MODULE 9

BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES
During Baking

Classification of baked products

Bread including small baked
products (rolls, buns)

Made entirely or mostly from cereal

flours; moisture content on average
15%
Addition of sugar, milk and/or
shortening amounts to a total less
than 10%.

Fine baked goods, including long

term or extended shelf-life
products such as biscuits,
crackers, the cookies, etc.

Made from cereal flours at least

10% of shortening and/or sugar, as
well as other added ingredients.
Moisture content is greatly reduced.

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

2/20

Bread Ingredients

Wheat flour
Yeast
Salt
Water

Major components:
components
Gluten
Water-soluble fractions
Starch
Lipids

A good quality of loaf is obtained only when there is an optimized

combination of constituents, ingredients, and processing !
Mixing

Dough
Development

Fermentation

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

Oven
Baking
3/20

Mixing and Dough Development

Mixing or stirring the wheat flour-water

mixture until the dough is developed.

Flour particles become hydrated.

Formation of a cohesive and elastic dough.
Dough becomes resistant to extension.
Incorporation of air into the dough.

When a dough is optimally developed all the protein and starch

become fully hydrated.
The longer the dough is mixed, the more resistant to extension it
becomes.
GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

4/20

Protein and Dough Development

Wheat flour must be high in both protein

content and quality

Protein content: Affects mixing time ! Low-protein

flours (<12%) require longer mixing times.
Mixing time is also associated with the nature of
gluten protein. Mostly with glutenin fraction!
Gluten is composed of two fractions:
GLUTENIN & GLIADIN.

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

5/20

Protein and Dough Development

Structure of Glutenin

It is composed of high-molecular-weight proteins

with values reported from 150,000 to 3 million.
A system of polypeptide subunits held together by
disulfide bonds.
Intra- & interpolypeptide disulfide bonds must be
present in glutenin in a certain ratio to provide the
necessary viscoelastic properties for bread baking.

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

6/20

Protein and Dough Development

Glutenin & Bread Making Quality

HMW Glutenin fractions give a high loaf

volume.
Those fractions also represent the insoluble
glutenin.
SDS-PAGE patterns of HMW subunits of
glutenin highly correlate with breadmaking
quality.

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

7/20

The Water-Soluble Fraction of Wheat Flour

Proteins
Pentosans
Dialyzable fractions

Water solubles (3.5%

dialysis

Precipitate
(globulins)

Dialysate
Supernatant
(water solubles, 2.3%)

Soluble pentosans
Glycoproteins

Centrifugate
Supernatant
(denatured albumins) (water solubles, 1.3%)
GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

8/20

The Water-Soluble Fraction of Wheat Flour

Pentosans

It consists of a straight chain of xylose units with a

branch point of arabinose sugars at 2,3 positions
(arabinoxylan).
Arabinogalactans covalently link to proteins
(glycopeptide) which contains ferrulic acid.
A unique property of water-soluble pentosans is their
ability to form gels (increase in viscosity) in the presence
of oxidizing agents such as Ferrulic acid.
Contribution of pentosans to loaf volume is confusing!

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

9/20

Lipids in Wheat FLour

Although lipids are minor components of wheat flour,

they play an important role in bread making.
Of particular interest are the polar lipids, which
contribute to mixing requirements and loaf volume
potantial.
Nonpolar lipids such as stearyl esters, glycerides, and
free fatty acids have detrimental effects.
Polar lipids (phospholipids & glycolipids), on the
other hand, are effective improvers in bread makingonly glycolipids with improving effect on loaf volume.

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

10/20

Lipids in Wheat FLour

Lipid-protein interactions:
Once flour is wetted with water and mixed into a
dough, the free lipids become bound by gluten
proteins.
Of the polar lipids, glycolipids appeared to be bound
to the gliadin protien hydrophilically and to the gluten
proteins hydrophobically.
Simultaneous binding of glycolipids to gliadin and
gluten proteins contributes structurally to the gasretaining ability of the gluten proteins.
GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

11/20

Lipids in Wheat Flour

Lipoxygenase enzyme addition has several

functions in breadmaking.

Increase the amount of free lipids in the dough

Destruction of essential fatty acids
Bleaching of carotenoids ( a whiter bread crumb)
Increasing the mixing tolerance and dough
stability.

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

12/20

Lipids in Wheat Flour

Polyunsaturated
fatty acids

lipoxygenase

O2

-carotene

Lipid
hydroperoxides

Colorless compounds

Enzyme oxidizes the flour protein gluten, resulting in

improved crumb structure.
It is a coupled reaction related to the release of bound lipids
and oxidation of thiol groups at hydrophobic binding sites in
dough protein.
GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

13/20

Lipids in Flour
aqueous

nonaqueous

Polyunsaturated free lipid

Bound lipid

Lipoxygenase+O2

Hydrophobic binding
sites in proteins
Coupled
oxidation

Oxidized lipid intermediates

Hydrophobic binding

Inversion of
lipoprotein micelle

Hydrophobic oxidized
site in proteins

Lipid hydroperoxides
water

Displaced lipid
Free lipid

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

Oxidized protein
14/20

Starch in Breadmaking

Water absorption
Gelatinization
Retrogradation

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

Important
properties

15/20

Starch in Breadmaking

Water Absorbtion
When starch granules are added to warm water they
readily absorb water and swell.
At gelatinization temperatures (>50oC) water absorbtion
increase resulting the expansion of starch granule
volume.
Intact starch granules absorb only half of their weight of
cold water compared to damaged starch granules, which
absorb up to twice their own weight.
Damaged starch amount is important as it increases the
absorbed water amount (controlled by milling, wheat
variety, protein content of flour, baking process)
GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

16/20

Starch in Breadmaking

Gelatinization
Loss of birefringence (typical maltese crosses)
when starch in water suspension is heated.
During baking process, partial gelatinization occurs
as a result of limited availability of water.
The starch granules swell and result in a change
in a change in configuration which allows them to
elongate during expansion of the gas cell.
Thus starch granule is involved in formation of film
surrounding the gas cells (crumb structure).

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

17/20

Starch in Breadmaking

Retrogradation

Physical change in starch from a gel-like state to a

more crystalline structure.
In fresh bread, starch is mostly amorphous but
undergoes recrystallization during storage.
Retrogradation takes place during aging of bread.
Lineer fraction amylose chains and also
amylopectin chains, to a lesser extent, undergo
association through hydrogen bonding.

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

18/20

Fermentation

During fermentation yeast undergoes anaerobic

metabolism, producing carbon dioxide gas, which aerates
the dough.
Also it imparts flavor to the baked product.
About 40% of total carbon dioxide gas produced by yeast
fermentation retains in the proofed dough.
The remaining 60% is lost during punching, molding, and
proofing the dough.
The increase in dough volume during baking (oven
spring) primarily is attributed to the vaporization in
ethanol, with a small amount contributed by water
vaporization.
GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

19/20

Baking

The effectiveness of baking process is determined by

heat, enzyme activity, water, starch, and protein
content.
Toward to the interior of dough, the temperature rises
slowly because of poor conductivity of the dough.
At 60oC the starch is gelatinized: water amount is
important
At 70oC various enzymes are inactivated.
Above 75oC, irreversible denaturation and rupturing of
gluten proteins occur.
Maillard reactions - flavor & color development

GID418E Biochemical Changes During Food Processing-Prof. Dr. Dilek Boyacolu

20/20