Improvement of shelf life stability of cakes

The effects of new ingredient strategies to slow down starch retrogradation rate in cakes were investigated. In this study, devil's fudge cakes were formulated using gum, modified starch and enzyme technology. Cake samples that were prepared with combinations of gums, bacterial amylases and pregelatinized starch were found to have slower starch retrogradation rates. An accelerated shelf life protocol was followed to observe the effect of predescribed ingredients on slowing the starch retrogradation rate. The samples were evaluated for moisture content, water activity, texture and thermal properties, as well as morphological characteristics. The staling rate was found to be accelerated by the fluctuations in temperature from high to low temperatures. Modified starches, enzymes and gums were found to decrease the rate of staling and improve product quality. The formulated cakes were found to have 25% lower toughness and hardness values as compared with the control product. It was found that for all the cake formulations, there was a significant decrease in both hardness and toughness values, whereas springiness values did not change much. The basic differences within formulations were created by incorporation of gums, enzymes, soluble fibers, emulsifiers and modified flours in the cake.