The Application of Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose - The Bakery Industry

CMC, as a multifunctional food additive in baked foods, enhances the water-holding capacity of dough, improves texture, extends shelf life and enhances processing performance.

In baked goods, CMC can bind water, reducing water loss during the baking process, making the bread core softer, delaying aging and hardening, and CMC can also enhance the air retention capacity of the dough, helping to form a more uniform air cell structure and improving the fluffiness of the bread.

In the cake, CMC has the property of stable emulsification. It works in synergy with the oil, making the cake batter more stable and preventing the separation of oil and water during baking. Moreover, the thickening property of CMC helps maintain the foam structure of the egg whites and prevents collapse.

Adding CMC to cookies and biscuits helps to regulate the viscosity of the dough, making the cookies easier to shape and resulting in a crispy texture after baking.

In the field of gluten-free baked goods, CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose) replaces the function of gluten, providing viscoelasticity to gluten-free doughs (such as rice flour, corn flour-based ones), preventing the finished products from being easily broken.

In the frozen dough, CMC inhibits the formation of ice crystals during the freezing process, protecting the yeast activity. After thawing, the dough can still ferment normally.

Low-fat/low-sugar products also use CMC. The slippery texture of CMC can partially simulate the taste of fat, and is used in low-fat muffins; in sugar-free cakes, CMC is combined with artificial sweeteners (such as erythritol) to improve the dry and hard texture caused by the lack of sugar.

CMC also has multiple functions, including thickening and water retention, stabilizing foams and emulsions, and interacting with starch/protein.