Operational support for the bakery industry

In all areas of the food industry, problems can arise from time to time with production or product quality. The type of support we can offer is exemplified by our services to the bakery sector, as Gary Tucker explains:

"Staff with baking industry knowledge will visit a factory to assess the problems and discuss solutions with the client. A solution is often provided during the visit. If necessary we carry out further investigations back at Campden BRI. This could involve :

• Texture profiling of products to determine parameters such as firmness, springiness and resilience
• C-Cell imaging of internal structure
• Examining the rheological behaviour of dough
• Evaluating the extent of starch gelatinisation, which is important in staling processes
• Measuring water activity and moisture content

Impact on final product

Yeast leavened products tend to be unique in the food industry because they are effectively living products that will change their volume during processing. There are significant interactions between ingredients and processing factors, and it is common that a small change in one factor, for example a line stoppage or different proofing temperature, will have an impact on the final baked product. Gary describes a typical example:

"A client identified changes in appearance of a yeast leavened product. A visit was arranged to the production site to observe how the product was being provided.

Discussions were held about what had changed in the ingredients, their storage, the production process from mixing through to baking and cooling, and end product packaging. Possible reasons for the changes were suggested based on discussions during the visit.

Recommendations for product comparison tests were identified in the emailed report findings, which were then carried out at Campden BRI using products supplied by the client. These tests on texture showed clear differences that confirmed the causes of the problems identified, allowing a solution to be found."

Gary Tucker
+44(0)1386 842035
g.tucker@campden.co.uk