Baking & Snack - February 2010 - 60

FIBER

that it is made from a wheat with the right performance
characteristics. Specifications are important."
BRING UP LEVELS. Although whole-wheat flour carries
a considerable amount of dietary fiber, bakery formulators
contemplate adding more through use of supplementary ingredients. Such additions, however, will affect not only the
demand on protein but also the dough's flow characteristics.
"When adding fiber, you have to consider the processing aspects," Dr. Atwell said. "And if you put in high levels
of fiber, you risk flavor and texture problems. These could
be addressed by adding flavors or softening the crumb with
mono- and diglycerides. Overall, you have to be careful not
to compromise the product by overly diluting the gluten."
The formulator should first decide the target levels for
both whole-grain content and fiber addition, according
to Elizabeth A. Arndt, PhD, director of R&D, ConAgra
Mills, Omaha, NE. She offered the example of the company's Sustagrain barley as the dietary fiber source. The
identity-preserved, waxy barley contains 30% total dietary
fiber, the highest level of any whole grain.
"With pan bread or other yeast-raised products, a
great place to start is a 15 to 25% replacement of flour
with Sustagrain barley," Dr. Arndt said. "In quick breads,
muffins and cookies, usage level can go even higher."
The barley works well with ConAgra Mills' Ultragrain
whole-wheat white wheat flour. By using 15% Sustagrain
with 35% Ultragrain, the formula reaches the 51% whole
grain threshold required by rules covering whole-grain
labeling, and the barley provides "an extra boost of fiber,"
according to Dr. Arndt so its dietary fiber content exceeds that of products made with the flour only.
Polydextrose, a fiber ingredient that contains 90% dietary fiber, proved its usefulness as a fiber supplement in
white bread, according to Peter Thomson, applications
specialist, bakery and cereal technology, Danisco (UK)
Ltd., Redhill, Surrey, UK. He described a recent project in
Europe that targeted children and elders, two population
groups that generally prefer white bread. The added fiber
consisted of Litesse polydextrose in powdered form. "It
was added with the flour, with the only adjustment being
water content," Mr. Thomson said. "A taste panel found no
difference from the control, and as bakers know, getting
more water into the dough increases batch yield."
This application involved an English white bread, noting that bakers in the US and Mexico are looking at similar
white bread applications, according to Mr. Thomson. Although work with wheat and brown breads has yet to take
place, "you can add polydextrose to whole-wheat formulas
as long as you adjust the water," he observed.
FIBER SPECTRUM. To increase the fiber content of
baked foods, formulators have many choices for dietary
fiber supplementation. Some are made from grains, oth-

BAKING & SNACK / February 2010

ers from fruits and vegetables, and yet more from starches
derived from these and other plant sources.
"Our 'go to' solution is Sustagrain barley," said
ConAgra's Dr. Arndt. High in total dietary fiber, particularly beta-glucans, it can support the barley heart
health claim. Because it is lower in starch than other
grain-based fibers, it measures lower in glycemic index,
a benefit when formulating products targeted at the
health-and-wellness market. "We have a full portfolio
of whole-wheat flours, including Ultragrain, rye and
the Ancient Grains line," she added.
At Cargill, Oliggo-Fiber inulin, derived from chicory
roots, is described as an "invisible fiber" because it does
not affect the taste or texture of foods. "We also have ActiStar, a resistant starch made from tapioca, which does not
affect the rheology of the dough because it does not bind
water," Dr. Atwell said.
Another inulin is BENEO-Orafti's proprietary longchain inulin ingredient, OraftiHPX, which Joseph O'Neill,
executive vice-president of sales and marketing, North
America, BENEO-Orafti, Inc., Morris Plains, NJ, described as ideal for fiber fortification of high-fiber breads.
"It has been developed to minimize enzyme degradation
during the proofing phase of yeast-raised baked foods,"
he said. "Its long-chain inulin molecules have an increased
resistance to hydrolysis from the yeast enzymes. This
feature minimizes sticky doughs and avoids lump formation during high-fiber bread manufacture."
The inulin family is composed of native inulin and
long-chain inulin with average degrees of polymerization
(DP) of 11 and 23, respectively, according to Mr. O'Neill.
Like oligofructose, native inulin ingredients are also invisible sources of fiber offering prebiotic benefits without any
negative texture, taste or aftertaste aspects.
BENEO-Orafti also offers oligofructose in powder and
liquid form with DP levels from two to eight and fiber
contents between 85 to 95%. The oligofructose products
▼ A high-fiber barley improves the moisture control and rollability of
tortillas, especially when microwaved.
CONAGRA MILLS

Baking & Snack - February 2010

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