GB2339134A

GB2339134A - Baking compositions comprising glucono delta lactone

Info

Publication number: GB2339134A
Application number: GB9914466A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stuart Davison
Original assignee: Allied Bakeries Ltd
Current assignee: Allied Bakeries Ltd
Priority date: 1998-06-19
Filing date: 1999-06-21
Publication date: 2000-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 2019-06-21
Also published as: GB9914466D0; GB2339134B

Description

2339134 BAKING QOMPO511TIONS This invention relates to compositions for

use in baking.

It is well known that, in general, a low pH environment inhibits the growth of microorganisms and moulds. This principle has many applications in the food industry, where acidic materials have been added to foodstuffs in order to preserve the food by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Preservatives commonly used in the preservation of food include sorbic acid, proprionic acid, benzoic acid, and their salts.

The effectiveness of the food preservative increases dramatically with decreasing pH, which means that a food at pH 5 can be preserved longer than a food at pH 6. For example, for the preservative sorbic acid, the percentage of undissociated acid at various pH levels is approximately as follows (the undissociated acid form being the active preservative):

pH %Undissociated Acid 7.0 0.6 6.5 1.8 6.0 5.4 5.5 15 5.0 37 4.5 65 4.0 86 3.5 95 3.0 98 It is usual to combine a pH reducing material with the preservative, in order to lower the pH and to improve the effectiveness of the preservative. One example of a commonly used pH reducing material is an aqueous solution of acetic acid.

Certain foods are produced using raising agents (which are also called "baking powders"). Raising agents comprise a mixture of acidic and alkali reacting components which react slowly to give off carbon dioxide; the rate of reaction increases as the temperature rises. Raising agents are used in baking as a substitute for, or in conjunction with, yeast, and can be used in the manufacture of, for example, crumpets, pancakes, pikelets, breads and cakes. It will be appreciated from the foregoing that, in this specification, the term "raising agent" does not include yeast.

Although preservatives have been used in the preservation of foods made with raising agents, the further addition of pH reducing materials, to increase the effectiveness of any preservative, correspondingly reduces the effectiveness of the raising agent due to reactions with the alkaline reacting component of the raising agent In the production of crumpets, for example, it has been found that if the pH of the preservative is below about 6, there will be an unacceptable effect on the baking process. In the case of sorbic acid, at pH 6 the percentage of undissociated acid is 5.4, while at pH 5.5 the percentage of undissociated acid is 15. In crude terms, this means that the preservative is almost 3 times more effective at pH 5.5 than at pH 6 We have now found a way to lower the pH at which preservatives can be used with raising agents in order to improve the preservation of foods prepared using raising agents, without affecting organoleptic quality.

According to one aspect of the invention we provide a composition for use in baking comprising: a preservative, a raising agent, and glucono-deltalactone (hereinafter "GDL").

As described above, the raising agent contains at least an acidic reacting component and an alkaline reacting component. The raising agent may also contain an inert component, such as flour or starch. The acidic reacting component may be, for example, potassium hydrogen tartrate, calcium hydrogen phosphate or sodium hydrogen phosphate, and the alkaline reacting component may be, for example, sodium hydrogen carbonate or ammonium hydrogen carbonate.

GDL (D-glucono-1,5-lactone) can be formed by the removal of water from D gluconic acid. GDL has a relatively bland taste, which has led to its use as a preservative for some applications, such as canning, where an acidic environment is needed in order to reduce the heat preservation process. GDL has also been used in baking as the acidic reacting component of a raising agent. However, GDL has not been used in raising agents in the food industry for many years, as It is much more expensive than other acidic components and is no more effective for this purpose. Furthermore, GDL was never used in baking as a preservative: its purpose was to react with the alkaline raising component to form the carbon dioxide.

in one embodiment, the acidic reacting component of the raising agent of the composition according to the invention may be made up entirely, or partially, of GDL itself. In this embodiment, excess GDL will be required, as part of the GIDL will be removed by reaction with the alkaline reacting component.

The preservative may be any preservative approved for use in the food industry. The preservative is typically sorbic acid, proprionic acid or benzoic acid, or a salt thereof. Preferably, the preservative is calcium proprionate or potassium sorbate.

The composition will usually contain an additional material to reduce the pH thereof, such as an aqueous solution of acetic acid. However, it is possible for all the desired reduction in pH to be achieved by the GDL.

It is possible for the preservative to comprise GDL. Thus in one form of the invention, the composition comprises a raising agent in combination with GDL alone- As noted above, it is also possible for the raising agent itself to contain GDL as the acidic reacting component.

However, it is preferred to use an acidic reacting component other than GIDL for the reasons discussed above, and it is preferred to use a preservative other than GDL, because other preservatives are more effective.

The composition according to the invention preferably contains the following relative amounts of the components:

Compound raising agent: preferably 1.0 to 3.0 parts more preferably 1.5 to 2 parts GDL preferably 0.5 to 1.5 parts more preferably 0.75 to 1.0 parts Other preservative subject to organoleptic acceptability, and to maximum permitted level when legally defined.

given in parts by weight per 100 parts flour.

The total amount of GIDL in the composition may be higher, if the raising agent includes GDL as the acid reacting component.

The preferred amount of the composition according to the invention used in the food, depends upon the food that is being prepared. Suitable amounts are used to achieve maximum pH preserving effect without affecting organoleptic properties.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided the use of GIDL as a preservative in foods containing another preservative and prepared using a raising agent.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided the use of GDL in foods prepared using a raising agent, in order to lower the pH of the foods by increasing the percentage of undissociated acid of a preservative in the food product.

The principal function of the GDL in the present invention is to reduce the pH without adversely affecting the alkaline reacting component of the raising agent. This increases the percentage of undissociated acid of the preservative, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the preservation, thereby improving the shelf life of the food product. It will be appreciated that there may be other materials that serve the same function as GDL, and such compounds are within the scope of the invention. Thus, those analogs, homologs, derivatives and precursors of GDL, which perform the required function, may also be used in the invention.

The composition according to the invention may be used as a food additive to extend the shelf life of a variety of foods made using raising agents. The invention is particularly useful with foods having a relatively high water content, such as foods with a water activity above 0.9; such food include crumpets, pancakes and pikelets.

In order that the invention may be further understood the following examples are given.

Example 1

A batch of crumpets were prepared using the recipe shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1

Ingredient Weight in kg Wt% Flour - Sunblest 100.00 45.12 Water 107.00 48.28 Dextrose 4.40 1.99 salt 3.85 1.74 Vinegar (12%) 2.00 0.90 Disodium dihydrogen diphosphate 1.32 0.60 Yeast (block) 1.00 0.45 GDL 0.85 0.38 Sodium bicarbonate 0.66 0.30 Potassium sorbate 0.55 0.24 The crumpets were prepared by well-known techniques, ie the ingredients were mixed together. The mixture was divided into a number of crumpetsized portions, each portion was formed into the desired shape and was heated at a temperature, and for a time, sufficient to cook the product.

Examiple 2 The level of spore growth was tested over an 8 day period in a batch of crumpets made in accordance with the recipe and method of Example 1, The results for the crumpets produced in Example 1 were compared with the results for a control batch of crumpets. The control batch of crumpets were made using the same recipe as shown in Table 1, except that the GDL was omitted. The tests were carried out on crumpets stored at 200C and were repeated on crumpets stored at 25"C. The results are shown in Tables 2 and 3.

TABLE2

STORAGE AT 200C Sample Date Tested Mould Mesophilic Total Viable Yeasts Spores Spores Count (30'C) CountIg CountIg (80-C) Count/g Count/g Example 1 DOP+6 <10 <10 510 <10 Example 1 DOP+7 <10 <10 50 <10 Example 1 DOP+8 <10 <10 <10 <10 Control D0P+I - 10 10 - Control DOP+4 40 2,000,000 Control DOP+5 700 >3,000,000 Notes: "DOP" = "Date of Production' Mould Spores and Yeast were not measured for the control TABLE 3 STORAGE AT 250C Sample Date Tested Mould Mesophilic Total Viable Yeasts Spores Spores Count (300C) Count/g Count/g (80-C) CountIg Count/g Example 1 DOP+2 <10 <10 20 <10 Example I DOP+6 <10 <10 1,500 <10 Example 1 DOP+7 <10 <10 1,800 <10 Example 1 DOP+8 <10 <10 <10 <10 Control D0P+1 - 10 40 - Control DOP+4 40 >3,000,000 - Control DOP+5 700 >3,000,000 - Notes: 'DOP" = "Date of Production' Mould Spores and Yeast were not measured for the control Examole 3 The levels of bacillus cereus, staphAococcus aureus and salmonella poona were measured over a seven day period in a batch of crumpets made according to the recipe and method of Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4

Day B. Cereus/g S. Aureus/g S. PoonaIg 0 <20 <20 <20 3 <20 <20 <20 <20 <20 <20 7 <20 <20 20 Example 4

The levels of bacillus cereus, staphylococcus aureus and salmonella poona were measured over a seven day period in a batch of crumpets made according to the recipe and method of Example 1. On day 0 the crumpets were spiked with 90/g bacillus cereus. The results are shown in Table 5.

TABLES

Day B. Cereus/g S. AureusIg S. Poonaig 0 220 <20 <20 3 20 <20 <20 20 <20 <20 7 20 <20 <20 Example 5

The levels of bacillus cereus, staphylococcus aureus and salmonella ipoo.na were measured over a seven day period in a batch of crumpets made according to the recipe and method of Example 1. On day 0 the crumpets were spiked with 60/g staphylococcus aureus. The results are shown in Table 6.

TABLE 6

Day B. Cereus/g S. Aureus/g S. Poona/g 0 <20 240 <20 3 <20 250 <20 <20 110 <20 7 <20 <20 <20 Examole 6 The levels of bacillus cereus, staphylococcus aureus and salmonella poona. were measured over a seven day period in a batch of crumpets made according to the recipe and method of Example 1. On day 0 the crumpets were spiked with 125/g of salmonella poona. The results are shown in Table 7.

TABLE 7

Day B. Cereus/g, S. Aureus/g S. Poona/g 0 <20 <20 20 3 <20 <20 <20 5 <20 <20 <20 <20 <20 <20 The above results show that the compositions according to the invention are very effective at extending the shelf life of products such as crumpets.

It will be appreciated that modifications may be made to the invention described above.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 A baking composition comprising a preservative, a raising agent and glucono delta-lactone.

2. A composition according to claim I wherein the raising agent comprises an acidic reacting component and an alkaline reacting component.

3. A composition according to claim 2, wherein the acidic reacting component comprises potassium hydrogen tartrate, calcium hydrogen phosphate or sodium hydrogen phosphate and the alkaline reacting component comprises sodium hydrogen carbonate or ammonium hydrogen carbonate.

4. A composition according to claim 2 wherein the acidic reacting component comprises glucono-delta-lactose.

5. A composition according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the preservative is sorbic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid or a salt thereof.

6. A composition according to claim 4, wherein the preservative is calcium propionate or potassium sorbate.

7. A composition according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the preservative comprises glucono-delta-lactone.

8. A composition according to any preceding claim, wherein the baking composition does not contain yeast.

9. A food composition suitable for baking to form a food product, comprising flour in combination with a baking composition according to any preceding claim.

10. A food composition according to claim 9, comprising 1 to 3 parts raising agent and 0.5 to 1.5 parts glucono-delta-lactone per 100 parts flour.

11.A food composition according to claim 9, comprising 1.5 to 2 parts raising agent and 0.75 to 1 parts glucono-delta-lactone per 100 parts flour.

12. A food product prepared using a baking composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

13. The use of glucono-delta-lactone as a preservative in foods containing another preservative and prepared using a raising agent.

14. The use of glucono-delta-lactone in foods prepared using a raising agent, in order to lower the pH of the foods by increasing the percentage of undisassociated acid of a preservative in the food product.

15. A baking composition substantially as herein described with reference to the examples.

16. The use of GDL as a preservative in foods substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying examples.