By Cindy Hazen, Contributing Editor
As a food technologist, I am interested in laypersons’ comments about food ingredients. Take this recent post on the Coffee-Mate creamer website: “Gluten-free (I hope)?" Apparently, this is a frequently asked question of a nondairy creamer made primarily from water, partially hydrogenated oils and flavors, with a recommended 1 tablespoon serving size.
While, I know this is not a product that would logically contain wheat-based ingredients at any significant level, wheat can turn up in unexpected places, such as in packaging materials. For the less than 1% of the population diagnosed with celiac disease, consumption of gluten and similar proteins found in wheat, barley and rye is a serious matter. An autoimmune response triggered by these proteins damages the lining of the small intestine, causing discomfort and diminishing absorption of nutrients.
Yet there is also mainstream interest in avoiding gluten. Gluten intolerance has—sometimes speciously—been linked to diverse symptoms, including but not limited to: digestive disturbances, depression, irritability, muscle cramps, fatigue and anemia. To the average consumer listening to a media report or minimally reading, gluten could be assumed to be the cause of nearly any ailment they might be suffering from.
Gluten-free challenges
Technically, the hardest gluten-free products to create are those based on wheat or other gluten-containing flour. Developing bakery products without gluten calls for textural ingenuity. Two components of gluten, glutenin and gliadin, provide unique functionality. “Glutenin, with a higher molecular weight, contributes elasticity, while gliadin, the lower-molecular-weight component, contributes extensibility, both of which are required for bread-making," explains Brook Carson, technical products and market development manager, ADM Milling, Overland Park, KS.
The gluten matrix determines the rheological characteristics of the dough. Elasticity, extensibility, gas retention and mix tolerance are dependent on this matrix.
“Depending on the application, the amount of gluten and ratios of glutenin and gliadin will affect the volume and the crumb of the baked product by controlling the ability of the dough to stretch and trap air," says Karen Silagyi, food scientist, TIC Gums, Belcamp, MD. “Without gluten, bakery products can fall flat because they do not stretch, trap air or hold themselves up."
The functionality of gluten is important to volume development bread. But it is also “essential in products that do not have as much volume, like crackers, pizzas or tortillas," says Carson. “In these products, the gluten imparts texture and specific product characteristics."
While still contributing to functionality, notes Carson, “gluten is less critical in cake and cookie applications. These products are not as reliant on the gluten matrix or a developed dough."
Many breakfast cereals rely on gluten functionality because it provides structure and helps reduce breakage. “The same concept is used in snack applications," says Carson. “The gluten proteins can provide the strength needed to make the product less fragile for processing, handling and shipping. The protein level in a flour, or the amount of gluten added to a product, can be adjusted based on the desired finished-product characteristics."
Breaded products are also problematic. Jennifer Williams, senior applications scientist, Penford Food Ingredients, Englewood, CO, points out that traditional coating systems use bread crumbs that are made using gluten-containing bread. “The batters used are usually based on wheat flour, and wheat flour is also used as pre-dust in many products," she says. “In the coating system, the gluten is providing some crispiness to the product, and it also provides viscosity in the batter system."
Hydrocolloid helpers
It would be nice if there was a simple drop-in replacement for wheat flour. “Truth is, there isn’t," says Patrick O’Brien, marketing analyst, National Starch Food Innovation, part of Corn Products International, Bridgewater, NJ. “There’s also a misconception that you can’t replace some key functionalities when you go gluten-free. The reality is that there are very good alternatives in the form of specialty flours or starches." These can provide a gluten-free product that has the flavor and texture of one that contains gluten.
Every type of product will have a different approach. “You have to formulate them to meet the product taste and texture standards of each type of bakery product," says Michael Beavan, project manager, bakery ingredients division, Watson Inc., West Haven, CT. “For example, breads and rolls require a gum emulsifier system to minimize gas loss, but the choice of protein (e.g., egg whites or soy protein) and starches (e.g., rice or potato) is critical for stability out of the oven and for a soft, but slightly chewy, crumb texture."
