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The Post-Dehydrogenation Era: Taking a Look at Different Preservatives and Their Effects on Yeasts

The Post-Dehydrogenation Era:

Taking you through the different preservatives and their effects on yeast

In order to ensure shelf life, packaged bread is usually added preservatives to achieve the effect of preservation of freshness and prevention of spoilage. The most basic mechanism of action of preservatives is to inhibit the growth of microorganisms, and yeast is also a kind of microorganisms, so the use of preservatives to a certain extent will affect the yeast fermentation, today, we will talk about this topic.

01

Mechanism of action of organic acid preservatives

Mechanism of action of organic acid preservatives

In fact, most of the preservatives we commonly use their active ingredients are various organic acids, and organic acids dissolved will automatically form a dissociation equilibrium, only the undissociated organic acids can successfully cross the microbial cell membranes to enter the cell interior, re-dissociation within the cell, acidification of the cell and thus inhibit the growth of the cell. Different organic acids have different degrees of dissociation in the same environment, which depends on the pKa (acidity coefficient/dissociation constant) of the organic acid. The lower the pKa, the lower the degree of dissociation and the better the preservative effect. Controlling the pH of the dough and choosing the right preservative will maximize the preservative effect.

02

Types of preservatives

Sodium dehydroacetate is one of the most commonly used in the baking industry, it is low in price, has no odor, and produces Dehydroacetic acid (Dehydroacetic acid) through ionization equilibrium in an aqueous solution. The pKa of Dehydroacetic acid is 5.3, which is relatively close to the normal pH range of bread, and therefore has a better bacteriostatic effect. Other preservatives, such as propionic acid, have a pKa of 4.87 and have a better antibacterial effect only in a more acidic environment. However, from February 8, 2025, sodium dehydroacetate will be banned in baked goods, and the market has consequently spawned other alternative preservative solutions to dehydrogenation, the more common of which can be categorized into two main groups: chemical preservatives and natural preservatives.

Chemical preservatives:

Chemically synthesized, with major cost advantages. Calcium propionate inhibits molds and aerobic bacteria, and used to be combined with sodium dehydroacetate for better preservation. But now often with sorbic acid, sorbic acid itself has reducing properties, will weaken the gluten to a certain extent, at the same time have a strong inhibition of yeast, and ultimately the volume of the bread and the organization of the impact, so often in the form of embedded. Using microencapsulation technology, sorbic acid is encapsulated with lipids so that it does not act before baking, and after baking the bread releases the sorbic acid, which ultimately inhibits microorganisms in the final product.

Natural preservatives:

Naturally occurring, available in clean label products. These preservatives usually use a biological base as the raw material (e.g., sugar, whey, etc.), and produce various organic acids and small-molecule peptides with bacteriostatic functions through fermentation technology, as well as bacteriostatic phenolic compounds, etc., from plants using extraction technology, and are usually categorized as a food ingredient rather than an additive. Common products on the market include sucrose fermentation, whey fermentation powder, vinegar powder, edible flavors and fragrances, sourdough, and so on.

Swipe left and right to view preservative types

03

Effect of different preservatives on different yeast

Effect of Rising Time

Preservatives inhibit bacteria as well as yeast, and there are differences in the ability of different yeasts to resist the effects of preservatives, and this stems from differences in the yeasts themselves, just as people are divided into Mongolian and Caucasian races …… Yeasts are also divided into different species. While osmolality-resistant yeast can be used in bread recipes with higher sugar content and less moisture, preservative-resistant yeast is suitable for all kinds of recipes with added preservatives.

As a 171 year old company that originated in France and started out as a fermentation technology company, Lesaffre has been dedicated to strain cultivation for many years, and has done its best to provide multifaceted solutions for its customers. Lesaffre’s premium range of products, Swallow High Active Dry Yeast and Lesaffre Industrial Dry Yeast, both have excellent fermentation power in preservative-added formulations. How will these yeasts perform in the post-dehydrogenation era, and will they continue to protect bakers on their bread-making journey? We did a series of tests on this, and we did a series of tests on this, and we selected four typical recipes to validate them.

Test 1: Calcium propionate chemical preservation solutions commonly used in short hold formulations

Based on the test results, we can see that in a short-keep formula with medium to high osmolality, using calcium propionate chemical preservative, Lesaffre’s preservative-resistant yeast product, Swallow High Active Dry Yeast has outstanding wake-up vigor comparing to the 2 other branded yeast products.

Test 2: Commonly used natural preservative solutions in short hold formulations

In the formulation of a medium to high osmotic pressure natural preservative – this test used the Lesaffre sourdough mix product, the (This is a new natural preservative product from Lesaffre, in which the active ingredient is sourdough, which belongs to the food category, does not contain additives, and can be used on the label by simply identifying it as sourdough, which is completely clean and has an excellent preservative effect. (Interested children’s shoes can click here for product specifics) Swallow Highly Active Dry Yeast still has the ability to rise and be active beyond the other 2 yeast products.

Test 3: Chemical preservation scheme of calcium propionate with encapsulated sorbic acid commonly used in long-life formulations

When osmolality increased and water activity decreased, osmolality- and preservative-resistant Swallow High-Activity Dry Yeast and Lesaffre Industrial Dry Yeast had excellent risen performance compared to the 2 other yeast products in a long-life preservation formula that used a compounded chemical preservative.

Test 4: Chemical Preservation Scheme of Calcium Propionate with Acidity Regulator in Long-Life Formulation

To enhance the preservative effect in long shelf life recipes, generally chemical preservatives can be used in conjunction with an acidity regulator, in this test we used Lesaffre Sour Dough Ready Mix. In addition to preservative, this product can also effectively regulate acidity. Internal research has shown that the pH of breads with sourdough mix can be lowered from 5.6 to 5.2. As shown in the figure, the lowering of pH enhances the preservative effect and has a more obvious inhibiting effect on the yeast, but even so, Lesaffre’s Swallow Highly Active and Lesaffre’s Industrial Dry Yeasts have significant advantages over the 2 other yeast products. Even so, Lesaffre’s Swallow High Active Dry Yeast and Lesaffre’s Industrial Dry Yeast still have obvious advantages over the two other yeast products.

Swipe left and right to view test results

To summarize, in the post-dehydrogenation era and in the face of various new preservative solutions, Lesaffre yeast products can still continue to help bakers to make high-quality bread products, and will not be troubled by the failure of bread to rise.

04

Introduction of Lesaffre yeast-based products

Swallow High Active Dry Yeast

(High Sugar Type)
Lesaffre Industrial Dry Yeast

(high sugar type)
High-end yeast products, the quality has been the same for many years, imported from France pure yeast strain. Strong vitality, corrosion resistance, high osmotic pressure resistance, in the face of different raw materials, different formulations, as well as different processes, this yeast can have an extremely stable performance, maintaining strong fermentation power and super long-lasting fermentation endurance, extremely wide range of applications.

High-quality and reliable yeast tailored for industrial customers. It performs well in formulations with varying sugar content, especially under conditions of high oil and sugar content, high osmotic pressure, or preservatives; its strong, stable fermentation power helps to ensure consistent quality of the finished bakery product.

05

summarize

In the post-dehydrogenation era, the preservation system of the baking industry is gradually being pushed and renovated. In the face of this change, there are opportunities and challenges, and it will be a new challenge for bakers and the makers of the industry to adapt to the brand new preservation system. However, Lesaffre is committed to leading the industry to continue to innovate, striving to be the pioneer of the times, to provide customized solutions for the majority of consumers, mold growth after dehydrogenation? Bread won’t rise after dehydrogenation? We have a full set of solutions, welcome to contact, let us help you.

References:

Lesaffre Technical Library

Author Bio:

Tse Chia Yu

Lesaffre Greater China Bakery Center

Application Development Team Engineer

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