An acidulant in the food industry can have several functions, such as flavoring, pH regulators, buffers, fermentation agents, among others.
In the bakery products industry, fumaric acid has been used to reduce the pH, helping to increase the activity of preservatives, such as calcium propionate.
In appropriate dosages it has a good pH-lowering effect and has no aftertaste.
Effect of pH on bread conservation:
Calcium propionate is a salt and when in contact with water propionic acid is formed, which in turn can be in the dissociated or non-dissociated fraction, depending on the pH of the medium.
The non-dissociated acid fraction is able to cross the fungal membrane and thus inhibit its metabolism. Therefore, for the conservation of breads, the objective must be to increase the non-dissociated fraction of propionic acid and this occurs with the reduction of pH, as shown in the following graph:
At pH 6,0 less than 6% of propionic acid is in undissociated form. Already at pH 5,0, 37% are in the non-dissociated fraction, that is, active and capable of inhibiting the growth of fungi in bread.
Why encapsulate fumaric acid?
Fumaric acid in the free form has a negative effect on the yeast, being detrimental to the fermentation and volume of the final product.
Encapsystem FA has a lipid coating, which is released during the cooking stage, acting to reduce the pH.
Pman has a portfolio for the most varied applications.
When to protect from acidity and when to acidify the dough?
All products using biological yeast benefit from protection (FA 50 and FA 75). FA 50 does not interfere with fermentation, dough texture or kneading time. FA 75 allows for a slight souring of the dough. This may be desirable depending on your flour, water and process characteristics.
| Products | FA 50 | FA 75 | FA 85 | FA 95 |
| Applications / flour based dosage | Minimal interference with dough pH, exclusive post-oven action | Offers double action, moderate acidification in the dough and more intense post-oven | Indicated for products that benefit from acidification in the dough and post-oven stage | Indicated for products that benefit from acidification in the dough and post-oven stage |
| Bread, rustic, tubes, hot-dog, hamburger | 0,1-0,3% | 0,1-0,3% | ||
| Pizza | 0,1-0,3% | 0,1-0,3% | ||
| Tortilla/Wraps | 0,4-0,6% | 0,4-0,6% |
Products made with chemical yeast benefit from less protection and more acidification (FA 85 and FA 95) in the dough step. Dough souring is also desirable to reduce tortilla shrinkage and the kneading time of these less water-absorbing doughs. FA 85 and FA 95 can inhibit biological yeast, so their use is not recommended for fermented products.
The table below shows the indications for use of each product and applications with the respective recommended dosages (flour base).
