May 17, 2022

By Yunfeng Xu

Application and importance of wheat gluten (gluten powder) in bread making

The gluten-forming protein is the key ingredient that enables us to make bread from wheat flour. In typical durum wheat flour, the amount and quality of gluten is sufficient to form a firm dough that retains gas during fermentation and baking, resulting in making of high-quality bread. Therefore, extra gluten is usually not required to make white bread or buns. However, when making whole-wheat bread, especially for 100% whole-wheat flour or other multi-grain breads, it becomes essential to add extra wheat gluten to make the dough firm enough to support the extra fiber and other particulate components in dough. In North America, the amount of this extra gluten may be between 5% and 12% of the total flour weight. The exact amount of gluten added depends on multiple factors, such as the quality of flour, the type of recipe, the type of dough conditioner used, the density of final bread, and the processing conditions of dough.

Why are bakeries replacing or reducing the use of wheat gluten?

Wheat gluten is wheat gluten protein stripped from wheat flour. As such stripped gluten protein retains its ability to form a gluten structure during dough mixing, it is called the "active" wheat gluten or simply the gluten. Gluten is relatively expensive, and due to its high consumption in making whole-wheat bread, it becomes a high-cost ingredient in those gluten-required recipes. If the consumption of gluten can be reduced, cost can generally be saved significantly by bakers. Hence, the purpose of replacing/reducing gluten is to achieve cost savings for recipe without compromising the bake quality of the dough and the quality of the final bread.

Gluten replacement/reduction solutions and their applications

Angel has developed different types of products for different requirements of the customers. Some solutions are based on enzymes, and others are based on the combination technology of enzymes, emulsifiers and other effective ingredients. Our these products can reduce gluten level of 20-50% in high whole wheat flour and whole grain bread formulations without compromising bread quality loss.

Please contact us to learn more about these gluten reduction solution and products.

About Yeast & Baking

Angel Yeast has absorbed the essence of the global baking industry to build a baking service platform and to provide more comprehensive solutions for the baking industry.

About Angel

Angel Yeast Company is a high-tech listed company specializing in yeast and biotech. Product business covers Yeast and Baking, Yeast Extract-Savoury, Nutrition & Health and Biotechnology fields. It is one of the world's leading companies in the yeast industry. Angel has 12 holding subsidiaries and provides products and services for more than 150 countries and regions.

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Email: aie@angelyeast.com