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Baking Powder - Combination of baking soda, leavening acids and filler
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Friday, 18 November, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Pooja Pandey
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fiogf49gjkf0d Baking powders are mixtures of substances intended for leavening of baked goods which release carbon dioxide (CO2) during dough-making and baking. Baking powder is a combination of several different leaveners. The leaveners react only with each other, giving off carbon dioxide in the process. Since the ingredients neutralise each other, they do not alter the pH of the batter or leave an aftertaste.
Baking powder contains baking soda [i.e. Sodium Bicarbonate NaHCO3 (CO2 carrier)], one or more leavening acids (acidulants) and a filler (Separating agents)].
Water/heat
NaHCO3 + Acid CO2 + H2O + Residual Salt
Separating agents like starch meals, flours and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) are used in baking powder as a bulking or separating agentthey absorbs moisture in the air, which helps prevent a chemical reaction from taking place too soon. The starch physically separates the acid and base and prevents them from reacting during storage.
Since all baking powder must consist of baking soda the only way in which these can differ is in the type of acid ingredient used. The leavening reaction typically occurs over a period of time rather than all at once, but acids that react mostly at the batter or dough stage are generally categorised as “fast acting,” while those that react during baking, frying, or griddle cooking are “slow acting.”
Acidulants are selected primarily on the basis of reactivity — how fast they react and at what temperatures. The quantity of the acidulant to be used in a system primarily depends on the neutralising value, rate of reaction and on the pH requirement of the product.
The neutralising value of a leavening acid is the weight of sodium bicarbonate required to completely neutralise 100 parts by weight of the acid.
Neutralising Value (NV) = grams of SBC
100 grams of Acid
Rate of reaction
Rate of reaction is the amount of CO2, in percent, released from a defined amount of sodium bicarbonate under standard conditions (generally at 27 degrees C) within eight minutes through the reaction with the relevant acidulant.
Fast reacting acidulants like citric acid, tartaric acid, cream of tartar, etc. release 60-70 per cent of CO2 from sodium bicarbonate within eight minutes whereas slow acting acidulants hardly release 28 % CO2 at the same time. The CO2 released within eight minutes in dough is generally considered as bench time activity of the leavening agent denoting the pre-rise.
Leavening acids used in bakery applications
MCP (Monocalcium Phosphate): NV 80, a fast-acting acidulant, MACP affects the pH, releases gas during mixing and influences the grain of the final product by creating the gas cell nuclei, which is responsible for the final grain nature. Reacts quickly, increases batter aeration.
SAPP (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate) NV 72 , A slow-acting acidulant, SAPP is available in many grades based on the rate of reaction. Much preferred in cakes due to the slow-release of gas, SAPP, though lowers the pH, and does not have the marked effect various grades produce different rates of reaction. Minimum bench reaction, fast response in fryer and oven.
SALP (Sodium Aluminum Phosphate): NV 100, heat-activated, improves tenderness and moistness.
SAS (Sodium Aluminum Sulfate):NV 104, Slow release
Organic Acids like Ascorbic Acid NV 52, Sorbic Acid NV 70, Lactic Acid NV 93, Citric Acid NV 159, Cream of tartar NV 45, etc. release quickly.
Baking powder comes in two types:
Single-acting baking powder as soon as liquid is added, carbon dioxide starts to be released
The quick reaction occurs because the acid in baking powder is soluble in a cold liquid.Contains only one acid ingredient, either fast or slow.
Fast actingcontains fast acting acids that release a large amount of the gas in a relatively short time during mixing or while the batter is on the bench like cream of tartar, tartaric acid, MCP, etc. Increased batter aeration, greater volume, improved texture, most CO2 released in mixer.
Cream of Tartar (Potassium acid tartrate) is derived from tartaric acid, a by-product of wine production. It is not a leavener, but when combined with an alkali such as baking soda, the two substances are neutralised, giving off carbon dioxide. When combined with baking soda in this way, the two may be called a single-acting baking powder. Cream of tartar is added to egg-white foams, since the presence of an acid helps stabilise the beaten eggs. It is also added to sugar syrups, either to produce invert sugar or to prevent crystallization of sucrose molecules.
Applications: Pancake mixes, cookie mixes, angel food cakes, double acting baking powder.
Slow acting contains moderately slow acting acids that release a major proportion of the gas in the oven. Examples: SAPP, SALP, SAS used in combination with others; improves tenderness and moistness of baked products.
Applications: Various types of doughnut mixes, refrigerated canned biscuits.
Double-acting baking powder usually preferred, contains two acids, a minimum of one fast and one slow acting, so that some of the CO2 is released as soon as liquid is added, but most is produced as the batter heats in the oven. Examples:
MCP + SAS
MCP+SAPP
MCP+SAPP+SALP
Applications: Layer cakes, muffins, pancakes, refrigerated biscuits.
Calcium phosphate may be added to bolster the leavening action of baking powder in doughs or batters that contain significant amounts of acidic ingredients like buttermilk. Highacidity can be caused by ingredients like yoghurt, lemon, buttermilk, honey etc. If already acid is present in your mixer, you can replace some of the baking powder with baking soda otherwise additional acids of baking powder will remain unconsumed in the chemical reaction and often lead to an unpleasant taste to food.
Baking powder has a limited shelf life, since moisture in the air reduces its strength over time. When tested, baking powder shall yield not less than 10 per cent of its weight of carbon dioxide. In bakery products it can be used as GMP. But generally it is used in cookies and cakes 0 to 1 per cent and in biscuits 1-2 per cent, depending upon the formulation. To test the activity of baking powder, stir a small amount of it into very hot water. It will fizz or hiss if it is still good.
Most commercially available baking powders are made up of sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda) and one or more acid salts. Typical formulations (by weight) call for 30 per cent sodium bicarbonate, 5-12 per cent monocalcium phosphate (MCP) , and 21-26 per cent sodium aluminum sulphate (SAS). Baking powders are available both with and without aluminium compounds. Some people prefer not to use baking powder with aluminium because they believe it gives food a vaguely metallic taste and aluminium is not an essential mineral.
Aluminium-free baking powders react with liquid and not with heat. It makes them “faster acting than most double-acting powders. You need to move fast and get cakes made with aluminum-free baking powders into the oven promptly since most of the bubbles are released shortly after mixing.”
Baking powders with aluminium, on the other hand, have most of their action delayed until the batter is hot in the oven.So there is risk involved with aluminium-free powders—the risk that, if you take too long between mixing the batter (or dough) and putting your cake (or biscuits) in the oven, that the chemical reaction will have petered out, and you won’t get as good of a rise.
Baking powder is a very widely used ingredient in cooking and baking such things as quick bread, muffins,pastries, cakes, pies, biscuits, some savouries and some puddings. It is a chemical leavener widely used in baking industries.In certain applications, chemical leavening is more convenient and desirable to obtain the desired cell structure. Carbon dioxide is produced faster by chemical reaction than by yeast fermentation and hence the products could be baked immediately after the dough/batter preparation.
(The author is assistant professor, Assocom Institute of Bakery Technology and Management.)
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