control of raw materials

In-process and finished products testing

Product formulation

Process development

Evaluation of ingredient and processing changes

Monitor changes during storage and transport

Imitating chewing

Imitating consumer handling.

Glutomatic
When baking bread and producing noodles or pasta, the flour gluten
content and strength will determine the quality of the finished product. The
Glutomatic System is the world standard for determination of gluten quantity
and quality. The effect of gluten quantity and quality in the flour used for
breads, cookies, crackers and pasta is dramatic. Using the Glutomatic System
one can determine the baking quality of wheat and flour.
The gluten properties and structure are important to:

Form elastic dough

Retain gas during fermentation and baking

Allow expansion

Carry expansion

Retain the shape of loaf

As baking quality is both related to starch and protein characteristics, a

combination of the results from the Falling Number and Glutomatic tests can be
used to predict the baking quality. With the Gluten quality and quantity
information at hand, bakeries are able to use the most cost effective grade of
our while still meeting end user quality. Maximizing the use of high quality
our and minimizing addition of expensive vital gluten results in substantial
savings.
Wet Gluten is prepared from whole meal or our by the Glutomatic gluten
washer. Gluten Index Centrifuge is used to force the wet gluten through a
specially designed sieve cassette. The relative amount of gluten passing through
the sieve indicates the gluten characteristics. The wet gluten is further dried in
the Glutork for dry gluten content and water binding in the wet gluten
calculation.

DoughLAB
The doughLAB is a flexible dough rheometer with conventional z-arm
mixing action. It has programmable temperature and mixing energy to mimic
commercial processes, evaluate finished dough performance, research the
response of dough to changing stress, evaluate ingredients and full formulations
and perform standardized methods for water absorption and flour quality.
Determine dough mixing profile, development time, stability, softening
and other quality parameters of wheat, rye and durum dough for milling,
baking, and food applications. Test flour, wholemeal, semolina and
formulations containing ingredients and improvers. Create custom tests for
bread, pizza crust, pastry, cookie, cracker, pasta, and noodle dough.
Wheat flour doughs are nonlinear viscoelastic materials, and as such there
is a complicated relationship between the strains imparted during mixing
(stretching, shearing, compression and relaxation) and dough resistance. A
number of factors related to processing conditions and flour type will also have
a large effect on how the dough behaves. Variations in water and protein
content, changes in the fibrillar structure of the protein, starch, starch damage,
pentosans, gluten strength and the actions of enzymes on the dough components
all affect dough behaviour. Due to the complex nature of dough behaviour an
empirical instrument test is desirable. The two key pieces of information
required by millers and bakers are the absorption (amount of water required for
a dough to reach a definite consistency) and the mixing profile of the dough
(development time, stability and softening) which are indicative of the
suitability of the flour for different applications. All these needs are fulfilled by
the doughLAB.

BVM Volume Measurement

The BVM provides accurate analysis that is repeatable and applicable from
one production site to the next. The instrument is robust and easy to use for
millers, bakeries, food companies, food ingredient suppliers, food research
institutes and test kitchens.
It is operated using a menu-based computer interface. A sample is placed
on a rotating support inside the instrument and its volume is measured using a
laser on the end of a rotating arm. The BVM VolCalc software calculates the
volume, dimensions, weight and density of the sample and shows the results
together with a three-dimensional drawing of the sample. Results can also be
stored in a database for further processing, or transferred to another computer.
Volume measurement applications
Bakery products:
Loaves, hearth breads, pan breads, hamburger buns, rolls, brotchen,
muffins, cupcakes, sweet rolls and pastries, cookies, crackers, flat breads and
steamed breads.
Quality Assurance and Control:
Monitor

bread

making

conditions,

flour

quality and

ingredient

performance. Take control of quality across different batches, shifts and

production sites. Ensure product volume and packaging are matched.
Product and Process Development:
Test kitchens, test bakeries and baking equipment suppliers: evaluate flour,
ingredients, additives, improvers, processing equipment and methods.

NOVEL FOOD PROCESSING TREATMENTS

APPLIED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW
BAKERY PRODUCTS
Food processing has become more sophisticated and diverse in response to
the growing demand for quality foods. Consumers today expect food products
that provide, among other things, convenience, variety, adequate shelf life and
caloric content, reasonable cost, and environmental soundness. Strategies to
meet such demands include modification to existing food processing techniques
and the adoption of novel processing technologies.
Innovation is a key factor in the sustained growth of the food industry,
although the journey from concept to implementation is not trivial, and often
quite painful. One reason the path can be so bumpy is that hurdles in the road to
implementation are neither properly addressed nor fully understood. The
chances for success, however, can be improved significantly through basic
research covering a broad spectrum of disciplines prior to the commercialization
of new products and technologies. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that
consumers all around the world are learning more about the food products they
eat, regulatory agencies are becoming more stringent and the food industry
more liable. Therefore, in order to meet the demand for better quality food
products, every effort should be made to understand the basic principles behind
food processing, as well as to recognize new opportunities and to consider
combined strategies. The advancement in the final product can be brought about
by:
1.

Advancement in Equipment

2.

Advancement in Ingredients

3.

Advancement in Process

Advancement in Equipment
The food industry is an increasingly competitive and dynamic arena, with
consumers now more aware of what they eat. Important food quality attributes
such as taste, texture, appearance and nutritional content are strongly dependent
on the way the foods are processed. In recent years, with the aim to improve, or
replace conventional processing technologies in order to deliver higher quality
and better consumer-targeted food products, a number of innovative
technologies

or novel technologies have been proposed, investigated,

developed and implemented. These innovative technologies provide the

opportunity not only for the development of new products but also for
improving the safety and quality of conventional products. Different physical
phenomena, utilized by these technologies, can potentially reduce energy and
water consumption and thus playing an important role toward environmental
sustainability.
Different advanced equipment that are used by the bakery industry provide
a product with better quality, safety & taste and also these advanced equipment
help in mass production of goods as well as reduce the time consumed in
preparing a final finished product.
Some of the advanced equipments that are currently being utilized by the
industry are as follows:

Fully Automatic Ice-Cream Cake Bulk Production Line

An Ice cream cake consists of a cake that incorporates ice cream. A
popular form is a three-layer cake, with a layer of ice cream between two layers
of cake.
In a typical assembly, the cake component is baked in the normal way, cut
to shape if necessary, and then frozen. Ice cream is shaped in a mould as
appropriate, and these components are then assembled while frozen. Whipped
cream is often used for frosting, as a compliment to the two other textures, and
because many typical frostings will not adhere successfully to frozen cake. The
whole cake is then kept frozen until prior to serving, when it is allowed to thaw
until it can be easily sliced but not so much as to melt the ice cream.
Making Ice-cream cakes at large scale is a troublesome process but the
automated machine can produce various forms of ice cream layer cakes
extruded and decorated, or composed only of multi-layer rosettes with dry or
wet topping between the layers. The machine concept allows it to develop its
applications in accordance with the Customers new, evolving needs.

Image: TORTICA - ice cream cakes and bulks production line.

Fully Automatic Wafer Biscuit Production Line

A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, and dry biscuit, often used
to decorate ice cream. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream
flavouring sandwiched between them. They frequently have a waffle surface
pattern but may also be patterned with insignia of the food's manufacturer or
may be pattern-less. Many chocolate bars, such as Kit Kat and Munch, have
wafers in them.
Wafers are very specialised type of biscuit requiring special equipment for
production. Adopting advanced technology with electric and gas as heating
source, the fully-automatic wafer production line is a new generation product
developed in China based on the advanced structure of existing plants from
domestic market and abroad. If offers an ideal solution for lower power
consumption and overall production cost, and keeping the same surface colour
for all biscuits. The plant mainly consists of mixing system, automatic feeding
system, tunnel-type oven, sheet feeding and cooling device, cream coating
machine, cutter and organic heating medium boiler, with compact structure and
unique reliability. The production capacity for these equipments varies from
2500kg/24h to 6000 kg/24h.

Image: Fully Automatic Wafer Biscuit Production Line

Fully-Automatic Chapati Making Machine

Chapati/Roti is generally an Indian bread, made from stoneground
wholemeal flour, traditionally known as Atta flour, which originated and is
consumed in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is also
consumed in parts of South Africa, the southern Caribbean, particularly in
Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname, and Fiji. Its defining
characteristic is that it is unleavened.
The fully-automatic, compact, single unit machine produces home-like
chapattis in most hygienic way. Best suited for Industrial Canteens, Langars,
Hospitals, Hostels, and Railways & Defence Establishments. The machine
produces balls from dough, rolls them into chapattis, cooks them by turning
sides on tawas and puffs them the way it is done at home. The machine
produces soft & tasty chapattis without oil.

Image: Fully-Automatic Chapati Making Machine

Advancement in Ingredients
The present day consumer looks for new bakery products, better appeal,
taste and convenience from bakery foods. This has significantly contributed to
the use of innovative bakery ingredients in order to add fibre and increase the
shelf life of the productsall the while retaining softness and taste. Bakeries
now use tailored blend solutions that add healthy fibre without stripping bread
of its moisture and taste, enzymes that delay staling in baked goods and soy
protein, fibre, and lecithin products from Solae in order to provide nutrition
enhancement, extended shelf life, and improved flavour.
There have been new innovations in bakery ingredients from the past few
years and the development in product quality and making of some of the
favourite food continues today. Innovations in ingredients have led to the
creation of new types of pastries, new recipes and helped the industry grow.
Baking powder was introduced in the mid-19th century. Its used almost in
every recipe, during the heating process the ingredients release carbon
monoxide that helps cakes, breads to rise. Before baking powder, bakers had to
rely on unstable, early baking sodas to raise their pastries. Bakers would add
their own additions to try and control the baking soda's effects with early and
individual innovation. New methods and ingredients are constantly being
developed to create and deliver better products.
Some of advancements in ingredients that lead to development of new or
improved products are as follows:

Charcoal Biscuit
A charcoal biscuit is a biscuit based on a powdered willow charcoal or
activated carbon mixed with ordinary flour, and made into dough with butter,
sugar and eggs. Charcoal biscuits are medicinal, edible biscuits made with
activated charcoal. Never to be confused with charcoal briquettes, which are
used for grilling foods outdoors and are not eaten, charcoal biscuits are made
with food grade charcoal and are eaten to help relieve bloating and/or pain from
flatulence, heartburn and stomach upset. They are often sold in health food
stores.
The activated charcoal found in charcoal biscuits is oxidized at a high
temperature with steam or air. The oxidation process allows the charcoal to
absorb three times better than regular charcoal. This absorption quality is
important, as the biscuits are designed to relieve pain and discomfort in the
lower body by collecting excess gas in the bowels and stomach. Activated
charcoal used for food and medicinal purposes is produced from natural items
including wood, coconut shells, olive pits, peat and bamboo. Activated charcoal
used to make charcoal biscuits usually comes in either granular or fine powder.
Food grade activated charcoal must have certification. Charcoal used in
consumable products should have no taste or odour. Activated charcoal is black
in colour and may cause black stools. Many people find that eating some
charcoal biscuits helps relieve some of the discomfort caused by indigestion and
gas.

Gluten-free Rice Bread

Rice bread is a type of bread that is made from rice flour rather than wheat
flour. Being gluten free, it will not cause adverse reactions for people with
gluten intolerance. In 2001 a study group at Yamagata University's Department
of Engineering made use of foam moulding technology to produce rice bread
made from 100% rice flour. To ensure that gluten-free bread is acceptable,
products with baked and sensory characteristics similar to those of wheat flour
yeast bread are needed. Rice starches are widely available and offer potential in
the formulation of gluten-free baked products. Absence of gluten, low levels of
sodium and high amounts of easily digested carbohydrate are all properties of
rice, which are desirable for special diets. However, the absence of gluten
causes

problems

in

bread-making

hydroxypropylmethylcellulose

(HPMC),

many

gum

locust

bean

types
gum,

including
guar

gum,

carrageenan, xanthan gum and agar gave successful formation of rice bread
where HPMC gave optimum volume expansion. Gums and thickeners are used
in gluten-free formulations for a variety of purposes including gelling and
thickening, water retention and texture improvement. They are derived from
various sourcesseeds, fruits, plant extracts, seaweeds and micro-organisms
many are polysaccharides while others are proteins.
The use of starches, gums and hydrocolloids represent the most widespread
approach used to mimic gluten in the manufacture of gluten-free bakery
products, due to their structure-building and water binding properties. Novel
approaches including the application of dietary fibres and alternative protein
sources combined with response surface methodology are also emerging.

Rum Cake
A rum cake is a type of dessert cake which contains rum. In most of the
Caribbean, rum cakes are a traditional holiday season dessert, descended from
the holiday puddings (such as figgy pudding). Traditionally, dried fruit is
soaked in rum for months and then added to dough prepared with sugar which
has been caramelized by boiling in water. The result, also known as "black
cake", is similar to a fruitcake, with a lighter texture.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a special wine, called Black wine is
specially produced to be used in the making of black cake. Black cake is
traditionally associated with Vincy Christmas.
In Puerto Rico, rum cake is called Bizcocho de Ron, and is a sponge cake,
so as to absorb the rum. If fruit is added to it, it is fresh or dried. Raisins and
sultanas may be soaked in rum for one day or one night. Bizcochos de Ron are
given as gifts during the holiday season, but they are not considered an insulting
gift, the way fruitcakes in the U.S. sometimes are.
It is possible to become intoxicated from consumption of excessive amount
of rum cake, and some rum cakes such as Tortuga contain even more than five
percent of certain grain alcohols. It is typically made with plums and raisins
soaked in rum, as well as brown sugar and a bittersweet caramel called
"browning".

Advancement in Process
The qualities of bakery products rely on both formula and processing
conditions. Some qualities can be improved by optimizing a formula. However,
without the optimum processing condition, the final product quality can be
much degraded. Processing of bakery products mainly consists of mixing,
proving, moulding, baking and cooling. Each of these processes dominates
different quality attributes. The advancement in process or modification of
process is often done to improve product quality or to improve the production
rate or even to make a new product by doing some modification in the
traditional process of making a particular product.
Some of the products that arose due to advancement in their manufacturing
process are described below:

Fortune Cookies
A fortune cookie is a crisp cookie usually made from flour, sugar, water,
and eggs with a "fortune" wrapped inside. A "fortune" is a piece of paper with
words of wisdom, an aphorism, or a vague prophecy. Other ingredients may
vary depending on the recipe, but may include melted butter, salt, vanilla
extract, almond extract, and instant tea powder. Commercial manufacturers may
also add baking soda, baking powder, turmeric extract, peanut oil, stabilizing
agents, and anticaking agents such as silico aluminate.
The ingredients for fortune cookies are mixed together to form the batter.
This watery dough is transferred by a pump to the fortune cookie oven, which is
circular and contains a number of shallow cups with flat bottoms (about 3
inches [7.6 cm] in diameter) in the shape of the finished but unfolded cookie.
This moulding process makes the cookies different from traditional ones. When
the cups are filled with the correct amount of dough, as regulated by the batter
pump, flat metal plates are placed in the cups on top of the dough. The plates
flatten the dough and also allow heat to transfer through the metal surfaces
against both the top and bottom of the cookie so it is golden brown on both
sides. The cookies rotate through the circular oven. One complete orbit takes
3.5 minutes, which is the time it takes the thin dough to bake.
When the cookie has finished baking, it sticks to the plate. As the plates
are lifted up, a mechanical arm snatches the cookie from the plate and transfers
it to a receiving area where the fortunes are added. The paper strips are sucked
by vacuum onto the cookies. The cookies are pushed along to two mechanical
fingers that grab the still hot cookie and fold it in half so it resembles a halfmoon with the paper fortune inside. The machine then bends the cookie in the
middle to its familiar crescent shape (which has been fancifully described as a
pair of water wings, a fan, or an extracted molar!) The formed cookie is then
cooled by air from a fan and pushed to the packaging area.

Sourdough Bread
Sourdough is a bread product made by a long fermentation of dough using
naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeasts. In comparison with breads made
quickly with cultivated yeast, it usually has a mildly sour taste because of the
lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli. It was thought that all the sourness of
the sourdough bread is due to the ingredients main the lactobacilli but good sour
flavour really comes down to technique. All starter-based breadsthose are
breads in which the leavening comes from a batch of yeast and microbe-infested
dough, rather than from dried or blocked commercial yeastare made by
combining a proportion of starter dough with fresh dough. When these
organisms are mixed with fresh flour, they start eating, producing alcohol,
carbon dioxide, and other by-products in the process. It's the carbon dioxide that
cause bubbles to form in the dough, giving it a light and airy structure, and the
by-products that provide sourdough bread with its unique flavour. San
Francisco bread is made with a particularly high ratio of starter to fresh
doughsometimes over 50%.

Chorley Cake
Chorley cakes are flattened, fruit-filled pastry cakes, traditionally
associated with the town of Chorley in Lancashire, England. They are a close
relative of the more widely known Eccles cake, but have some significant
differences. The Chorley cake is significantly less sweet than its Eccles cousin,
and is commonly eaten with a light spread of butter on top, and sometimes a
slice of Lancashire cheese on the side. A Chorley cake is made using currants,
sandwiched between two layers of unsweetened shortcrust pastry. As with many
regional foods, every household has its own individual variations and so it is not
uncommon to see some sugar added to the fruit, or sweeter raisins or sultanas
used. These sweeter varieties are sometimes referred to as "snap". Locals often
refer to Chorley Cake as Fly Pie.
The Chorley Cake, although a relative of the Eccles Cake the two are
easily distinguished by the different pastry. A Chorley Cake uses normal
shortcrust pastry and an Eccles Cake uses flakey puff pastry, which after baking
is normally a deeper brown in colour and is sweeter than a Chorley Cake. The
other difference is that the currants in the Eccles Cake are often concentrated
together in the middle while in the Chorley and Sad Cake the fruit is usually
evenly distributed.

Some Recent Application of Novel Techniques

Britannia NutriChoice Oat Cookies: For the first time in India Britannia
has introduced NutriChoice 'Diabetic Friendly' Essentials specially designed
for people with diabetes. Britannia NutriChoice Oat Cookies are
scientifically created to suit the special lifestyle and nutrition needs of
diabetics to manage extreme swings in blood sugar. They are tasty, crunchy
and convenient option for those mid-meal pangs. In addition, the oat fiber
lowers rise in blood sugar, helps control blood cholesterol and helps you
feel satisfied and active for longer.
Britannia NutriChoice Ragi Cookies: Britannia NutriChoice 'Diabetic
Friendly' Essentials specially designed for people with diabetes. Britannia
NutriChoice Ragi Cookies are scientifically created to suit the special
lifestyle and nutrition needs of diabetics to manage extreme swings in blood
sugar levels. They are tasty, crunchy and convenient option for those midmeal pangs. Ragi helps lower blood glucose levels and in a rich source of
magnesium, which is instrumental for the production of important enzymes.
The Ragi Cookies are a good source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, for
heart and digestive health.
NutriChoice SugarOut: NutriChoice SugarOut is the most novel product
range to have been introduced in the market. The product is not just sweet
but tastes great, and yet contains no added sugar. This is because
NutriChoice SugarOut is sweetened with "Sucralose," derived from sugar,
which provides the same sweetness as any other biscuit, without the added
calories of sugar.
Golden Arcs: Filled with rich Strawberry, Apple, Orange & Choco Fillings.
They are best described as 'melt-in-your-mouth', soft shelled fruit rolls and
crunchy choco fills which are perfect for an anytime snack.

 Maggi Oats Noodles: MAGGI Oats Noodles, yet another pioneering

innovation from MAGGI to offer Taste Bhi Health Bhi to all its fans.
Exciting, delicious noodles made with wholegrain Oats that offer:
o Fibre of 1 bowl oats
o Real vegetables
o Favourite MAGGI masala taste.