Milling & Baking News - February 15, 2005 - 28

February 2005

more 'user friendly' than others." He cited
his company's Citri-Fi citrus-pulp-source
fiber as one that seldom requires process
changes.
"This translates to reduced time - and
reduced costs - in developing and delivering new products," he said.
Stan Andrews, Ph.D., manager of bakery
ingredient applications, ADM Specialty Ingredients, confirmed the attractiveness of
soluble fibers for baked foods.
"Soluble fiber doesn't impact formulation from an absorption standpoint, so
soluble fibers are preferable," he said.
"Second choice would be an insoluble fiber
with low to zero hydration rates such as alpha-cellulose, a fiber that is suspended in
the product matrix rather than dissolved
in it."
Described by Mr. Matlock as an "invisible fiber," Fibersol-2 is marketed by both
ADM and Matsutani. "It has the lowest
viscosity of available soluble fibers," he
continued.
Because of these characteristics, Fibersol-2 "doesn't require a lot of trial and
error in formula development," Dr. Andrews observed. "It will mellow bitter or
sharp notes. It can actually act as a flavor
enhancer."
Most fibers have the same nutritional
benefit in baked foods, depending on
their concentration of total dietary fiber
(T.D.F.). Processing, however, may make
a difference.
"Among oat fibers, one type might have
an absorption of 600%, while another
would have 250%," said Darren Schubert,
vice-president, sales and marketing, Grain
Millers, Inc., Eugene, Ore. "In fresh bread,
this can be a key benefit for improving
yields and shelf life, while in ready-toeat cereals, high-absorption ingredients
compete for water, so a lower-absorption
material provides a better choice."
Resistant starch has attracted much interest among formulators. As suggested by its
name, this form of starch resists digestion in
the human gut. It, too, has been termed an
"invisible fiber" because of its lack of water-holding capacity, white flour-like color,
smooth texture and neutral flavor.
"Our Fibersym resistant starches fit a
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very diverse product range, including
foods not normally associated with highfiber claims such as tortillas and cookies,"
said Steve Ham, director of marketing for
specialty ingredients, MGP Ingredients.
"They are very process-friendly, and high
levels can be used without effect on sensory properties."
By blending resistant starch with its
Citri-Fi fiber, Fiberstar created 1:1 flour
replacements: its new Forti-Fi line. When
high levels of fiber are required, as when
creating foods that may make the "excellent source of fiber" claim, these blends
yield results that taste very similar to the
standard products, Mr. Lundberg said.

Why water matters
If there's a stumbling block to using
fiber, it's water. Some fibers hold a lot of
water; others don't.
"The formulator must know the ratios of
absorption," Dr. Andrews stated.
"The high water absorption of some
fiber ingredients changes the formulator's
ability to balance the formula, lengthens
baking time and even raises the water activity," Dr. Maningat explained.
Mr. Luallen confirmed the importance
of balance, noting, "The formulator should
evaluate all water-absorbing ingredients.
Balancing the sweetener, flour and other
hydrophilic ingredients will optimize the
fiber and limit any operational changes required." He also recommended that bakers

Because resistant starch lacks water-holding
capacity, formulations need fewer changes.
consult their suppliers' technical experts to
produce the most functional system.
"The two main factors in bakery applications are particle size and water absorption," said David Kappelman, technical
manager, bakery, Danisco, New Century,
Kas. "When a fiber source absorbs a high
amount of water, it can create 'dead
weight' that the gluten structure must bear,
and this may reduce the volume of the
bread or roll. That's why fiber sources that
absorb less water are preferred. Regarding
particle size, a coarse particle fiber source
will give a 'gritty,' undesirable mouthfeel. A water-soluble fiber source such as
Litesse polydextrose will not create such
negative attributes."
Consider oat fiber. It provides strong
health benefits to finished products yet is
highly absorbent.
"The range in absorption of our oat fiber
and hydrocolloids is 250% to 450% water
to product," Mr. Schubert explained. "You
have to find the right balance of other functional ingredients such as starch to either
properly create a finished product or to
just make one that tastes good."
Other fiber ingredients have minimal or
no impact on water absorption. "Fibersym
resistant starches can take up less than 1
gram of water per 1 gram of starch, which
makes them much easier to formulate
Milling & Baking News, February 15, 2005 / 29

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Milling & Baking News - February 15, 2005

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