Probiotics may find use in baking thanks to spore-forming types.
Sophia Leung sees the potential of probiotics in baked foods within her own household.
“It’s a lot more appealing to have probiotics in something like a muffin than probiotic supplements, or as my husband calls them, ‘those awful, horse-sized pills,’” she said March 3 during her presentation at the American Society of Baking’s BakingTech in Chicago. “Baked foods also can add a lot of variety to the traditional dietary supplements and also the typical yogurt product.”
Ms. Leung, manager of the food science lab at Enzyme Innovation, a branch of Specialty Enzymes and Probiotics, provided information on how the best probiotics for baked goods are spore-forming ones due to their high processing heat survival rates.
A projection from San Francisco-based Grand View Research indicates that there is growing consumer interest in probiotics. The worldwide probiotics industry is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% between 2021 and 2030, reaching a valuation of $112.21 billion. According to Ms. Leung, probiotics regulate gut flora, prevent pathogen colonization, and are crucial for digestive enzymes. According to research, probiotics can help with digestion as well as mood, stress relief, and sleep quality, she added.
“Live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host” is how the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations describe probiotics. Probiotics need to stay stable during processing, demonstrate their therapeutic effects on the host, and survive to reach the site of action.
Probiotic strains from the genus Lactobacillus and the genus Bifidobacterium are frequently utilized in food applications, but according to Ms. Leung, they do not perform as well in baked goods because they do not form spores and so do not do well in high heat environments.Even after baking and before putting the baked items in the refrigerator, these probiotics have the ability to produce lactic acid and may potentially alter flavor of the goods while it’s being stored, perhaps even a taste similar to vinegar,” she remarked.
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Spore-forming probiotic strains belong to the Bacillus genus. Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus clausii, and Bacillus coagulans are common species. According to Ms. Leung, spore-forming probiotics do not need to be refrigerated and may function in a broad pH and temperature range. They have a high survival rate and are heat- and shelf-stable. Throughout the baking process, they hibernate or remain dormant.
“When (the spores) reach favorable conditions like our gut, they convert back to vegetative cells, and they are activated,” she said. Therefore, they provide us with health benefits.
Advanced Enzyme Technologies Ltd. conducted a lab analysis in India to determine the effectiveness of Bacillus coagulans LBSC in post-meal preparation. Over 60% of the potency was found in muffins, close to 90% in cookies, and almost 100% in instant noodles. In their study, Enzyme Innovation baked tortillas for 1.5 minutes at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. The Bacillus coagulans LBSC has a 50% survival rate. The quantity of probiotics applied to applications will depend on the survival rate.
“You want to make sure that you’re going to have that targeted amount after you process it at the end of the shelf life,” Ms. Leung stated.Before choosing probiotic strains, baked goods firms should identify what health claims to target and what the process/storage conditions will be. Businesses could encouragethe product’s probiotic content, or it can make a health claim about how many probiotics it contains.
“If you want that health claim, you really want clinical research to back it up,” Ms. Leung said.It is advised by Enzyme Innovation to incorporate the probiotics when mixing.
Ms. Leung stated, “You get a much more even distribution.” “You may also mix it with your dusting flour during the shaping phase if it’s for bread. That presents a hurdle in that it can be more difficult to apply uniformly.Probiotics can also be added after baking, for example, to frosting, filling, or spray.You will be able to avoid the intense heat in this situation, according to Ms. Leung. “You may need to take fewer probiotics.”Spray may incur additional expenditures, and probiotics are more difficult to apply properly after baking, she continued.