Emulsifiers in Food
Emulsifiers are widely used in food manufacturing. They actually possess a broad range of properties which find many applications in food products. The most important jobs that emulsifiers perform are:
Bread making
Emulsifiers help to give a consistent and high quality bread. They stabilise the dough so that it can be processed in the bakery and reduce the rate at which bread goes stale. Emulsifiers are also used to "condition" the dough.
Wheat flour is used in the production of bread. It contains a protein, called gluten , that is responsible for giving the dough made from the wheat its elastic texture. This is important in the baking process as it traps carbon dioxide produced by the yeast during fermentation and makes the bread rise evenly. Emulsifiers with larger molecular structures, particularly diacetyl tartaric esters of monoglycerides (E472e), interact with the gluten to strengthen this gluten network and give the bread a good texture.
Click on the piece of bread that you think has had the emulsifier added.
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No emulsifier
The bread has large and uneven holes in it and will not have the correct texture
With emulsifier
The dough has risen evenly. The holes are small and consistent. The bread will have a good texture