Food Marketing & Technology - India July 2019 | Page 34

Processing
G
luten is controversial these
days. Most studies claim that
gluten does not cause any
harm except for the patients with
Celiac disease. On the other hand,
many health experts believe that
gluten is harmful to people and it may
cause health problems like fatigue or
abdominal pain, caused by sensitivity
to gluten or by gluten intolerance.
Gluten is a family of proteins (glutenin
and glaiden) found most commonly
in wheat grains, rye, spelt and barley.
After absorbing water, these proteins
tend to bind with each other and form
an elastic network known as gluten. As
the dough is kneaded, these networks
become stronger and elastic.
Importance of Gluten in Bakery
Gluten plays a very crucial role in
baking as it gives texture and elasticity
to the baked products. The gluten
protein is activated in the wheat flour
upon addition of water. The gluten has
the ability to stretch, which makes the
dough rise and traps the air bubbles
in order to form holes. Gluten plays
a very important role in the bread
making processes as compared to
cakes and cookies where the aeration
of batter can also be done with other
methods. But replacing gluten in
the bread making process to achieve
the same result, has yet been largely
unsuccessful.
Need for Eliminating Gluten
Gluten is included in the top eight
allergic foods in the US and many
other countries, as many people are
suffering from gluten intolerance.
Gluten allergy can be uncomfortable
for some but extremely fatal for
others.
Many
people
suffering
from Celiac disease, which is an
autoimmune disorder, can lead
to damage in the small intestine.
This disease affects 1 in 100 people
worldwide. Therefore, gluten-free
is a lifeline for patients with the
GLUTEN-FREE
BAKING
BY: SRISHTI SHARMA *
Celiac disease and for those who
are gluten intolerant. Because of all
these reasons, the gluten-free diet has
become a necessity even in the bakery
sector.
But adapting gluten-free flours
in baking is not an easy task. The
entire product line of baking, as
per the history of baking, depends
on traditional refined wheat flour,
also known as ‘maida’. Shifting to
any other flour requires extensive
changes in formulation, the baking
time and temperatures, etc. This
also affects the shelf life of baked
Food Marketing & Technology
34
July 2019
products.
Above
all,
knowing
the different types of flours that
qualify for gluten-free is very
important.
Grains that are considered completely
gluten-free are: corn; rice; amaranth;
quinoa; barley; pearl millet; other kinds
of millet; chickpeas; teff; sorghum; and
buckwheat. Gluten-free also generally
contains: flours of soy; kidney beans;
and other such products. In sweet
goods, use of almond flour or almond
meal is also very common and it is
considered as the best replacement for
gluten-free.