PRODUCT REVIEW: BAKERY INDUSTRY

I. Overview

A bakery is an establishment that sells mostly flour-based end

products such as breads, cakes, pastries, cookies, pies, and etc. In

the most basic terms, baking is the process of making these

products by mixing the raw materials such as dough, batter, and

etc. and subjecting it to dry heat such as in oven. These bakery

products have long been in the human diet, and one of the staple

foods in every household.

II. Market Situation

The products that make up the bakery market are as follows:

Bread: 32 percent

Rolls: 19 percent

Cakes: 15 percent

Retail bakery products: 10 percent

Soft cakes: 8 percent

Pies: 2 percent.

As we all know, the present generation is becoming more and more

health conscious. Because of this, the demand for gluten-free, low-

increase, which will be a threat to the bakery market. The

increasing awareness for regulations from FDA and EPA may also

contribute to increasing production cost that may affect the final

cost of the product and may lead to reduction in sales for this

market.

As the population increases, there will still be a continuous increase

in demand for bakery products, because bread is still one of the

most staple food items in almost every household.

III. Raw Materials

needed to form the gluten and give the dough consistency. It is

also the solvent or medium for substances like sugar and

enzymes that are indispensable for the fermentation. The next

essential role is its function in homogenizing all this substances

throughout the dough during kneading. The water is also needed

for swelling and gelatinisation of the starch. This in its turn

improves the easy digestion of the bread. The distribution of the

heat through the bread during baking is done by water in the

dough. And finally water influences the organoleptic properties of

the bread.
2. Flour - The main function of flour in baking is to build structure.

When the proteins found in wheat flour are hydrated, they

interact with each other forming what is known as gluten. As

dough or batter containing wheat flour is worked, an elastic

network is developed.

3. Yeast - Yeast works by serving as one of the leavening agents in

the process of fermentation, which is essential in the making of

bread. The purpose of any leavener is to produce the gas that

makes bread rise. Yeast does this by feeding on the sugars in

flour, and expelling carbon dioxide in the process.

4. Improvers - Flour treatment agents, also called improving

agents, bread improvers and dough improvers, are food

additives combined with flour to improve baking functionality.

Flour treatment agents such as enzymes, oxidizing agents,

emulsifying agents, are used to increase the speed of dough

rising and to improve the strength and workability of the dough.

 Flour bleaching agents are added to flour to make it appear

whiter because freshly milled flour is yellowish.

 Oxidizing agents are added to flour to help with gluten

development. The addition of these agents to flour will create

a stronger dough.
  Reducing agents help to weaken the flour by breaking the

protein network. This will help with various aspects of

handling a strong dough. The benefits of adding these agents

are reduced mixing time, reduced dough elasticity, reduced

proofing time, and improved machinability.

 Enzymes are also used to improve processing characteristics.

Yeast naturally produces both amylases and proteinases, but

additional quantities may be added to produce faster and

more complete reactions.

5. Eggs - Eggs play an important role as they create structure and

stability within a batter, they help thicken and emulsify sauces

and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked

goods, and can even act as glue or glaze. It has different roles

depending on the application as follows:

 Egg white - Egg whites can be whipped to create an egg white

foam. This foam is filled with tons of air which helps to lighten

and leaven baked goods.

 Egg yolk - Egg yolks add richness to baked goods due to the

fat content. Egg yolks are also great emulsifiers meaning they

work to combine liquid and fats into one cohesive mixture.

because of the protein content and how it gels as the egg

heats up. This adds structure and strength to baked goods.

6. Enzymes - In bakery systems, enzymes act as dough

conditioners, fermentation enhancers, anti-stalling agents which

enables bakers to remove undesirable additives, and make clean

label baked goods.

7. Gums and hydrocolloids - Gums and hydrocolloids are used to

create texture. These are substances that are added to foods to

emulsify and create interesting mouth feel and diversity in

texture. They can be used for shelf life extension of cakes and

bread for instance, to control batter consistency, as partial fat

replacers etc.

8. Salt - Salt has several functions in baked goods. It modifies

flavor, increases crust color and controls the rate of yeast

fermentation and enzyme activity.

Salt also strengthens gluten, making it more cohesiveness and

less sticky. With salt present, gluten holds more water and

carbon dioxide, allowing the dough to expand without tearing.

This means that salt prevents excessive tearing when gluten

stretches so bread is easier to handle and has a better volume

and a finer crumb.

following:

1. Mixing – This is the most crucial step in the production process,

because here, the ingredients are combines until they are evenly

dispersed in one another and form one product. It is the general

term that includes stirring, beating, blending, binding, creaming,

whipping and folding.

2. Molding and proofing – It is the process that shape the dough

piece, according to the bread variety being produced, so that it

properly fits into pans. Meanwhile, proofing is a step in the

preparation of yeast bread and other baked goods where the

dough is allowed to rest and rise a final time before baking.

During this rest period, yeast ferment the dough and produce

gasses, thereby leavening the dough.

3. Baking - The final step in bread making is the baking process in

which the dough piece is transformed into a light readily

digestible and flavorful product under the influence of heat.

Within this baking process, the natural structures of the major

dough constituents are altered irreversibly by a series of

physical, chemical and biochemical interactions.

product as fresh as possible to the market. This can be done by

making sure that the moment of baking is as close as possible to

the moment of consumption, and thus, cooling and freezing

helps.