What is Halal?

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite of Halal is Haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and Haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life. However, we will use these terms only in relation to food products, meat products, cosmetics, personal care products, food ingredients, and food contact materials.

While many things are clearly Halal or clearly Haram, there are some things which are not clear. These items are considered questionable or suspect and more information is needed to categorize them as Halal or Haram. Such items are often referred to as Mashbooh, which means doubtful or questionable.

All foods are considered Halal except the following, which are Haram:

• Swine/pork and its by-products
• Animals improperly slaughtered or dead before slaughtering
• Animals killed in the name of anyone other than ALLAH (God)
• Alcohol and intoxicants
• Carnivorous animals, birds of prey and land animals without external ears
• Blood and blood by-products
• Foods contaminated with any of the above products

Foods containing ingredients such as gelatin, enzymes, emulsifiers, etc. are questionable (Mashbooh) because the origin of these ingredients is not known.

Important Qualities of Wholesale Olive Oil

Eliminating the bad fats from your diet and replacing these with good fats from plant oils will help you fight most diseases and improve quality of life. While health experts recommend taking only extra virgin oil, suppliers of wholesale olive oil report a higher demand for its less healthy version, the pure or light oil.

Why extra virgin is better

Olive oil comes from the fruit of the olive tree which grows only in countries with warm summer temperatures. The round green fruit reaches maturity usually by the end of summer and just before winter sets in. At this time, the fruit is picked and checked for maturity using a squeeze test. Fluid that is readily expressed at the stem end is a sign of maturity.

Ideally, fruit that is used for oil production should not be bruised or show any sign of damage. The fruits are handpicked and not harvested by machine to prevent damage. After washing and treating the fruits with cool water, these are immediately processed under low temperatures to extract the oil which is known as extra virgin oil.

Oil that is not extracted this way cannot be considered virgin oil although producers of wholesale olive oil still sell it as pure or light virgin oil. Processing at high temperatures as well destroys the plant chemicals and reduces the health value of the oil.

The immediate extraction contains the highest level of antioxidants and unsaturated fats that make this oil a superfood. In particular, polyphenols (or plant chemicals) that provide a natural protection for plants have the following important properties:

Anti-inflammatory: A chemical compound has been identified in olives that has the same characteristic bite that ibuprofen (a Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug or NSAID) has. A study suggests that this plant chemical also has anti-inflammatory reactions to the human body and may help fight cell damage. This finding explains why consumers of the Mediterranean diet which uses olive oil liberally experience the lowest incidents of heart and degenerative diseases.

Reduce bad cholesterol: Up to 80% of virgin oil can consist of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat not found in other plants. Studies confirm that this fatty acid lowers bad cholesterol in the blood, lowers blood pressure and reduces risk of coronary heart disease.

The source of wholesale olive oil is important because the maturity of the fruit, quick processing time and cleanliness of the production facilities determine the quality of the virgin oil you are getting.

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What is the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder?

Baking soda and baking powder are used for cooking. Both products produce carbon dioxide and cause the food to rise. They are both almost the same and baking powder contains baking soda.

The soda is made up of pure sodium bicarbonate, while the powder contains some amount of sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is added to any food, it leads to the formation of carbon dioxide bubbles and helps in baking it well. It has an instant reaction. It is mostly combined with yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk or honey.

Apart from containing sodium bicarbonate, the powder also contains an acidifying agent such as cream of tartar and a drying agent such as starch. Two kinds of baking powder are available -- first is a single acting powder which is activated by moisture, and the second is a double acting powder which reacts in two phases.

Both products are used in different recipes. Depending upon the recipes, these two have to be used. But both have a single motto which is to add taste to the food and bring about an attractive texture. If baking soda is used alone, it will produce a bitter taste. So, it should be mixed with buttermilk. Baking powder contains acid as well as base and on the whole it has neutral taste. Baking powder is mainly used in making cakes and biscuits.

The powder can be substituted for the soda. However, it is not vice versa. There is need to increase the amount of the powder when it is used instead of the soda. The soda does not contain the necessary acid to cause the cake or bread to rise.

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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!

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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.

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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:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch to ½ teaspoon salt

Metric:

• 100 g flour
• 3 g baking powder
• 1 g or less salt

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.

• The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, United Kingdom.
• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 edition of The Grocer's Encyclopedia.

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.

Baker's yeast

Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly used as a leavening agent in baking bread and related products, where it converts the fermentable sugars present in the dough into carbon dioxide and ethanol. The use of potatoes, water from potato boiling, eggs, or sugar in a bread dough accelerates the growth of yeasts. Salt and fats such as butter slow down yeast growth. The majority of the yeast used in baking is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same species commonly used in alcoholic fermentation. Additionally, Saccharomyces exiguus (also known as S. minor) is a wild yeast found on plants, fruits, and grains that is occasionally used for baking; it is not, however, generally used in a pure form, but comes from being propagated in a sourdough starter.

History

A block of fresh yeast.

It is not known when yeast was first used to bake bread. The first records that show this use came from Ancient Egypt.^[1] Researchers speculate that a mixture of flour meal and water was left longer than usual on a warm day and the yeasts that occur in natural contaminants of the flour caused it to ferment before baking. The resulting bread would have been lighter and more tasty than the normal flat, hard cake. It is generally assumed that the earliest forms of leavening were likely very similar to modern sourdough; the leavening action of yeast would have been discovered from its action on flatbread doughs, and would either have been cultivated separately or transferred from batch to batch by means of previously mixed ("old") dough. Alternately, the development of leavened bread seems to have developed in close proximity to the development of beer brewing, and barm from the beer fermentation process can also be used in bread making.

Without a full understanding of microbiology, early bakers would have had little ability to directly control yeast cultures, but still kept locally interesting cultures by reusing doughs and starters to leaven later batches. However, it became possible to isolate and propagate favored yeast strains in the same manner as was done in the beer industry, and it eventually became practical to propagate yeast in a slurry with a composition similar to beer wort, usually including barley malt and wheat flour. Such cultures (sometimes referred to in old American cookery as "emptins", from their origins as the dregs of beer or cider fermentation) would become the ancestors of modern baker's yeast, as they generally were carefully maintained to avoid what would later be discovered to be bacterial contamination, including using preservatives such as hops as well as boiling the growth medium.

Later refinements in microbiology following the work of Louis Pasteur led to more advanced methods of culturing pure strains, making modern commercial yeast possible, and turning yeast production into a major industrial endeavor. The slurry yeast made by small bakers and grocery shops became cream yeast, a suspension of live yeast cells in growth medium, and then compressed yeast, the fresh cake yeast that became the standard leaven for bread bakers in much of the Westernized world during the early 20th century.

Today there are several retailers of baker's yeast; the biggest producers are Fleischmann's Yeast and Lesaffre (who also owns the popular American label Red Star Yeast). During World War II Fleischmann's developed a granulated active dry yeast for the United States armed forces, which did not require refrigeration and had a longer shelf life and better temperature tolerance than fresh yeast; it is still the standard yeast for US military recipes. The company created yeast that would rise twice as fast, cutting down on baking time. Lesaffre would later create instant yeast in the 1970s, which has gained considerable use and market share at the expense of both fresh and dry yeast in their various applications.

Types of baker's yeast

Active dried yeast, a granulated form in which yeast is commercially sold.

Baker's yeast is available in a number of different forms. Though each version has certain advantages over the others, the choice of which form to use is largely a question of the requirements of the recipe at hand and the training of the cook preparing it. With occasional allowances for liquid content and temperature, the different forms of commercial yeast are generally considered interchangeable.

• Cream yeast is the closest form to the yeast slurries of the 19th century, being essentially a suspension of yeast cells in liquid, siphoned off from the growth medium. Its primary use is in industrial bakeries with special high-volume dispensing and mixing equipment, and it is not readily available to small bakeries or home cooks.
• Compressed yeast is essentially cream yeast with most of the liquid removed. It is best known in the form of cake yeast, which is essentially a soft solid, beige in color, but is also available in crumbled form for bulk usage. It is highly perishable; though formerly widely available for the consumer market, it has become less common in supermarkets in some countries due to its poor keeping properties, having been obsoleted in some such markets by active dry and instant yeast. It is still widely available for commercial use, and is somewhat more tolerant of low temperatures than other forms of commercial yeast; however, even there, instant yeast has made significant market inroads.
• Active dry yeast is the form of yeast most commonly available to noncommercial bakers, as well as the yeast of choice for situations where long travel or uncontrolled storage conditions are likely. It consists of coarse oblong granules of yeast, with live yeast cells encapsulated in a thick jacket of dry, dead cells with some growth medium. Under most conditions, active dry yeast must be proofed or rehydrated first and, despite its better keeping qualities than other forms, is generally considered more sensitive than other forms to thermal shock when actually used in recipes.
• Instant yeast appears similar to active dry yeast, but has smaller granules with substantially higher percentages of live cells. It is more perishable than active dry yeast, but also does not require rehydration, and can usually be added directly to all but the driest doughs. Instant yeast generally has a small amount of ascorbic acid added as a preservative. Some producers provide two or more forms of instant yeast in their product portfolio; for example, LeSaffre's "SAF Instant Gold" is designed specifically for doughs with high sugar contents.
• Rapid-rise yeast is a variety of yeast (usually a form of instant yeast) designed to provide greater carbon dioxide output to allow faster rising at the expense of shortened fermentation times. There is considerable debate as to the value of such a product; while most baking experts believe it reduces the flavor potential of the finished product, Cook's Illustrated magazine, among others, feels that at least for direct-rise recipes, it makes little difference. Rapid-rise yeast is often marketed specifically for use in bread machines.
• Flake yeast is dead yeast, sold primarily as a nutritional supplement. It has little to no leavening power.

For most commercial uses, yeast of any form is packaged in bulk (blocks or freezer bags for fresh yeast; vacuum-packed brick bags for dry or instant); however, yeast for home use is often packaged in pre-measured doses, either small squares for compressed yeast or sealed packets for dry or instant. A single dose (reckoned for the average bread recipe of between 500g and 1000g of dough) is generally about 2.5 tsp or about 7g, though comparatively lesser amounts are used when the yeast is used in a pre-ferment.

References

• Corriher, Shirley, Cookwise. New York: William Morrow and Co., 1997, ISBN 0688102298.
• Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine, Baking Illustrated. Brookline, MA:Boston Common Press, 2004, ISBN 0936184752.
• The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 2003, ISBN 0881505811.
• Simmons, Amelia. American Cookery, Hartford, 1798. Text at Feeding America and Project Gutenberg.
• Sloat, Caroline (ed.), Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook 2ed.. Old Saybrook: Globe Pequot Press, 1995, ISBN 1564407284.

1. ^ "The History of Bread Yeast". BBC. Retrieved December 24, 2006.