Reformulating baked goods to have a lower sugar content must take into consideration the taste of the final products, as well as replicating sugar’s functional benefits. Predough processes are up to both tasks.
Sugar is a significant part of the carbohydrates listed in the nutritional value tables of baked goods. Brioche can be cited, as an example of a product available all over the world. Out of 100 g of product, approximately 40 g are carbohydrates – of which, around 10 g is sugar. Since sugar also has a technological benefit in addition to sweetening, predough processes can be used that pursue both goals. If, by the activity of starch-splitting enzymes (amylases):
a) cleavage products such as maltose and glucose are formed (reducing sugars), and
b) the formation of which increases the aroma components that are produced during baking (Maillard reaction), it is possible to reduce the total sugar in the recipe without affecting the taste of the product. For brioches, the sugar content can be reduced in this way by one-third.
