Challenge
The sales team at Kudos Blends, the leading manufacturer and supplier of technically-driven leavening agents to the bakery industry, was contacted by the development manager of a large UK bakery who manufactures cakes under their own label as well as several supermarket brand names.
The bakery was looking for cost-neutral options to extend the shelf life of their cakes without compromising quality. As an existing customer of Kudos Blends, they were aware of the unrivalled technical support available and confident the team at Kudos Blends would be able to help.
Summary
Swapping to PELL™ Preservit baking powder had the following benefits:
- 400% increase in preservative effectiveness
- Extended shelf life and reduction in preservative requirements
- Increased profit margins
- Brighter, more attractive crumb
Proposed Solution
A detailed consultation was carried out by a Product Specialist from Kudos Blends, clarifying the objectives and exploring the exact processes, ingredients and conditions at the bakery. The project was then initiated by the dedicated technical team at Kudos Blends, composed of chemists, professional bakers, food scientists and industry experts.
The technical team recommended a change of baking powder to PELL™ Preservit, which has been specifically developed by Kudos Blends to reduce the pH of baked goods and so optimise the performance of any preservatives used.
Most preservatives, such as potassium sorbate or calcium propionate, dissolve in cake batters to form weak acids. These can only inhibit microbial growth if they remain in an undissociated (non-ionised) state, which can cross the cell membranes of spoilage organisms and disrupt function. The more acidic the cake, the less dissociation occurs and the more effective the preservative.
Results
Following extensive assessments in their on-site test bakery and state-of-the-art analysis suite, the technical team at Kudos Blends were able to demonstrate the impact that changing to PELL™ Preservit would have using the bakery’s own recipe and baking conditions. PELL™ Preservit achieved a pH reduction of 0.7 in the baked cakes, which equated to an estimated 400% increase in preservative effectiveness (as demonstrated in figure 2). This allowed the bakery to more than halve the amount of preservative used, improving profit margins, whilst still extending the shelf life of their products. As an added benefit, PELL™ Preservit produced a cake with a brighter, more attractive crumb without affecting its signature taste or texture.
Original baking powder
pH 7.0
PELL™ Preservit Baking Powder
pH 6.3
Fig. 1. Loaf cakes soaked with Universal Indicator show the pH reduction achieved with
PELL™ Preservit Baking Powder.Values confirmed using laboratory pH meter.
Acid
Neutral
Base
Increased effectiveness of potassium sorbate as pH decreases from 7
Reduction in preservative (potassium sorbate) achievable as pH decreases from 7
Fig. 2. Effect on preservative (potassium sorbate) of reducing pH from 7.0, as derived from
the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation.
Sodium Reduction
Kudos Blends also offers a low-sodium version, PELL™ K-Preservit, which replaces sodium bicarbonate with KODA™, their patented grade of potassium bicarbonate, to deliver an immediate reduction in sodium in addition to improved shelf life and optimum appearance, taste, and texture.
With an extensive range of speciality baking powders and the ability to create custom blends suited to any process or application, Kudos Blends has a baking solution to meet every need. For more information visit their products page.