Saturday, January 24, 2009

Bread Improver

This articles is about flavour that use in bread making-bread improver.

House of Flavours core business is to provide its' customers with the flavours they need, whether they be normal "run of the mill" food flavourings like lemon, lime, strawberry or more exotic ones like "Gojiberry" or "earth worm". As you would expect, Flavour is an extremely important component of food quality and plays a major role in shaping choice, which makes the selection of your suppliers especially important. It is said that the creation and developing of flavours has always been something of an art and House of Flavours, with our unique understanding of the marketplace together with our systematic and structured approach to flavour creation, provides the very best service whether your requires are for natural, nature identical, suitable for Organic or indeed artificial flavourings.

So, what exactly are they, and why are they used? Food flavourings are used to give flavour to foodstuffs that have no inherent "flavour" of their own, like flavoured water or sugar and gum based confectionary for example. They're used to boost or enhance the naturally occurring flavour of a foodstuff when that flavour is weak or delicate, or when the natural flavour of a food is lost or changed during processing. They're used to mask unwelcome "off" flavours coming from ingredients in a foodstuff, or formed during processing. Food flavourings take many physical forms, each one offering their own advantages in specific applications. Water soluble liquid flavours, Oil soluble liquid flavours, Emulsions, spray dried powder flavours, fat encapsulated powder flavours, dry blends, liquids plated onto powders. They can also be formulated to conform to differing legislative requirements: Natural extracts/ 100% FTNF, 90%+ FTNF, Natural, Nature Identical, Artificial. Typically flavours consist of natural extracts and essential oils and natural or nature identical aroma chemicals on a solvent or carrier system. Dosages for flavourings vary dependant on type of flavouring and its application, but typically fall in the range 0.05 to 0.50% Flavourings are cost effective, micro-biologically safe, easy to handle and offer many advantages over more "conventional" ingredients. If you're unsure how flavourings can benefit your business, or would like some advice on the most appropriate flavouring for your application, contact HoF, for all your flavouring needs.

Food Flavourings Where it is viable it is always of course best to use "natural" ingredients to flavour food, however it is not always possible to use these natural food flavourings, either because of the cost implications, for practical reasons or because such ingredients would just not last long enough. Hence the need for nature identical and artificial flavourings in the market place.

Natural or NI Flavours for Cheeses etc At the House of Flavours we can produce flavours for just about any food that you need flavouring in the most cost effective and healthy way, our Research and Development section being able to create the flavouring you require. Then once we have found that "flavour" our production teams will produce it in the quantities you need at the price that will enable you to take your product to the market.

Artificial Flavours and Side Effects The use of food additives today is another area that is the subject of much debate, some saying that they are alright, others doubting this. However the use of artificial flavourings in cosmetics, preservatives and processing aids (there are over 4,000 different additives, of which over 3,000 are used purely as cosmetics, with much lower numbers used as preservatives and processing aids) tells the story that this market place is a huge one. So what are the side effects if any? Research has showed that some flavourings may have an effect on some children, but the case is far from proven. However, we at the House of Flavours always ensure that we keep abreast of the latest research and news, which in turn relieves our customers of this responsibility.

Bread Improver and flavour enhancer Manufacturing Bread improvers optimise all aspects of the bread making process, giving bakers the flexibility they need during all stages of the baking process: mixing, fermentation, baking and shelf life. House of Flavours range of Bread improvers and flavour enhancers (flour treatment agents) also help bakers to move the volume, crumb & crust and freshness of their breads to the next level of perfection

Did you know that Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a major part of any bread improver as it strengthens the dough and help it rise., it also has a beneficial effect on the volume, crumb structure and softness of bread, this sort of knowledge enables us to provide you with the best possible ingredients.

Contact us Today - we KNOW we can help you!

HoF specializes in finding innovative solutions to many of the technical difficulties encountered by today's food and drink product developers. Please visit House of Flavours today.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Gluten

Read this!

A high fiber gluten free diet is not something that everyone needs to be concerned with. In order to determine whether or not a high fiber gluten free diet is something that is right for you, there are a few things that you will need to figure out first.

What is Fiber?

Before you can decided whether a high fiber gluten free diet is right for you or not, you will need to learn more about fiber and why you need it to begin with. Fiber is a virtually indigestible substance that is found mainly in the outer layers of plants. Fiber works by promoting the wavelike contractions that keep food moving through the intestine.

Fiber is able to prevent a variety of digestive tract disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome. There are actually two different types of fiber that can be found in food: insoluble fiber and soluble fiber.

What is Gluten?

Now if you are trying to figure out whether you should be on a high fiber gluten free diet, you are going to need to learn about gluten. Gluten is a special type of protein that is found in rye, wheat, barley, and similar substances. Gluten can be removed from wheat flour by rinsing the bread dough and kneading it until all of the starch is removed.

Often times people must have a gluten free diet because of Celiac Disease, which is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and results in causing an interference with the absorption of nutrients from food. You may have this disease if you have abdominal bloating and pain, constipation, bone loss, arthritis, fatigue, seizures, canker sores inside mouth, or a tingling numbness in the hands and feet.

Is This Diet Right for You?

Now that you have this information, you are able to figure out whether or not a high fiber gluten free diet is right for you.

If you do need to be on a fiber gluten free diet, make sure that you work with a nutritionist on this. Coming up with a basic diet plan is not necessarily difficult but once you start getting into details like this, it is really best if you seek the help of a professional.

You should also talk to your doctor about this as they are a professional and will be able to offer you valuable advice here. Taking caution in what you are eating is very important and may just end up saving your life.

Visit Here for more Articles on Fiber Diet and Visit here for Cheap Health Ebooks

Monday, January 5, 2009

Flour


Flour is a powder made of cereal grains. It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many civilizations, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history. Wheat flour is one of the most important foods in European and North American culture, and is the defining ingredient in most European styles of breads and pastries. Maize flour has been important in Mesoamerican cuisine since ancient times, and remains a staple in much of Latin American cuisine.

Flour contains a high proportion of starches, which are complex carbohydrates also known as polysaccharides. Leavening agents are used with some flours, especially those with significant gluten content, to produce lighter and softer baked products by embedding small air bubbles.

The production of flour has also historically driven technological development, as attempts to make gristmills more productive and less labor-intensive led to the watermill and windmill, terms now applied more broadly to uses of water and wind power for purposes other than milling.

Wheat flour

Much more wheat flour is produced than any other flour. Wheat varieties are called "clean," "white," or "brown" if they have high gluten content, and they are called "soft" or "weak" flour if gluten content is low. Hard flour, or bread flour, is high in gluten, with a certain toughness that holds its shape well once baked. Soft flour is comparatively low in gluten and so results in a finer texture. Soft flour is usually divided into cake flour, which is the lowest in gluten, and pastry flour, which has slightly more gluten than cake flour.

In terms of the parts of the grain (the grass fruit) used in flour—the endosperm or starchy part, the germ or protein part, and the bran or fibre part—there are three general types of flour. White flour is made from the endosperm only. Whole grain or wholemeal flour is made from the entire grain, including bran, endosperm, and germ. A germ flour is made from the endosperm and germ, excluding the bran.

All-purpose or plain flour is a blended wheat flour with an intermediate gluten level, which is marketed as an acceptable compromise for most household baking needs.

Bleached flour is treated with flour bleaching agents to whiten it (freshly milled flour is yellowish) and to give it more gluten-producing potential. Oxidizing agents are usually employed, most commonly organic peroxides like acetone peroxide or benzoyl peroxide, nitrogen dioxide, or chlorine. A similar effect can be achieved by letting the flour slowly oxidize with oxygen in the air ("natural aging") for approximately 10 days; however, this process is more expensive due to the time required.

Bromated flour is a flour with a maturing agent added. The agent's role is to help with developing gluten, a role similar to the flour bleaching agents. Bromate is usually used. Other choices are phosphates, ascorbic acid, and malted barley. Bromated flour has been banned in much of the world, as bromate is a suspected carcinogen, but remains available in the United States.

Cake flour is a finely milled flour made from soft wheat. It has very low gluten content, making it suitable for soft-textured cakes and cookies. The higher gluten content of other flours would make the cakes tough. Related to cake flour are masa harina (from maize), maida flour (from wheat or tapioca), and pure starches.

Pastry flour or cookie flour or cracker flour has slightly higher gluten content than cake flour but lower than all-purpose flour. It is suitable for fine, light-textured pastries.

Graham flour is a special type of whole-wheat flour. The endosperm is finely ground, as in white flour, while the bran and germ are coarsely ground. Graham flour is uncommon outside of the USA and Europe.[citation needed] It is the basis of true graham crackers. Many graham crackers on the market are actually imitation grahams because they do not contain graham flour or even whole-wheat flour.

Self-rising or self-raising flour is flour ("white" wheat flour or wholemeal) that is sold premixed with chemical leavening agents. It was invented by Henry Jones. Typical ratios are the following:

Metric:

Sprouted Flour is a new flour that is produced from whole grains that have been sprouted back into an alive plant and then dried prior to milling. Currently, sprouted whole grain hard and soft wheat and sprouted whole grain spelt flours are available in the United States. Sprouted flours may be substituted one for one for most all-purpose flours in recipes. Because the whole grains have been sprouted the flours may be easier to digest.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ The Grocer's Encyclopedia - Encyclopedia of Foods and Beverages. By Artemas Ward. New York. 1911.
  2. ^ Williamson, George (06-02-2002). "Introduction to Dust Explosions". Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
  3. ^ "Washburn ‘A’ Mill Explosion". Minnesota Historical Society Library History Topics. Retrieved on 2006-10-29.


Saturday, January 3, 2009

Margarine


In the meantime, margarine manufacturers had made many changes. Modern margarine can be made from any of a wide variety of animal or vegetable fats, and is often mixed with skimmed milk, salt, and emulsifiers. Margarine made from vegetable oils is especially important in today's market, as it provides a vegan and pareve substitute for butter. Nearly all margarine is salted, which makes shortening (which contains no salt) a better choice for baking.


In terms of microstructure, margarine is a water-in-oil emulsion, containing dispersed water droplets of typically 5-10 µm diameter. The amount of crystallizing fat in the continuous oil+fat phase determines the firmness of the product. In the relevant temperature range, saturated fats contribute most to the amount of crystalline fat, whereas monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats contribute relatively little to the amount of crystalline fat in the product. Mono- and polyunsaturated fats and oils can be transformed into suitable substrates by the chemical process of hydrogenation, which renders them solid at room temperature. Full hydrogenation results in saturated fats only, but partial hydrogenation will lead to the formation of trans-fats as well.

Three main types of margarine are common:

  • Hard, generally uncolored margarine for cooking or baking. (Shortening)
  • "Traditional" margarines for such uses as spreading on toast, which contain saturated fats, are mostly made from vegetable oils.
  • Margarines high in mono- or polyunsaturated fats, which are made from safflower, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed, rapeseed, or olive oil.

Many popular table spreads today are blends of margarine and butter — something that was long illegal in countries including the United States and Australia — and are designed to combine the lower cost and easy-spreading of artificial butter with the taste of the real thing.

Margarine, particularly polyunsaturated margarine, has become a major part of the Western diet. In the United States, for example, in 1930 the average person ate over 18 lb (8 kg) of butter a year and just over 2 lb (900g) of margarine. By the end of the 20th century, an average American ate just under 4 lb (1.8 kg) of butter and nearly 8 lb (3.6 kg) of margarine.

Under European Union directives, margarine products cannot be called "butter", even if most of it consists of natural butter. In some European countries butter based table spreads and margarine products are marketed as "butter mixtures".

These "butter mixtures" compose a significant portion of the table spread market. The brand "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spawned a variety of similarly-named spreads that can be found on supermarket shelves all over the world. With names like "Utterly Butterly," "You'd Butter Believe it," "Unbelievable! This Is Not Butter," and "Butterlicious," these butter mixtures avoid the restrictions on labeling with marketing techniques that imply a strong similarity to real butter.

The United States imports 10 billion pounds (4.5 million tons) of margarine a year. Additionally, the United States exports 2 billion pounds (900,000 tons) of margarine annually.

Margarine has a particular market to Orthodox Jews. The laws of Kashrut (the Jewish dietary laws) forbid the mixing of meat and dairy products, and hence there are strictly Kosher margarines available, which are often used by Jews adapting recipes that use meat and butter to be Kosher.

Nutrition

Discussions concerning the nutritional value of margarine revolve around two aspects — the total amount of fat, and the types of fat (saturated fat, trans fat). Usually, a comparison between margarine and butter is included in this context as well.

Amount of fat

Fat is an essential part of nutrition. It is needed in the production of cell membranes, as well as in several hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids. In addition, fat acts as carrier for fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.[7]

The total amount of fat eaten isn't really linked with any disease.[8] The roles of butter and traditional margarine (80% fat) are similar with respect to their energy content, but low-fat margarines and spreads are widely available.

Saturated fat

The saturated fatty acids in triglycerides contribute to elevated blood cholesterol levels,[9][10] which in turn has been linked to cardiovascular diseases. Saturated fat increases both LDL and HDL cholesterol.

Vegetable fats can contain anything between 7% and 86% saturated fatty acids. Liquid oils (unhardened canola oil, sunflower oil) tend to be on the low end, while tropical oils (coconut oil, palm kernel oil) and fully hardened oils are at the high end of the scale.[11] A margarine blend is a mixture of both types of components, and will rarely exceed 50% saturated fatty acids on fat. Exceptions are some traditional kitchen margarines or products that have to maintain stability under tropical conditions.[12] Generally, firmer margarines contain more saturated fat.

Regular butterfat contains about 65% saturated fatty acids on fat,[13] although this varies somewhat with season. One tablespoon of butter contains over 7g of saturated fat.

Unsaturated fat

The unsaturated fatty acids decrease LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) levels and increase HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) levels in the blood, thus reducing the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases.[14].[15][16]

There are two types of unsaturated oils — mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Their nutritional and health effects are recognized in contrast to saturated fats. Some widely grown vegetable oils, such as rapeseed (and its variant canola), sunflower, safflower, and olive oils contain high amounts of unsaturated fats.[11] During the manufacture of margarine, some of the unsaturated fats may be converted into saturated fats or trans fats in order to give them a higher melting point so that they are solid at room temperatures.

  • Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have been found especially good for health (see the main article). This is one of the two Essential fatty acids, so called because humans cannot manufacture it and must get it from food. Most modern Western diets are severely deficient in it. Omega-3 fatty acids are mostly obtained from oily fish caught in high-latitude waters. They are comparatively uncommon in vegetable sources. However, one type of Omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-lineloic acid (ALA) can be found in some vegetable oils. Flax oil contains 30-50% of ALA, and is becoming a popular dietary supplement to rival fish oils; both are often added to premium margarines. An ancient oil plant, camelina sativa, has recently gained popularity because of its high Omega-3 content (30-45%), and it has been added to some margarines. Hemp oil contains about 20% ALA. Small amounts of ALA are found in vegetable oils such as soybean oil (7%), rapeseed oil (7%) and wheat germ oil (5%).
  • Omega-6 fatty acids are also important for health. They include the Essential Fatty Acid Linoleic Acid (LA), which is abundant in vegetable oils grown in temperate climates. Some, such as hemp (60%) and the common margarine oils corn (60%), cottonseed (50%) and sunflower (50%), have large amounts, but most temperate oil seeds have over 10% LA. Modern Western diets are frequently quite high in Omega-6 but very deficient in Omega-3. The Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is typically 10:1 to 30:1. Large amounts of Omega-6 decreases the effect of Omega-3. Therefore it is recommended that the ratio in the diet should be less than 4:1, although optimal ratio may be closer to 1:1.[17][18]

Trans fat

Several large studies[19][20][21][22] indicate a link between consumption of high amounts of trans fat and coronary heart disease, and possibly some other diseases. This is mainly because trans fats increase the amount of LDL cholesterol and decrease the amount of HDL cholesterol in blood stream. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association (AHA) all have recommended people to limit intake of trans-fat.

Trans fats occur naturally in vegetable oils in only tiny quantities. However, they are a deliberate consequence of partial hydrogenation of light oils, intended to solidify the oil sufficiently for it to take on the eating quality of butter oil. In contrast, full hydrogenation generates few trans fats, but is intended to turn light oils into fully saturated fats. The intended effect of partial hydrogenation is to straighten the molecule of polyunsaturated fatty acids, so that they behave more like saturated fats. These trans fatty acids are used by the body like saturated fats, mainly as fuel, but tend to block the use of Omega-3 and Omega-6 for vital bodily functions. They have been indicted as worse for health than even the well-publicized saturated fats in butter and meat.[23]

Particularly in the US, partial hydrogenation has been common as a result of national dependence on a limited number of vegetable oil sources, US-grown oils being preferred to tropical oils which are principally saturated fat. However, in other parts of the world, the industry started to move away from using partially hydrogenated oils in the mid-1990s.[24] This led to the production of new margarine varieties that contain less or no trans fat.[25] Many manufacturers in the US now label their products (following government regulations) as "zero grams" trans-fat, which effectively means less than 500 mg trans-fat per serving; however, no fat is entirely free of trans fats. For example, natural butterfat contains 2-5% trans-fatty acids (mainly trans-vaccenic acid, a variant of the normal vaccenic acid).[26]

Cholesterol

Typically about 70% of human cholesterol is produced by the human body and only 30% comes from food sources. Thus intake of cholesterol as food has less effect on blood cholesterol levels than the type of fat eaten.[8] However, some individuals are more responsive to dietary cholesterol than others. In the US, the FDA states that healthy people should not consume more than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.

Butter contains approximately 33 mg of cholesterol in each tablespoon.[27] Margarine contains only negligible amounts of or no cholesterol.[28]

Plant sterol/stanol esters

Plant sterol esters or plant stanol esters have been added to some margarines and spreads because of their cholesterol lowering effect. Several studies have indicated that consumption of about 2 grams per day provides a reduction in LDL cholesterol of about 10%.[29][30] Sterol/stanol esters are tasteless and odorless, and have the same physical and chemical properties typical of most fats. However, they do not enter the blood stream but instead pass through the gut. Thus they suit well to be used in low-fat spreads.

References

  1. ^ Science Power 9: Atlantic Edition, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. ISBN 0-07-560905-3.
  2. ^ Visser, Margaret (1986). Much Depends on Dinner. Toronto: Harper Perennial Canada. pp. 107. ISBN 0 00 639104 4.
  3. ^ Intrastate sales of colored oleomargarine
  4. ^ "Yellow margarine: I Can't Believe It's Not Legal!". AP / USA Today (2008-12-16).
  5. ^ a b "Canada's conflicted relationship with margarine". CBC News Online (2005-03-18). Retrieved on 2007-08-28.
  6. ^ "Resolving Canada's conflicted relationship with margarine". CBC News Online (2008-07-09). Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
  7. ^ Mayo Clinic (January 31, 2007). "Dietary fats: Know which types to choose". Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  8. ^ a b Harvard School of Public Health. "The Nutrition Source - Fats and Cholesterol". Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  9. ^ A. Keys, J.T. Anderson, F. Grande, Serum cholesterol response to changes in the diet. IV. Particular fatty acids in the diet, Metabolism 14, 776-787 (1965).
  10. ^ R.P. Mensink, P.L. Zock, A.D.M. Kester, M.B. Katan, Effects of dietary fatty acids and carbohydrates on the ratio of serum total to HDL cholesterol and on serum lipids and apolipoproteins: A meta-analysis of 60 controlled studies, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 77, 1146-1155 (2003).
  11. ^ a b NutriStrategy (2005). "Fats, Cooking Oils and Fatty Acids". Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  12. ^ D.W. de Bruijne, A. Bot, Fabricated Fat-based Foods, in: Food Texture — Measurement and Perception (editor A.J. Rosenthal), Aspen, Gaithersburg, 1999, pp. 185-227.
  13. ^ http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
  14. ^ Müller et al. (January 2003). "The Serum LDL/HDL Cholesterol Ratio Is Influenced More Favorably by Exchanging Saturated with Unsaturated Fat Than by Reducing Saturated Fat in the Diet of Women". Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  15. ^ Hu, Manson, Willett (2001). "Types of Dietary Fat and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Critical Review". Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  16. ^ Jeppesen et al. (2001). "Low Triglycerides–High High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease". Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  17. ^ Clear Springs Press (2006). "Omega-3 and Omega-6 Essential fatty Acids (EFA)". Retrieved on 2008-07-18.
  18. ^ Chico College of Agriculture (January 18, 2007). "Grass Fed Beef - Health Benefits". Retrieved on 2008-07-18.
  19. ^ W.C. Willett, M.J. Stampfer, J.E. Mason, G.A. Colditz, F.E. Speizer, B.A. Rosner, L.A. Sampson, C.H. Hennekes, Intake of trans fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease among women, Lancet 341, 581-585 (1993)
  20. ^ F.B. Hu, M.J. Stampfer, J.E. Manson, E. Rimm, G.A. Colditz, B.A. Rosner, C.H. Hennekens, W.C. Willett, Dietary Fat Intake and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Women, New England Journal of Medicine 337, 1491-1499 (1997) http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/337/21/1491
  21. ^ K. Hayakawa, Y.Y. Linko, P. Linko, The role of trans fatty acids in human nutrition, Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 102, 419-425 (2000)
  22. ^ The Nurses' Health Study (NHS)
  23. ^ M. G. Enig, Trans-Fatty Acids in the Food Supply: a comprehensive report covering 60 years of research, Silver Spring, MD, Enig Associates, 1993.
  24. ^ E. Flöter, G. van Duijn, Trans-free fats for use in foods, in: Modifying lipids for use in foods (editor F.D. Gunstone), Woodhead, Cambridge, UK, 2006, pp. 429-443.
  25. ^ G. van Duijn, Technical aspects of trans reduction in modified fats, Oléagineux, Corps Gras, Lipides, 12, 422-426 (2005)
  26. ^ See, e.g., P.S. Anand et al., J. Dairy Res. 71, 66-73 (2004)
  27. ^ Cleveland Clinic. "Butter vs. Margarine". Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
  28. ^ Jane Hurley, Bonnie Liebman (December 2001). "Better than Butter?". Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
  29. ^ Katan et al. (2003). "Efficacy and Safety of Plant Stanols and Sterols in the Management of Blood Cholesterol Levels" (PDF). Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
  30. ^ IFIC (July 2007). "Functional Foods Fact Sheet: Plant Stanols and Sterols". Retrieved on 2008-04-08.

 
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