Ginseng doesn’t bake favourably

Posted by admin

September 16, 2012

Ginseng powder used in bread and cookie formulations adds nutritional punch but significantly reduces end product size and volumes, a study finds.

Ginseng disrupts end quality in bread and cookies
Ginseng is a plant native to Asia and has been used widely across the region in traditional medicines for many years. While extensive research is underway into a range of therapeutic benefits, the extract is most commonly associated with enhancing stamina and reducing feelings of fatigue and physical stress.

Research published in Food Science Biotechnology has looked into using ginseng powder in hard-wheat flour and soft-wheat flour bread and cookie formulations, analysing impact on end quality.

Findings showed the inclusion of ginseng powder leads to a reduction in overall quality with significantly smaller loaf sizes and cookie widths.

“A decrease in the loaf volume of the bread sample baked from the hard-wheat flour/ginseng powder blend could be explained by lower amounts of wheat gluten in the bread formulation, resulting in a weaker gluten matrix with the reduced ability to retain gases created during fermentation,” researchers said.

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