Baking & Snack - November 2019 - 105

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Len Heflich
heflichfoodsafety@gmail.com

'ANTI'- UP

Antioxidants are one ingredient that formulators can really bet on.

Every day we breathe in a toxic gas - oxygen - to stay
alive! Unless managed tightly in the body, oxygen would
cause serious damage. Most of what a person consumes
is converted into harmless water and carbon dioxide to
create energy via respiration. The rest ends up as free
radicals, molecules that have an unbalanced charge.
They react quickly with protein, fat, carbohydrates or
DNA, which causes damage. A group of molecules
called antioxidants are the first line of defense against
that damage.
The healthy body maintains a balance between free
radicals and antioxidant production. However, environmental factors like air pollution, smoking, stress or
high-intensity exercise can increase free radicals in the
body. Without sufficient antioxidants to manage them,
excess free radicals cause damage that can eventually
manifest as disease.
One easy way to improve the balance between free
radicals and antioxidants is by increasing the latter in
foods. The baking industry has an opportunity to develop products as vehicles for additional antioxidants.
Many common bakery ingredients naturally contain high levels of antioxidants. Wheat bran has high
levels, while whole wheat flour and whole grains
contain beneficial levels. Yeast contains glutathione,
an excellent antioxidant that is also produced in our
bodies. Cocoa and cinnamon are two of the most potent antioxidants available, and beta carotene and lutein are easy to incorporate in most bakery products
with no impact on flavor or texture while imparting

a pleasant yellow/orange color to the crumb. Fruits,
especially raisins, dates, blueberries and acai berries,
can boost antioxidant content and add flavor, texture
and eye appeal.
Nuts, a popular inclusion in baked goods, also contain significant levels of antioxidants.
Despite the bad press that comes with their chemical-sounding names, synthetic antioxidants like BHA,
BHT and TBHQ have been shown to be effective in the
body. Lastly, there are essential oils and extracts such as
rosemary oil, which could be used as a natural way to
lengthen shelf life.
Quantifying and communicating the level of antioxidants present in a food product is more difficult now
that the US Department of Agriculture no longer promotes using the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity
value. Antioxidants cannot be measured in milligrams
like other ingredients but rather on the amount of lipid
oxidation that the material prevents compared with a
standard like vitamin E tocopherols.
Many consumers are aware of the value antioxidants
bring to their diet to help avoid developing progressive diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart
disease or slowing or prevent chronic inflammation,
Alzheimer's Disease and cancer, according to "The
Antioxidant Food Table," published by Carlsen et. al in
the Nutrition Journal 2010, 9(3).
These are powerful reasons to add antioxidants to our
bakery products and help consumers get the levels they
need every day.

Fruits and nuts naturally
carry antioxidants that can
add value to any baked good.
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