Cognis updates Lametop bakery emulsifier line
European bakery industry that it says is more sophisticated than
previous offerings and can improve product volume at a lower cost.
Lametop 500 is a line of DATEMs (Di-Acetyl Tartrate Ester of Monoglyceride), emulsifiers that have been used for yeast-based bakery manufacture for the last 40 years to stabilize the dough, strengthen gluten, improve mixing and fermentation tolerance and increase the final product's volume. Tartaric acid is said to be a major factor in the efficacy of the DATEM, and Cognis has found a way to introduce this at precisely the right place in the molecule for it to have the greatest effect. Andreas Funke, product group line manager for bakery ingredients at Cognis, explained to FoodNavigator.com that tartaric acid aids the interaction between the DATEM and the protein gluten, which boosts the dough's gas-retaining properties, making it rise more and increasing volume. By increasing the efficacy of the tartaric acid, the development means that less of the DATEM needs to be used, resulting in cost-savings for bakery manufacturers. The company says it produces "same effects at lower application costs or dosage compared with competitor products". The company has not revealed the identity of competitor products it has compared Lametop 500 with, but the performance difference was seen to be greatest at low doses of 0.1 to 0.2 per cent. Funke said that the optimum dosage of Lametop 500 is around 0.4 to 0.5 per cent, after which level the benefits plateau. In fact, the new Lametop 500 line, which is suitable for use in the manufacture of all yeast-raised baked goods, is an improvement on an earlier line called Lametop 300. "It is based on the same process, but it is more sophisticated," said Funke. Not all of the molecules formed in the manufacture of DATEMs play an active role in baking. However one of the main differences between the 300 and 500 lines is that the latter increases the concentration of the active baking compounds further. There are presently two variants in the new Lametop 500 line, produced by slight modifications in the process. Selection by the customer depends on application and flours, said Funke, as well as different anticaking agents used to keep it in powder form. The company also launched Lametop S80 for the US bakery industry last year. Funke said that Lametop 500 is similar to this, but its specifications are in line with the European regulations, which allow more tartaric acid, and therefore facilitate baked goods of a higher quality.
