Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Technology of Baked Goods
Maria Ambrogina Pagani, Gabriella Bottega, and Manuela Mariotti
3.1
Introduction
Baked goods are a heterogeneous market category of products. The high
diversification that distinguishes these products makes it difficult to find one single,
general and satisfactory definition. It is, however, possible to identify baked goods
based on the common commodities matrix since they are all foods derived from
cereal fl our [
1
]. Other similarities within this group are the basic ingredients used,
mainly wheat flour or, less commonly, rye flour, water and leavening agents.
Although the technological processes may differ, each one comprises mixing, leavening
and baking. These successive stages allow the transformation of flour, or a mixture
of different types of flour, into an appetizing and digestible food, which, at the
macroscopic level, has a complex structure differentiated by a friable crust and an
internal alveolar structure.
The classification of baked goods may be based on different criteria [
2
] . One
criterion, which is widely used in the baking trade but is not governed by legislation,
is the presence of sugar in the formula which can be perceived by taste and corre-
sponds to at least 10% of the weight of the flour. Baked products with more simple
formulas, therefore, constitute the various types of bread. Despite its importance,
not only sensorial but also nutritional and textural, the amount of sugar in the dough
is not sufficient for classifying this complex category in a satisfactory way. As pro-
posed by Cauvain and Young [
1
], the distinction of the basic products comprising
the formula may be made by considering the fat:flour ratio.
