Baking & Snack - April 2014 - 84

FRUIT INCLUSIONS

tricky applications," Mr. Beba explained. "The crucial
parameter is water activity, which is a measure of the
ability of water to migrate from a given ingredient into
the surrounding food matrix.
"Our technology allows us to tailor the water activity of fruit ingredients to match each application's requirements," he said. "The fruit ingredients maintain
the taste, texture and natural goodness of fruit, but now
they come in the form of pieces, flakes and pastes."
Ensuring quality requires managing water activity
of the ingredients used in long shelf life ambient baked
goods. For example, in baked fruit-filled bars, cakes or
cookies, the fruit paste must have the same water activity as the surrounding product to prevent moisture and
color from leaching from the fruit to the crumb of the
baked good.
Bakers should also consider the options of frozen or
refrigerated distribution for their products. Frozen and
chilled baked goods often benefit from a better-quality
image compared with shelf-stable items, especially if the
shelf-stable product has a long code date, as consumers
start to wonder about chemical preservatives.
Because lower temperatures assist with maintaining
product quality, chilled distribution channels present
bakers with an opportunity to become more creative in
their use of fruit varieties and forms. "To better compete
with bakery products made in stores, frozen products
should place greater emphasis on quality and gourmet,"
Ms. Swedberg said. "Recent frozen innovations include
specialty breads, including flatbreads, the use of ancient
grains and the melding of sweet and savory ingredients."
A good example is Minneapolis-based Target Corp.'s
Archer Farms Chocolate & Strawberry Dessert Flatbread.
This frozen product is a wood-fired baked flatbread
topped with a sweet ricotta sauce, strawberry pieces,
chocolate pieces and
amaretto-flavored
cookie crumbles.

84 Baking & Snack April 2014 / www.bakingandsnack.com

Sleep easier
When consumers shop for "superfoods,
"
they know to pick brightly colored fruits
and vegetables. The anthocyanins responsible for the dark reds and blues are
widely recognized as beneficial phytonutrients with antioxidant properties.
Now they're being found to give sleep
benefits, too.
"Instead of shopping for solutions
in the pharmaceutical aisle, consumers should consider switching up what
they eat and drink, said Carol Ash, MD,
"
director of sleep medicine for Meridian
Health, Neptune, NJ. "Simple steps,
such as adding tart cherries to the diet,
may help people be better - more efficient - sleepers.
"
According to the Cherry Marketing
Institute, Lansing, MI, research has
shown that anthocyanins found in tart
cherries, which give them their sweettart flavor and bright red color, are a
natural source of melatonin that can aid
sleep. These phytonutrients may help reset the body's internal clock to establish
regular sleep patterns.

Innovative uses of fruit
A number of fruit varieties now find new bakery
applications. For example, dried plums, the prune of
yesteryear, have long been used in European-style pastries such as Danish and rugelach, as well as hearty
whole grain breads. "Dried plums are quickly becoming the inspiration for countless new and interesting
culinary applications in some of the world's top bakeries," explained Tom Leahy, spokesperson for Sunsweet
Ingredients, Yuba City, CA.
"The ingredient is not only a cost-effective solution to
add taste and texture to baked goods, but dried plums
also reduce sugar, fat content and calories while
adding fiber, making them ideal for
healthier baking," he said. "They
also provide moisture retention that works wonders on
hearty grains and gluten-free
applications."
In some applications, dried
plums are used as a characterizing ingredient, while in others, use is
more functional. For example, in fruity bread or scones,

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