FOOD COMPOSITION FOR THE PREPARATION OF A NATURALLY LEAVENED BAKERY PRODUCT FREE OF GLUTEN

Abstract

A food composition for the preparation of a naturally leavened bakery product free of gluten or components thereof containing a starchy ingredient free of gluten or components thereof, a legume flour and partially hydrolysed guar gum having a molecular weight of between 500,000 Da and 1,000,000 Da is disclosed. The composition is free of cellulose derivatives; the legume flour may be chickpea flour, bean flour, faba bean flour, pea flour, lentil flour, preferably chickpea flour; the starchy ingredient free of gluten may be corn starch, rice flour, potato starch, pea starch, cassava starch, sorghum starch and mixtures thereof.

Claims

1. A food composition for the preparation of a naturally leavened bakery product free of gluten or components thereof, comprising a starchy ingredient free of gluten or components thereof, a legume flour and partially hydrolysed guar gum having a molecular weight of between 500,000 Da and 1,000,000 Da, said composition being free of cellulose derivatives.

2. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein said legume flour is selected from the group consisting of chickpea flour, bean flour, faba bean flour, pea flour, and lentil flour.

3. The food composition according to claim 2, wherein said legume flour is chickpea flour.

4. The food composition according to claim 3, comprising at least 4%, by weight of chickpea flour.

5. The food composition according to claim 1, comprising at least 1% by weight of said partially hydrolysed guar gum.

6. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein said starchy ingredient free of gluten or components thereof is selected from the group consisting of corn starch, rice flour, potato starch, pea starch, cassava starch, sorghum starch and mixtures thereof.

7. The food composition according to claim 6, further comprising rice sourdough.

8. The food composition according claim 1, comprising two starchy ingredients free of gluten or components thereof, said two ingredients optionally consisting of corn starch and rice flour.

9. The food composition according to claim 8, further comprising resistant corn starch.

10. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein said composition comprises, in percentage by weight of the total weight of the composition, 45% to 55% of corn starch, 25% to 35% of rice flour, 6% to 8% of chickpea flour, 3% to 5% of resistant corn starch, 2% to 4% of sugar, 1% to 3% of rice sourdough, 1.5% to 3% of said partially hydrolysed guar gum.

11. The food composition according to claim 1, wherein said composition is in the form of a dry powder.

12. A dough for the preparation of gluten-free bakery products, comprising a food composition according to claim 1.

13. A gluten-free bakery product comprising a food composition according to claim 1.

14. The food composition according to claim 4, comprising 5-8%, by weight of chickpea flour.

15. The food composition according to claim 5, comprising 1.5-5%, by weight of said partially hydrolysed guar gum.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0052] FIG. 1 is a photograph showing, on the left, a gluten-free bread, prepared from a food composition according to the present invention and, on the right, a gluten-free bread prepared from an identical food composition in which however the partially hydrolysed guar gum as defined in the present invention is replaced by an identical amount of conventional non-hydrolysed guar gum.

[0053] FIGS. 2A and 2B are respective photographs of the breads of FIG. 1 (on the left, the bread according to the present invention and, on the right, the bread containing the conventional non-hydrolysed guar gum instead of the partially hydrolysed guar gum according to the present invention), in which the height of these products following natural leavening and baking is shown.

[0054] FIG. 3 is a photograph taken from above, showing, on the left, a gluten-free bread prepared with a food composition according to the present invention and, on the right, a gluten-free bread prepared with an identical food composition except for the fact that it does not contain chickpea flour, which has been replaced by an identical amount of corn starch.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows front-on photographs of the breads according to FIG. 3 (on the left, the bread according to the invention and, on the right, the bread containing corn starch instead of chickpea flour).

[0056] FIG. 5 is a photograph showing, on the left, an aqueous solution of partially hydrolysed guar gum according to the present invention and, on the right, an aqueous solution of conventional non-hydrolysed guar gum, both in a concentration of 2%.

[0057] FIG. 6 is a photograph showing, on the left, an aqueous solution of partially hydrolysed guar gum according to the present invention and, on the right, an aqueous solution of conventional non-hydrolysed guar gum, both in a concentration of 5%.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0058] The present invention relates to a food composition for the preparation of a naturally leavened bakery product free of gluten or components thereof, comprising at least a starchy ingredient free of gluten or components thereof, a legume flour and partially hydrolysed guar gum having a molecular weight of between 500,000 Da and 1,000,000 Da, said composition being free of cellulose derivatives.

[0059] In particular, the food composition according to the present invention is in the form of a powder mixture with a prolonged stability; for the preparation of the desired bakery product, it is required to mix the aforementioned composition with liquid ingredients, for example water and/or oil, and natural yeasts.

[0060] The expression “bakery product”, as used here, is understood as meaning a food product based on cereal flours and obtained by means of baking in an oven: for example, bread, biscuits, crackers, focaccia, pizza, cakes, savoury cakes, hot-dog rolls and pizza bases.

[0061] The expression “natural leavening”, as used here, is understood as meaning leavening of a bakery product due to the presence of yeasts, preferably Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and/or different species of heterofermentative and/or homofermentative lactic bacteria of the Lactobacillus genus.

[0062] The expression “gluten” or “glutens and components thereof”, as used here, is understood as meaning gluten, glutenin, gliadin and other prolamins.

[0063] The expression “partially hydrolysed guar gum”, as used here, is understood as meaning a guar gum obtained by means of depolymerization of conventional guar gum (having a molecular weight of between 2 million Da and 3 million Da); the partially hydrolysed guar gum according to the present invention is characterized by a molecular weight of between 500,000 Da and 1,000,000 Da.

[0064] The expression “chickpea flour”, as used here, is understood as meaning the flour obtained from the milling (for example using cylinders or hammers) of dried chickpeas (in which at the most 20% of the particles have a particle size greater than 250 μm and at the most 50% of the particles have a particle size greater than 125 μm).

[0065] In addition to the aforementioned partially hydrolysed guar gum and chickpea flour, the food composition according to the present invention preferably comprises corn starch, resistant corn starch and rice flour which are naturally gluten-free; also preferably present are rice sourdough, in order to improve the taste of the finished product, sugar and salt.

[0066] The expression “corn starch”, as used here, is understood as meaning native starch derived from the physical extraction using a wet method.

[0067] The following Tables 1A and 1B show how starches derived from different natural sources (corn, waxy corn, wheat, rice, pea, potato, and tapioca) have variable compositions, in particular with regard to the percentage ratios of amylose and amylopectin, the particle size and the gelatinization temperature.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1A Chemical/physical characteristics of starch derived from: corn, waxy corn, wheat, rice, potato, and tapioca. Waxy Po- Tapi- Properties Corn corn Wheat Rice tato oca DSC onset 57 60 55 64 60 63 temperature (° C.) DSC peak 70 62 63 68 66 71 (° C.) DSC 84 84 73 74 76 81 enthalpy Starch gel Medium Medium- Medium- Medium- Very High viscosity high low high high (**) Consistency Short Long Short / Long Long (elongation at break) starch gel (*) Retro- High Very High Very Very Low gradation low low low speed (*) The “consistency” was assessed on gelatinized starch gel obtained after baking of a 10% aqueous solution. The gel obtained was collected and subjected to an upward tensile force so as to cause elongation thereof in the direction of the said force. (**) The gelatinization temperature and viscosity of the starch gel (i.e. a 10% aqueous solution of starch) were detected by means of a MICRO VISCO-AMILOGRAPH ® made by the company Brabender GmbH & Co KG (distributed in Italy by Belotti Strumenti S.r.l.).

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 1B Physical/chemical characteristics of starch derived from: wheat, waxy corn, corn, potato, tapioca and pea. Waxy Po- Tapi- Properties Wheat corn Corn tato oca Pea Gelatinization 85 72 75 65 72 80 temperature (° C.) (**) Maximum 400 2000 1100 3200 1900 900 viscosity (Brabender units) (**) Amylose (%) 25 1 24 20 16.7 34 Amylopectin 75 99 76 80 83.3 66 (%) Retrogradation High Low High High Medium High Granule size 2-38 5-25 5-25 15-100 5-35 5-10 (μm) Appearance Opaque Tras- Opaque Tras- Tras- Opaque parent parent parent Consistency Short Very Short Long Long Short (elongation at long break) of starch gel (*) Taste Cereals Cereals Cereals Neutral Neutral Neutral

[0068] Advantageously, the Applicants have found that mixing corn starch and corn flour improves the workability of the dough and the structure of the end product, with particular reference to the formation, uniformity of alveolation and softness.

[0069] The expression “resistant corn starch”, as used here, is understood as meaning type 2 (RS2) resistant starch derived from specific corn varieties with a high resistant starch content.

[0070] The expression “rice sourdough”, as used here, is understood as meaning a powder obtained from the dehydration of a dough of rice flour and water, subjected to natural leavening with a starter based on lactic bacteria and yeasts. The food composition according to the invention is devoid of cellulose derivatives and the function of thickening agent performed by the cellulose derivatives in the products of the prior art is performed here by the partially hydrolysed guar gum, as defined above, in combination with the raw chickpea flour.

[0071] The partially hydrolysed guar gum according to the present invention, in particular, retains the water in the dough, making it more viscous.

[0072] On the other hand, conventional, non-hydrolysed, guar gum thickens the dough making it more difficult to work, with limited leavening and resulting in a non-uniform internal structure in the oven-baked product.

[0073] The present invention will be further described with reference to some examples of embodiment provided hereinbelow way of a non-limiting example.

EXAMPLE 1

Example of Composition According to the Invention

[0074] An example of a food composition for the preparation of a naturally leavened, gluten-free, bakery product according to the present invention is composed of the following ingredients:

TABLE-US-00003 Ingredient Percentage (%) Corn starch 50 Rice flour 30 Raw chickpea flour 6.9 Resistant corn starch 4 (commercial product HI- MAIZE ® made by the company Ingredion) Caster sugar 3 Rice sourdough (commercial 2.1 product “Rise 25” made by the company Bocker) Partially hydrolysed guar gum 2 (commercial product “Edicol 25” made by the company Lucid Colloids Ltd Salt 2 Total 100

[0075] The percentages shown above are to be understood as being by weight in relation to the total weight of the ingredients.

[0076] The chickpea (Cicer arientinum) flour used had the composition shown in Table 2 below:

TABLE-US-00004 Chemical composition Value per 100 g Edible part (%) 100 Water 10.3 g Proteins 20.9 g Lipids 6.3 g Cholesterol (mg) 0 mg Available carbohydrates 46.9 g Starch 39.3 g Soluble sugars 3.7 g Total fibre 13.6 g Soluble fibre 1.13 g Insoluble fibre 12.45 g

EXAMPLE 2

Method for Making a Bakery Product from the Composition of the Present Invention

[0077] Depending on the type of gluten-free bakery product to be obtained, the following quantities of the composition according to the invention in the form of powder, water, oil and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were prepared:

TABLE-US-00005 Composition according to Dehydrated Product Example 1 (g) Water (g) Oil (g) yeast (g) Bread 350 250-280 15 7 Manually 350 200 15 7 kneaded bread/rolls Pizza 350 200 30 7 Focaccia 350 200 30 7

[0078] The aforementioned quantities of the composition according to invention, water, oil and yeast were mixed in a planetary mixer provided with spiral beaters operated at a speed of 80 rpm, for 15 minutes, until a homogeneous mix was obtained.

[0079] Preferably, the oil is extra virgin olive oil; alternatively, to obtain a lighter taste, it is possible to use sunflower oil, corn oil or soya oil.

Example 2.1 Bread

[0080] The aforementioned uniform dough was shaped into a loaf with a weight of 620-650 grammes.

[0081] The shaped dough was left to rise for 1 hour at 35° C. in an oven (directly inside the baking tray) or at room temperature covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

[0082] Baking of the leavened mix was performed in an oven for 30 minutes at 200° C.

[0083] The baked loaf prepared according to the present invention was well-leavened, had a golden colour and a uniform alveolation with soft and moist crumbs.

Example 2.2 Focaccia

[0084] The aforementioned homogeneous dough was spread out in a tray with a diameter of 27 cm, previously uniformly lined with oil. 2 spoonfuls of oil and large-grained salt were added onto the surface of the spread dough.

[0085] Then the dough was left to rise for 30 minutes at 30° C.

[0086] Baking of the leavened dough was performed in an oven for 20 minutes at 180° C.

[0087] The baked focaccia prepared according to the present invention had a golden colour, with an open structure, soft interior and golden outer crust.

Example 2.3 Pizza

[0088] The aforementioned uniform dough was spread inside a baking tray (diameter 18 cm) previously uniformly lined with oil, and a dressing of chopped tomatoes (200 g) and optionally mozzarella (125 grammes) and oregano were added onto the surface of the dough.

[0089] Leavening was performed for 50 minutes at 35° C. in an oven at a controlled temperature.

[0090] Baking of the leavened dough was performed in an oven for 25 minutes at 200° C.

[0091] The cooked pizza prepared according to the present invention is similar to gluten containing pizzas, both in appearance and in consistency of the soft base with crunchy edges.

EXAMPLE 3

Comparative Tests—Guar Gum

[0092] A test was carried out in order to compare the characteristics of the internal structure (crumbs) and outer structure (crust) of a loaf of bread obtained according to Example 2.1 of the invention with those of a gluten-free loaf prepared from a food composition identical to that of Example 1, in which however the partially hydrolysed guar gum, as defined in the present invention, was replaced with a similar quantity of conventional guar gum and subjected to the same procedure described in Example 2.1.

[0093] As can be seen in FIG. 1 (on the left), the bread prepared from a food composition according to the present invention has a uniform, compact and elastic internal structure, with uniformly sized alveoli, and has a uniform thickness of the crust.

[0094] On the other hand, the bread prepared from the aforementioned composition comprising conventional guar gum (FIG. 1, on the right) has an internal structure with non-uniform alveolation, areas not well-formed and a crust with a non-uniform thickness.

[0095] Furthermore, FIG. 2 (on the left) shows how the loaf obtained according to the present invention has a well-formed, correctly leavened volume and has a uniformly baked outer crust.

[0096] Instead, the loaf obtained from a composition comprising conventional guar gum (FIG. 2, on the right) has a volume which is less than that of the loaf according to the present invention and the crust is also thin, fragile and cracked.

[0097] The results of the comparative test clearly show that the loaf obtained form the composition according to the present invention has a quality which is substantially superior to a loaf obtained from a composition comprising conventional guar gum.

[0098] This result is due to the different behaviour of the partially hydrolysed guar gum according to the present invention compared to the conventional guar gum in an aqueous solution.

[0099] In fact, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 (on the left), in an aqueous solution with a concentration of 2.5% and 5% respectively, the aforementioned partially hydrolysed guar gum dissolves uniformly, without the formation of lumps, and also maintains a fluid consistency.

[0100] Instead, conventional guar gum, which has a molecular weight of between 2 million and 3 million Daltons (FIGS. 5 and 6, on the right), creates lumps and a lack of uniformity due to its capacity to thicken the aqueous solution; consequently, when kneaded with water and the other ingredients mentioned in Example 2 to form a gluten-free loaf, a dough which is difficult to work—and in particular difficult to leaven—is formed.

EXAMPLE 4

Comparative Test—Chickpea Flour

[0101] A test was carried out in order to compare the characteristics of the internal structure (crumbs) and outer structure (crust) of a gluten-free loaf of bread prepared from a food composition according to Example 1 with those of a gluten-free loaf prepared from a food composition identical to that of Example 1, except for the fact that it does not contain chickpea flour, which was instead replaced with an identical quantity of corn starch.

[0102] The method for preparing both the aforementioned types of bread was that described in Example 2.1.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 3 (on the left), the bread obtained from the food composition according to the present invention has a uniformly baked and relatively compact outer crust.

[0104] Instead, the gluten-free bread prepared from the aforementioned composition without chickpea flour (FIG. 3, on the right) has a dry, non-uniform, outer crust which tends to crumble and break off, with multiple scoring and cracking on the surface.

[0105] FIG. 4 shows a comparison of the internal structure of the two loaves of bread: the internal structure of the bread obtained from the composition of the present invention (on the left) is uniform, homogeneous, with constant-size alveoli, while the internal structure of the gluten-free bread prepared from the composition without chickpea flour (on the right) has an internal structure which is not well-formed and compact and moist, with very small size alveoli.

[0106] The results of this comparative test show how the presence of chickpea flour in the composition according to the present invention is fundamental for obtaining a high-quality end product.