Water Activity in Bakery Products

What can go wrong beside the growth of molds

For some people, it goes without saying that water activity should be measured in bakery products, where as for others it is something they have never heard of yet. The measurement of water activity could basically offer a foundation for resolving many complex problems such as:

 > Change in texture: why is the cracker no longer crispy after a certain period of time?

 > Why has my bakery product a stale aroma?

 > Why is the moist filling of product A different on the palate to that of product B although  the water (moisture) content is almost the same?

 > Why is my cake growing softer and soggier with time?

 > Is there any reason why some batches become stained with mildew while other ones do not?

There are many questions in the baking industry, and there are surprisingly many answers, too, if you know what you are dealing with and what should be changed. This blog explains a number of facts about bakery products and, who knows, perhaps it also contains a solution to your problem, or it gives you at least something to think about, something you may also want to take into account when developing your future products because preventing problems is still better than correcting them.

However tasty bakery products may be, it is quite an art to manufacture them so that they retain their constant quality, correct texture and necessary long-term stability and safety.

To narrow down the field, it should first be made clear what the term ‘bakery products’ really means:

On Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backware) you can read, among other things:

Bakery products are an umbrella term for baked goods with cereals or cereal products as their main ingredient. They are usually manufactured by bakeries and confectionaries. They can be roughly divided into the groups: bread, bread rolls and pastries, including a special subgroup of more durable preserved bakery products, which show lower moisture content.

Bread rolls are a collective name for small products from bread dough that do not weigh more than 250g. Their dough can be prepared differently than classic bread dough. The definitions of bread and bread rolls reflect the way in which they are made. Typical examples of bread rolls include rolls, croissants and pretzels.

Pastries are colloquially called cookies, and include products such as cookies, biscuits, cakes, wafers and gingerbread, which can be stored at normal temperature (18°-24°C) for a longer period of time (approx. 6-12 months) without having to be cooled or deep-frozen. What makes bread and pastries differ under food regulations is the higher fat and sugar content of the latter, and namely at least 1/9 of the total flour content. Pastries include but are not limited to croissants, biscuits, cookies and cakes, as they also comprise preserved bakery products that are not sweet such as lye rolls, crackers and pretzels.

What Kind of Problems Occur?

As consumers, we very quickly react to any sensory changes in products. This also applies to stale taste, or a biscuit lacking crispy texture. Add to this the microbiological risk: the consumer shows little enthusiasm when the cake gets mouldy or may have even been infected with dangerous bacteria (E. Coli, Salmonellae, etc.). Such problems can be addressed by reducing the risk of ‘non-compliant’ product at the consumer’s end.

But first, before you start thinking of any solution, you need to have knowledge about how such problems occur and what are the driving factors behind them.

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