Project: Ingredient functionality

Project team: Gemma Chope
Member subscription funded project
Running: January 2013 – December 2015
Project Number: 128875

Ingredient specifications for traditional bread products are well documented and understood. However, more than one third of all flour produced in the UK is used for non–bread applications. These include an increasingly wide range of products, including crackers, wafers, doughnuts, and batter coatings, for which the ingredient specifications are not fully understood. In addition, a wider range of bread-based products such as flat breads and tortillas are increasing in popularity. Methods for modifying raw ingredients to improve performance in processing and end product quality are of wide interest. Indeed, many companies have expressed an interest in a deeper understanding of the raw ingredient specifications for their products. An understanding of the functionality required of raw ingredients for various applications, and appropriate methods to test for them, will enable more accurate specification of raw ingredients for specific applications and better management of ingredient variability.