Once upon a time, bread was simply made from flour, water, yeast, and salt. Nowadays, understanding the list of ingredients in ultraprocessed bread might require a chemistry degree. Take a look inside a typical gluten-free hamburger bun, often considered a healthier choice.
Ingredients: Water, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, canola oil, resistant corn starch, egg whites, invert cane sugar, tapioca maltodextrin, potato flour, cane sugar, tapioca syrup, yeast, sugarcane fiber, salt, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, guar gum, cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, enzymes.
• Tapioca starch is made by grinding the tuberous root of the cassava tree into a slurry, extracting starch from the cells by spinning it in a centrifuge, then dehydrating and drying it. In gluten-free baked goods, tapioca starch is used as a thickener and binder in lieu of wheat flour.
• Resistant corn starch is extracted from corn either by heating it at high temperatures or using enzymes to break it down. The starch is used to boost the nutritional content of baked goods, but it gets its name from its resistance to digestion in the small intestine.
• Tapioca maltodextrin is a stabilizer and bulking agent created through the partial hydrolysis of tapioca starch.
• Tapioca syrup is a concentrated mix of glucose, maltose, and other carbohydrates found in cassava starch. Its production process involves using enzymes or hydrolysis, flash cooling, and vacuum-filter cleaning. Odors are removed via an ion exchanger.
• Sugarcane fiber (a.k.a. bagasse) is a waste residue created when sugar is extracted from sugarcane. Bagasse is used in the paper industry to make paper and paper products, as well as to make compostable tableware.
• Xanthan gum is made by mixing sugars with bacteria in a fermentation tank; the gum is the material left behind as the bacteria eat the sugars. Among its many uses, xanthan gum is an emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener in ultraprocessed foods.
• Sodium alginate comes from brown algae. Production involves putting the algae through ion exchange, soaking it in acidic water, mixing the solution with caustic agents, then clarifying and filtering what remains. It’s used as a bulking agent, emulsifier, gelling agent, stabilizer, and humectant, which helps products retain moisture.
• Guar gum is extracted from guar or cluster beans via roasting, milling, and grinding. It’s used as an emulsifier and thickener, and it also enhances the shelf life of beverages. Guar gum is used to make explosives, too.
• Citric acid is primarily made by fermenting sugar with strains of fungus. In ultraprocessed foods, it’s used as an acidity regulator, antioxidant, and color-retention agent.
This Post Has 0 Comments