Bakery products - Effect of freezing/pH

4 important questions on Bakery products - Effect of freezing/pH

What happens to the structure of dough when it is frozen?

The water in the protein-starch matrix will expand.
  • Damages the starch granules --> amylose can leach out
  • The amylopectin in the granules recrystallise into a more crystalline state and the rigidity of the matrix increases.

What happens when frozen dough is brought into the unfrozen state?

  • The granules are damaged and take up more water, leaving less water for the matrix
  • As the amylose has leached out, it is already incorporated in the matrix


  • Leads to a firmer dough as the dough is more viscous, as less water is available.
  • The gas cells will not be able to expand that much, and will therefore lead to a decrease in the volume of the bread.

How can the negative effects of frozen dough be diminished?

  • Rapid freezing
  • Low storage temperatures
Promotes the creation of a greater number of smaller ice crystals, which have less tendency to damage the starch.
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How does addition of acid alter the retrogradation?

  • When starch is hydrolysed by acid, it will alter the chain length --> sour seasoning
  • Low pH (> 3.5) --> chains (amylose and amylopectin) are rapidly broken down into smaller fragments. The chains can leach out faster, and more entanglements will be present in the dough, especially the amylose. This will lead to higher viscosities of the dough.
  • At very low pH (< 3.5) --> viscosity decreases --> the granules are completely broken down due to a very strong hydrolysis.

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