Baking & Snack - November 2005 - 63

Not only is the share of total category
sales for gluten-free products increasing incrementally in nearly all key
categories, but sales of these foods are
outpacing growth of the categories as a
whole, according to Mr. Browne. And
consumers now shop for gluten-free
products in conventional supermarkets
rather than the traditional channel of
natural health foods stores by a ratio of
2:1 as measured by sales.

GOING GLUTEN-FREE
Formulating products without gluten
can be quite challenging because gluten
has unique structural properties that
form the base for diverse products,
particularly leavened breads. Gluten
makes dough elastic and bagels chewy.
It creates a structure to trap gas produced by yeast to make bread rise. It
holds water and gives bread products
their unique texture and mouth feel.
Gluten contains 75 to 86% protein
on a dry matter basis; the rest consists
of carbohydrates and lipids that are
strongly bound by the protein matrix.
The protein fractions that make up gluten, gliadin and glutenin, play specific
functional roles. When gluten is fully
hydrated, glutenin becomes a rough

rubbery mass while gliadin produces a
viscous fluid mass. The combination of
these two components gives the gluten
matrix and dough exceptional viscoelastic properties such as
extensibility, resistance to
stretch, mixing tolerance
and gas-holding capacity.
Gluten encloses starch granules and fiber fragments to
create a unique structure.
Substituting gluten in
bakery products may result
in products with offflavors, poor color and
crumbly, dry texture.
In order to successfully substitute for gluten, one must be
aware of its functionality in different
product types and consider the desired
final product characteristics such as
loaf volume, texture, color, moisture
content and so forth. In products such
as cookies, flatbreads and crackers,
the development of a gluten network
is generally minimal and undesirable
since texture in these products is due
primarily to starch gelatinization and
sugar crystallization rather than the
protein-starch structure. However,
in breads and other yeast-leavened

Alternatives to Wheat Flour
Ingredient

Characteristics

Acorn

(Quercus spp.) Sweet edible nut may be used whole or ground into flour and
fiber. Does not bind well.

Almond

(Prunus amygdalus) Sweet edible nut ground may be used alone or in
combination with other flours.

Amaranth flour

(Amarnathaceae) Made from the seed of the amaranth plant. It is high in
protein making it a nutritious alternative. It is also known as African spinach,
Chinese spinach, Indian spinach, elephant's ear.

Arrowroot flour

(Maranta aruninacea) Flour is ground from the root of the plant and is very
useful as a thickener. It does not contribute flavor. The fine powder becomes
clear when it is cooked. It can substitute for corn starch.

Artichoke

(Cynara scolymus) Dried and ground into flour, it can be combined with rice
flour for production of baked foods.

Brown rice flour

(Oryza sativa) Flour is milled from unpolished brown rice, so it has higher fiber
content than white rice flour. It has a grainy texture and a slightly nutty taste.
Due to its heavier nature, it is often used in combination with other ingredients.

Buckwheat flour

(Fagopyrum esculetum) Flour is made from the small seeds of the plant. It has
a strong nutty taste, so it needs to be combined with other ingredients to avoid
it from being overpowering. It is also known as beech wheat, kasha or sarracen
corn.

Chestnut

(Castanea dentate) Smooth-shelled, sweet, edible nut can be milled into flour.
Does not bind well.

Chickpea flour

(Cicer arietinum) Flour has a strong nutty taste. It can be used on its own. It is
also known as gram, besam or garbanzo flour.

68 / BAKING & SNACK / November 2005

ᮢ A new "certified GF" mark on product
labels signals their gluten-free status.
Gluten-Free Certification Organization

products that rely on gluten
development, it is important to use ingredients or
ingredient combinations that
simulate gluten-like properties to create structure and
retain gas and moisture.
Because gluten has unique
properties, it may take
more than one ingredient to simulate different
properties. There is no
one single gluten substitute available.
Depending on desired final product
characteristics, different combinations
of wheat alternatives (see "Alternatives
to Wheat Flour") and other ingredients
must be made and tested to achieve
high quality alternative products.
Bread dough without gluten can only
retain gas if another gel replaces the
gluten structure.
Research on the formulation of
gluten-free products has taken different approaches that include the use of
diverse ingredients. According to Stan
Andrews, Ph.D., manager, bakery ingredient Applications at ADM, Decatur,
IL, "The best ingredients for substituting
the functionality of wheat and other gluten-containing products include: other
sources of protein such as egg, milk
and soy in conjunction with non-gluten
containing flours and starches like rice;
any structure/texture forming ingredients; non-gluten containing grains; and
legumes other than soy beans."
According to studies performed at
the National Food Center and National
University of Ireland, starches, gums
and hydrocolloids such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), locust
bean, guar, carrageenan, xanthan and
agar gums and starches from different
sources at varying concentrations can
be used for gelling and thickening, water retention and texture improvement.
Dietary fiber can boost the nutrient content of gluten-free products. Inulin acts
as a prebiotic as well as an improver
of loaf volume, sliceability and color.
Dairy proteins can aid water absorption and enhance handling properties
but should be limited because celiac
Baking & Snack - November 2005

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