Bialecki 1

Food Technology Report Bread Making

Robert Bialecki FN-222, Food Technology Professor Barnhart June 13, 2011

Bialecki 2 Bread has been a dietary staple in the lives of humans for thousands of years. However, the technology used to make bread has changed quite a bit throughout the millennia. According to McNulty (n.d.), ancient people dating back to 5000 B.C. grew and ate wheat and barley. Humans later created porridge and flatbreads by mixing the grains with water and cooking it on fire-heated stones. It was the Romans who developed the first grinding methods by using two stones to rub the grains (McNulty, n.d., p. 1-2). Later, (McNulty, n.d., p. 2) mentions the manual grinding process was replaced by a mechanical one in which one stone revolved on a lower, perpendicular and stationary stone. In the beginning, the wheel stones were driven by cattle or slaves. Later, water mills or windmills provided the power . . . In the late 18th century, a Swiss miller invented a steel roller mechanism that simplified the grinding process and led to the mass production of white flour (p. 2). Now that we have a little bit of background information on the history of bread making, the remainder of this report will focus on bread and modern technology used to make it in factories. Bread today is made much differently than it was in ancient times. Bergenfield Bread Chemistry (2009) described the process of how bread is made in a factory. First, a bulk container (see Figure 1) holds dry ingredients, which are blended beforehand (p. 1). The ingredients are placed into a mixer (see Figure 2), and are then mixed with water, flour, and air into an elastic dough (p. 2). Next, the dough goes through a divider (see Figure 3), which portions the dough into individual pieces (p. 3) Then, rounder bars (see Figure 4) add a little bit of flour to the dough pieces and makes them into a uniform shape. The dough is then left to settle in an intermediate proof machine (see Figure 5) (p. 4). Afterwards, the dough pieces go through the sheeting phase, where they are flattened into a uniform thickness by sets of rolls (see Figure 6). The dough is put into pans and given time to ferment and rise (p. 6). Next, the dough

Bialecki 3 is baked into bread and then placed in a cooling chamber for about an hour. Lastly, the bread is sliced by a slicer and then packaged and delivered to stores (p. 8).

Figure 1: Bulk Container

Figure 2: Mixer (Bergenfield Bread Company, 2009, p. 3)

(Bergenfield Bread Company, 2009, p. 2)

Figure 3: Divider

Figure 4: Rounder Bars (Bergenfield Bread Company, 2009, p. 5)

(Bergenfield Bread Company, 2009, p. 4)

Figure 5: Intermediate Proofer

Figure 6: Sheeting Process (Bergenfield Bread Company, 2009, p. 6)

(Bergenfield Bread Company, 2009, p. 5)

Bialecki 4 The technology described in the bread making process can be used in the making of other foods as well. For instance, bulk containers can be used to store all kinds of dry ingredients for various foods. A mixer can be used to make batters for doughnuts, brownies, and other baked goods. Dividers, rounder bars, and sheeters can be used to make other foods that start as dough, such as pizza crusts. Although it wasnt used in this description, a fermentor can also be used in the bread making process. An author of a food technology textbook (Murano, 2003, p. G-20) defines a fermentor as a large container in which bacteria can be grown anaerobically in a fermentation reaction, allowing production of large quantities of certain chemicals by the organisms under controlled conditions (p. G-20). In the case of bread making, a fermentor would be used to help the yeast in the dough rise. The process of fermentation also takes place in the making of products such as beer, wine, and yogurt. Using technology to make bread in factories has benefits. The technology at factories allows bread to be mass produced so that it quickly reaches grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, and general consumers. The technology also creates many jobs, not only for the factory employees but for the people who make and deliver the technology. Is bread a nutritious food? Yes. According to the Wheat Foods Council (n.d.), bread in general is a nutritious food, but the whole wheat variety contains the most nutrients. A typical slice of whole wheat bread contains fiber (mostly insoluble, which helps prevent colon cancer), iron, folic acid, vitamin E, copper, and vitamin B6. A key to finding whole wheat bread is to look for whole wheat flour or other whole grain ingredients as the first items listed in the nutrition label (Wheat Foods Council, n.d., p. 1). Just like other processed foods, there are additives in factory-made breads as well. According to Leong (n.d.), common bread additives include calcium propionate (preservative),

Bialecki 5 mono- and diglycerides (emulsifiers), potassium bromate (a dough conditioner and strengthener), dextrose (type of sugar), partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), and sodium stearoyl lactate (for texture) (Leong, n.d., p. 1-2). Other additives including raisins, nuts, seeds, and spices are often added for flavor or texture. Bread made in U.S. factories must adhere to the nutritional labeling guidelines as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, one issue of current debate is the use of genetically modified ingredients in foods. According to the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Compass website (2006), while flour used to make bread in the U.S. is not genetically modified, some additives such as soybean and maize products, ascorbic acid, and cysteine are sometimes genetically modified (GMO Compass, 2006, p. 1). I am unsure of which side to take on this issue. Some want their foods to be as natural as possible. Others feel that if the genetically modified ingredients can reduce the cost and increase the shelf life of products, then its okay to include them. I think more research on the long-term effects of consuming genetically modified ingredients needs to be done before I can make an informed decision. The process of bread making has come a long way from stones to factory equipment. But whats in store for the future of bread making? Perhaps new additives that extend shelf life even further and enhance the nutritional value will be discovered. Perhaps new technology that makes the process even quicker will be developed. Only time will tell.

Bialecki 6 References Bergenfield Bread Company (2009). Chemistry of Baking Bread. 1-8. Retrieved from: http://lab.scorpiious.net/breadchem/homevsfactory.html GMO Compass (2006). Bread and Baked Goods. 1. Retrieved from: http://www.gmocompass.org/features/printversion.php?id=28 Leong, Kristie (n.d.). How to Understand Common Bread Additives. eHow. 1-2. Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.com/print/how_4468674_understand-common-breadadditives.html McNulty, Mary F. (n.d.). Bread. How Products Are Made. 2, 1-2. Retrieved from: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Bread.html Murano, Peter S. (2003). Understanding food science and technology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Wheat Foods Council (n.d.). Nutritional value. 1. Retrieved from: http://www.wheatfoods.org/AboutWheat-bread-nutrition/Index.htm