Mixing process of biscuit and cookie production

Mixing process of biscuit and cookie production:

Every biscuit or cookie requires the right ingredients that are perfectly mixed in order to produce the desired end product. There are various primary stages to making cookies and biscuits in a factory.

The first stage is the mixing stage. Mixing is an integral part of biscuit and cookie production. This is because mixing is the first of various major production steps during which all ingredients are blended perfectly, thereby allowing the baker to produce the perfect cookie or biscuit.

Process:

During the mixing stage, flour, sugar, fat, water and other ingredients are mixed together in the right quantities. This mix is then fed into large mixers to form the dough. It is important to carefully manage the dough temperature and mixing time such that you achieve uniform distribution of the ingredients, as well as the appropriate consistency of the dough. Depending on factors such as the characteristics of the flour, the mixing time could take about 15 minutes. Biscuits and cookies generally differ from other baked products such as bread. This is because cookies and biscuits typically have a lower moisture content which is crucial to maintain during the mixing process. It is for this reason that overall control of the entire mixing process is vital.

Many biscuit and cookie production plants employ a continuous mixing system which provides the baker with front-end control of the entire mixing process. In this way, the baker is able to automatically meter the ingredients and continuously produce dough, thereby ensuring that all the dough is processed at the same age. What this means is that no single batch of dough will be left sitting longer than the others. Upon completion of the mixing of a batch of dough, the dough is normally ejected from the mixer and is immediately placed into either a trough or tub, or even directly fed into a feed hopper.

Through continuous mixing, the baker is able to achieve a uniform and consistent dough stream to the production line, at a similar rate to that which is being used. Such a mixing process eliminates problems that may arise due to batch cycles, while producing a consistent product all day, every day. The results of the mixing process can thereafter be fine-tuned and repeated on a day to day basis, while monitoring the history of production. This history is then saved electronically such that the manufacturing data from the past can be examined and reviewed.

Ingredients used in Biscuit manufacturing process

Ingredients used in Biscuit manufacturing:

1. Flour:

Soft wheat flour is the main component in most recipes. Wheat flour consists of 65 - 75% starch and 7- 16% protein. When water is added, during the makeup of dough, starch absorbs a significant amount of water and may act as filler in the continuous protein network with the proteins. During baking, starch granules get gelatinized, which is a major part of the dough. Cookies, crackers flours are normally not treated with additives. For cookies to be premium quality, soft wheat flour containing 8 to 10% protein and less than 0.4% ash content is ideally suited.

2. Water:

Water affects textural properties of baked products. Water acts as a plasticizer, and the amount of water used is adjusted to produce a batter or dough of acceptable consistency for processing. Water is needed for hydrating the proteins, gelatinizing the starch, making leavening agent function, activating the enzymes, dissolving sugar and salt, as well as acting as major heat transfer mechanism during baking through evaporation and condensation.

3.Fat:

Fat provides shortness character to the products, like soft, pleasant and crumbly texture. Fats and oils are used in dough and batters, in surface sprays and in cream fillings and coatings such as chocolates. Bakery fats are often premixed with or used in conjunction with emulsifiers. The function of emulsifier is to promote formation and stabilization of water/fat/air emulsions.

4. Sugar:

Sugar is most important ingredient after flour in soft wheat products such as biscuits, cookies, cakes, etc. Apart from providing sweetness to the product, sweeteners provide one or more of the following functions: tenderizing, texture, yeast nutrient and fermentation control, stabilizing, bulking agent, humactancy, flavour, crust colour and shelf-life extension. Sucrose, corn syrup solids, invert sugar, honey, glucose syrup and certain permitted intense sweeteners are used in manufacture of soft wheat products.

5. Salt:

Salt is added to dough as a seasoning or as flavour enhancer. Salt also inhibits yeast growth and thus help in controlling the fermentation.

6. Other ingredients:

• Various other ingredients are used in the manufacture of biscuits such as leavening agents, emulsifiers, chocolates, egg products, dairy products, fat replacers, spices, flavours, colours, icing, etc.
• Baking powder is widely used for leavening of the cookies and biscuits mixture. It controls the spread and imparts lightness to the product. Excess use of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) than recommended may impart alkaline flavour to the end product. Ammonium bicarbonate should be used in products which are quite dry after baking, otherwise ammonium odour will be retained if the product is moist. Baking soda is combination of sodium bicarbonate and an acid salt. During baking, in presence of moisture, gas will evolve which helps in leavening of product.
• Baking powder are of three kinds:

1.      Fast acting: Most of the CO₂ is released during bench operations and very little gas is released during baking.

2.      Slow acting: All the gas is released during baking.

3.      Double acting: This is most widely used baking powder by the bakers. This type of baking soda releases part of gas during bench operations and part of the gas during baking.

• Milk solids have a binding action on the flour proteins. When milk solids are used in large amount, they cause less spread of the cookies and biscuits.
• Eggs, if added, give structure, impart flavour and taste. If it is used in large amounts, it may result in giving biscuits and cookies a rise rather than spread. Egg yolk produces a tender cookies than whole egg.

Overall process involved in biscuit manufaturing

What is biscuit?

A biscuit is a flour-based baked food product. 
A kind of bread in small, soft cakes, raised with baking powder or soda, or sometimes with yeast; scone.

•  Technology of Biscuits:

   Groupings have been made in various ways based on

1.   The method of forming dough and dough piece

�         Fermented

�         Developed

�         Laminated

�         Cut

�         Moulded

�         Extruded deposited

�         Wire cut co-extruded

2.   According to texture and hardness

�         Biscuits

�         Crackers

�         Cookies

3.   According to the recipe enrichments with ingredients like fat and sugar

�   Another type of classification based on secondary processing are Cream sandwiched, chocolate coated, moulded in chocolate, iced (half coated with an icing that has been dried)and added jam or mallow (or both)

�     The main raw materials for biscuits are flour, sugar and shortening. For protein enriched peanut flour or isolates, soy flour etc. can be added.

�     Other ingredients include leavening agents, vitamins, minerals and flavours. In sweet biscuits, cane sugar is added while in salty biscuits, sodium chloride (0.5-1.0 percent is added).

•             The main steps involved in biscuit making are :-

1.   Mixing and kneading: Weighed amount of sifted flour, sugar, shortening and flavouring agents are mixed in mechanical mixer. Water and baking powder are added during mixing to obtain dough of desired consistency. Kneading for 10-20 min produces biscuits with fine structure, smooth crust and better appearance.

2.   Sheeting and shaping: The dough is then rolled into sheets of desired thickness by passing it through pairs of rolls. The sheets are then cut by mechanically worked stamped dividers fitted with dies.

3.   Baking and cooling: the cut biscuits are then transferred to  plate sheet or wire mesh bands travelling through ovens. The biscuits are generally baked at 450 degree F for 15 min and cooled to ambient temperature after baking.

4.   Packaging: the biscuits should be packed in moisture and grease proof cellophane or metalized laminated foils.