Enzyme Blend for Cake Moistness and Cohesiveness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cakes experience staling during storage, leading to loss of softness, moistness, cohesiveness, and resilience, with existing solutions either failing to maintain texture properties or resulting in undesirable texture changes such as chewiness or hardness.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a combination of raw starch degrading alpha-amylases, phospholipases, and anti-staling amylases into cake batter ingredients, which are specifically selected for their ability to improve moistness without compromising cohesiveness or shape, and are tolerant to high sucrose concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If amylases are added to hydrolyse starch and reduce amylopectin retrogradation, then softness is improved, but volume and shape deteriorate due to excessive hydrolysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of enzyme specificity by selecting amylases with controlled hydrolysis activity that prevent excessive starch breakdown, thereby maintaining cake structure while improving softness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite enzyme systems combining amylases with other ingredients to achieve balanced effects on both softness and structural integrity during storage
2Duration of action of stationary object
If increased amounts of enzymes are added to increase freshness, then softness is improved, but texture properties deteriorate with increased chewiness or hardness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes enzyme concentration parameters to achieve maximum freshness extension without exceeding the threshold that causes adverse texture changes like increased chewiness or hardness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces aggressive amylase treatment with a milder enzymatic approach combined with other ingredients to achieve freshness extension without compromising texture
3Strength
If traditional emulsifiers, fats, sugars, gums and hydrocolloids are used to retard staling, then softness is improved, but the solution is limited in maintaining multiple texture properties simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite ingredient systems that combine multiple functional components working synergistically to maintain softness, cohesiveness, and resilience simultaneously during storage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent develops ingredient combinations that perform multiple functions: preventing starch retrogradation, maintaining moisture, and preserving structural integrity all at once
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The combination significantly enhances the moistness of cakes while maintaining or improving cohesiveness and resilience, as evaluated by both texture analysis and sensory panels, with improved scores on a scale of 1 to 9 compared to reference cakes.
Implementation Method 1
one or more raw starch degrading alpha-amylases
Implementation Method 2
raw starch degrading alpha-amylases
Implementation Method 3
one or more phospholipases
Implementation Method 4
phospholipases
Implementation Method 5
amylopectin retrogradation are identified as the main causes of cake firming
Implementation Method 6
anti-staling amylases
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides in methods for preparing a cake batter or a cake product prepared from the batter, comprising adding in any order one or more raw starch degrading alpha-amylases and one or more phospholipases to cake batter ingredients, and preparing the cake batter. Also, cake batters or cake products comprising one or more raw starch degrading alpha-amylases and one or more phospholipases are provided herein.