[Snack Foods] ww

By Cindy Hazen, Contributing Editor

Vol. 23 No. 3 May/June 2013

Cookies and Crackers

Although theyre made from many of the same materials, cookies and crackers arent exactly cut from the same cloth. Because there are so many varieties within the categories, its difficult to point out all of the differences between them. But we can give you some insights into choosing ingredients that will help you stitch together your product seamlessly. Begin with a grain Cookies and crackers are similar in that they usually begin with soft wheat flour with a protein level in the range of 8.2% to 9.5%. Yet there are exceptions. Formulas are dependent on the manufacturing process and upon other ingredients, such as sugar and fat. Jody Mattsen, bakery senior food technologist, Cargill, Minneapolis, explains: In general, for cookies, you may want to use a chlorinated flour or a higher protein flour to control spread. To increase the chewiness of product, you may want to either use a higher protein flour or add some corn syrup to your formulation. Many crackers, such as saltines, are laminated, meaning theyre folded in six or seven la yers to strengthen the dough and help create flaky texture. A laminated cracker typically requires a slightly higher protein flour, 9.5% to 10%, to produce the desired structure and texture. Cookies and crackers can use whole-wheat and whole-grain corn flour to increase the amount of whole grains, increase dietary fiber, and to impart specific textural and flavor attributes. Weve made cookies and crackers on a lab scale with at least 50% of the white flour replaced with whole-wheat or corn flour, says Mattsen. Additional gluten may be required to maintain structure and texture. Depending on the amount and type of flour replacement, formulators may need to increase liquids. Whole-grain kernels do not normally soak up much water during the mixing or baking process, leaving the grains firm and hard to the bite in the finished products , says Ron Zelch, product knowledge manager, Caravan Ingredients, Lenexa, KS. His company offers pre-hydrated grains that are ready for addition to any formula. Both products are approved to use the Whole Grain Stamp through the Whole Grains Council when made using our recommended formula. Caravan Ingredients is a member of the Whole Grains Council, and when using our approved whole-grain products you may qualify to use these stamps, he says. Improving texture Medium flours, such as sorghum or brown rice, and heavy flours, such as quinoa, millet or a nut meal, result in a dense product, often darker in color, and with less rise, and thats where tapioca starch or potato starch would be added to provide some lightne ss, says Carter Foss, technical sales director, American Key Food Products, Closter NJ. Flours and starches from such grains or cereals also typically impart flavor characteristics inherent to them and may oftentimes necessitate masking these flavors
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High-protein, high-fiber cookies and crackers gain a lighter, crisper texture when potato starch or tapioca starch is added. Patrick OBrien, bakery marketing manager, Ingredion, Westchester, IL , cautions that one starch doesnt fit all needs. The base of the product (corn, rice, tapioca, etc.), or the modification of the product, contribute to the unique features that the starch can provide. Specialty starches in cookies and crackers yield pleasing textures with uniform cell structure, good moisture management and mouthfeel enhancement. Additionally, starches can be used to r educe fat and cost while maintaining consumer appeal or extend shelf life to indulgent-type baked goods, like cookies, O'Brien says. Other starches address challenges associated with gluten-free baking. Premium cassava flour, offered by American Key Food Products, adds nutrients, as well as texture improvement. It has 7 grams fiber per 100 grams, and its bland taste makes it suitable for use in large proportions in a variety of applications. Traditional gluten-free baked goods are notorious for their short shelf life and tendency to dry out quickly. Premium cassava flour is a shelf-life extender and helps retain moisture in cookies, says Foss. As a result, use of cassava flour allows for gums to be reduced. This cassava flour functions similar to cake flour. Because cassava flour absorbs more water than wheat flour, Foss recommends starting with 15% to 25% less flour. If someone is looking for a particular texture, such as a shortcrust cookie, then they would want to add another starch, such as potato/and or tapioca or rice flour, he says. It has good synergy with either of these starches. Adding prebiotic fiber boosts the nutritional panel and shelf life. Short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS) prebiotic soluble fiber works well in cookies and crackers," says Cristina Munteanu, senior technical service technologist, Ingredion. "At typical inclusion levels for a prebiotic benefit it will not impact dough handling and will impart a pleasant taste, as well as humectancy. ScFOS prebiotic fibers clean taste and low viscosity makes it ideal for cookie and cracker applications," Munteanu continues. "In addition to supporting digestive and immune health, scFOS is label-friendly, with fructan being one of the most common options. In both cookies and crackers, scFOS prebiotic fiber is typically used at about 4% to 10% and can replace part of the sugar or bulking agents. In filled-cookie applications, scFOS can be easily incorporated in the fruit or cream filling while, with seasoned crackers, it can also be applied topically with the seasonings. Eggs might be added to cookies to add strength and structure. Naturally, they add flavor to baked products, along with yellow color from the whole eggs and yolks to the interior crumb, says Zelch. They can also aid in crust color (the Maillard browning reaction), improve nutritional value and overall product volume. Eggs also aid in emulsification. Cost, storage requirements, handling issues or other concerns might prompt the developer to seek a substitution for eggs. When reducing eggs in cookies, usually only 25% to 50% replacement is possible without affecting the finished-product texture, eating qualities and volume characteristics, Zelch says. Egg replacement products will aid in the reduction of egg usage while maintaining the yellow color, flavor and functionality of whole eggs.
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Perfecting the mix Lacing the mix with the appropriate fats, conditioners and leavening agents adds important functionality, as well as finished-product appeal. Fats in cookies play a large role in the overall flavor, texture, spread and processing of the dough , explains Mattsen. Typically, solid fats, such as shortenings, are used for cookie production. For crackers, fat contributes to the texture of the product and overall mouthfeel. Fats in crackers can be mixed into the dough, as well as applied topically. Since crackers and cookies generally require a long shelf life, high stability and resistance to rancidity is a primary consideration in selecting an oil or shortening. Choosing an oil or shortening with zero trans fats and low saturated-fat content improves the products healthfulness. Additionally, products containing omega-3 fatty acids can enhance the nutritional profile of the finished product, but their structure (unsaturated) can make them prone to oxidation. Softness of cookies can be improved by adding emulsifiers or mono- and diglycerides. Zelch suggests that, depending on the type of cookie, a specific emulsifier be used at about 0.2% based on flour weight. We also offer mono- and diglycerides that help to impart softness in cookies. These products are used at 0.5% based on flour weight, he says. Mary Winger, scientist, Caravan Ingredients, recommends an enzyme-based dough conditioner to improve production processes, as well as the finished product quality of fermented crackers. This product will create the necessary dough rheology to sheet-cracker dough while using a shorter fermentation process," she says. "Along with the shortened fermentation, the product will give manufacturers downtime tolerance, as the conditioner is not overly aggressive. A final benefit may be seen in the finished product, as some crackers show an increase in cracker strength, resulting in a decrease in checking. Yeast used in saltine crackers can condition and leaven the doughwith fermentation times from about 8 to 24 hours. For chemical leavening, generally baking soda is added to neutralize the acids present and create carbon dioxide, explains Zelch. Most crackers have chemical leavening, as do most cookies; however, some cookies also rely on air incorporation during mixing, aiding in their expansion." Baking powders used for commercial baking usually contain sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP). Most of the chemical leavening is via baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and some formulas use ammonium bicarbonate. ( Leavening agents can bring an unwanted addition to the mix: sodium. There are a number of lower-sodium baking powders on the market today, although their cost is higher, Zelch says. With a nonsodium aluminum-phosphatebased leavening system, a low-sodium baking powder can reduce sodium by up to 44% over standard baking powders. When sodium reduction is the goal, a manufacture should first look for all the sources of sodium in the formulation. Identify potential alternatives to the sodium-containing ingredients," says Janice Johnson, Ph.D., technical service leader, salt food applications, Cargill. "It may make sense to swap out one or more ingredients for a non-sodium or lower-sodium containing one. There are many options for reducing sodium. The first place wed recommend looking is making sure that you optimize the salt product you are using in a formula," Johnson says. Depending on the
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application, you may be able to reduce some sodium by simply using a salt that performs better in your food product or processing equipment. To replace salt with a lower- or non-sodium option, she says there are a wide variety of salt replacers that can replace the functionality of salt. If you remove salt, or a portion of the salt, without replacing its functionality, you may likely see an impact in flavor, appearance and texture. Topically, salt provides flavor and enhances appearance. In cookie and cracker dough, however,, salt plays a functional role. Salt impacts gluten development in the dough system, manages water activity, promotes brown color formation and provides and enhances flavor, Johnson says. Despite all salt consisting of NaCl, all salts are not alike. Maximizing the effect is going to depend on the application. The size and shape of a salt crystal can impact adherencethe salts ability to stick to a surfaceand speed of solubilitythe flavor burst in the mouth, Johnson continues. Surface area greatly impacts solubility rate; the greater the surface area, the greater the solubility rate. A smaller crystal or a noncubic shape, such as the pyramid-shaped coarse crystal or a flaked salt, will also have an effect. Bulk density, the amount of salt needed for even distribution in or on a product, also comes into play. These attributes are particularly important in topical applications," she says. "However, speed of solubility may also be important in the dispersion of salt throughout the dough." Building sweetness and flavor Just as salt is important to flavor and function, so is the sweetener. Although sucrose is the mostcommon sweetener used in cookies and crackers, other sweetener alternatives can be used or combined with sugar. Corn- or grain-based sweeteners, such as high-fructose syrup, dextrose, corn syrups; rice or tapioca syrups; as well as molasses, malt, invert sugar, honey and high-potency sweeteners can provide sweetness and other qualities. Sweetener levels can vary widely depending upon the nature of the product, but generally the level will be much lower in a cracker versus a cookie, says Heidi Adams, technical service manager, sweetener customer solutions, Ingredion. High-fructose corn syrup provides the sweetness of sugar, but also an increased humectancy that can help produce a moist, chewy cookie that retains moisture during its shelf life. Dextrose can provide extra browning in a cracker without adding too much sweetness. During baking, reducing sugars react with amino acids. This effect, called the Maillard reaction, contributes color, flavor and aroma. Polyols are excellent tools for lowering sugar levels in cookies and crackers while still providing sweetness and functionality. Maltitol, because it has a molecular weight similar to sucrose, is particularly well-suited to partially or fully replace sugar in these applications, Adams says. It does not contribute to labeled sugars, adds only half the calories of standard sugars and is well-tolerated in terms of digestion. Because its not a reducing sugar, she says additional color may be needed to compensate for browning when using polyols. High-potency sweeteners, such as stevia extracts, can also be used in combination with polyols or other bulking agents to provide sweetness at a lower calorie level. While baking provides an array of flavors by itself due to browning reactions or flavors from other ingredients such as eggs or butter,, developers might choose to incorporate other flavors in cookies or crackers. Flavors enhance and improve the taste of a product," says Kelly DeFusco, senior food technologist, bakery and cereal project leader, David Michael & Co., Philadelphia. "They also provide
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consistent taste across the board. The product wont vary from batch to batch. Flavors will enhance the ingredients in the finished product. Vanilla rounds out flavor profiles in sweet baked-good applications. In gluten-free baked foods, youll typically need a sweet brown flavor. to help with the flavor of the product, DeFusco says. Sweet brown flavors may linger longer with brown sugar, molasses or spice notes remaining in your mouth. She suggests using honey flavors with reduced-fat products to mask some of the grain and wheat off notes. Oil-soluble or water-soluble flavors can be used in cookies or crackers. Crackers, however, are one of the most challenging bakery products to flavor because of the high heat and low moisture, DeFusco says. In these applications, typically more flavor is used in the cracker dough and they are topically seasoned. In the past year in North America, DeFusco points out, some of the top flavors launched in the cracker category include cheddar, sea salt, sesame, roasted garlic and black pepper. Among flavors introduced in the cookie category, find chocolate, cinnamon, lemon, caramel and honey. According to "Cookies and Cookie Bars US March 2013", a report by Mintel, Chicago, Consumers are most interested in new cookie products that are indulgent, such as those which contain more chocolate, caramel, nuts or superfruits. This indicates that consumers are treating themselves to an occasional indulgence and do not wish to limit their enjoyment or sacrifice flavors. Mintel predicts cracker sales will reach $9,056 billion by 2015. By 2017, the cookie market is forecast to hit $8,268 billion ("Crackers - US - March 2011," Executive Summary, Mintel, 2011).
Cindy Hazen, an industry veteran with more than 25 years experience, developed food science chops in seasonings, dry blends, beverages and more. Today, when not writing or consulting she expands her knowledge of food safety as a food safety officer for a Memphis-based produce distributor. She can be reached at cindy-hazen.com.

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