A Cleaner Bind

In the world of baking, emulsifiers play a crucial role. These food additives help blend hard-to-mix ingredients, like oil and water, to enhance the texture, consistency, and shelf life of bread products and other baked goods.

Although emulsifiers are widely used to improve consistency and quality, some consumers have started to question them. “Consumers may associate emulsifiers with ultra-processed foods or potential health risks,” says Sammi Meyers, product application manager at Manildra Group USA, a national supplier of wheat gluten, starches, and proteins, based in Leawood, Kansas. “When looking for clean-label or natural products, they may be put off by emulsifiers’ chemical-sounding names.”

Regulatory agencies in several countries have imposed limits on emulsifier usage due to their potential impacts on flavor and aroma and because some emulsifiers are derived from common allergens like soy and eggs, Meyers adds. But traditional emulsifiers aren’t the only option. She and her team recently tested wheat protein as an alternative emulsifier for baked goods—and the results are positive. Below, she elaborates.

Why is wheat protein a good alternative to traditional emulsifiers?

Wheat protein is non-GMO, clean label, and generally already being used within baking formulations, so you are not including additional allergens. Wheat protein as an emulsifier appeals to consumers because it is an easily recognized ingredient. When it comes to labeling requirements, it can be listed as exactly what it is: wheat protein. Also, wheat protein adds nutritional benefits. Manildra’s GemPro Max, for example, consists of 90% protein.

How can wheat protein emulsification solve problems for commercial bakers?

In bread, wheat protein provides strength, structure, and viscoelasticity in the dough, which aids in machinability and mechanical stress. Wheat protein helps trap gas during fermentation and baking, which contributes volume to baked goods. It improves moisture retention and slows staling, improving shelf life, and provides a more resilient crumb structure.

GemPro Max can act as a natural dough conditioner, even reducing mix time, as well as improving machinability and how the dough handles mechanical stress. When stress is placed on the dough with GemPro Max added, it maintains its volume post bake as compared to no emulsifier or other emulsifiers. The product also helps retain moisture and improve the crumb softness like traditional emulsifiers, which can improve freshness and shelf life.

How has GemPro Max performed in product testing? 

We tested GemPro Max against industry standard emulsifiers such as DATEM (diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides), SSL (sodium stearoyl lactylate), and mono- and diglycerides in a white pan bread formula and found it supports tolerance and dough stability through machinability and processing. The product improved the finished height, resilience, and firmness as compared with mono- and diglycerides and SSL and maintained volume, improved resilience, and firmness compared to DATEM.

Where is the research headed next?

We are currently conducting further tests of wheat protein in other applications, as well as against other emulsifiers. In addition to emulsification in a dough system, GemPro Max can be used in other ways, such as in a vegan mayonnaise salad dressing, to provide the emulsification and structure that an egg would provide. 

Learn more about Manildra Group USA and its wheat protein research.