Why Baking Emulsifiers Matter for Volume and Softness

Date:2025-11-24

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While flour and yeast are essential for keeping bread or cakes soft and fluffy, baking emulsifiers are important, too. This blog will explain the importance of baking emulsifiers and how they enhance the volume and softness of baked goods.

How Baking Emulsifiers Improve Volume

1. Strengthening Dough Structure

A good rise starts with a strong dough. Baking emulsifiers interact with gluten to create a more elastic, stable network that can trap and hold gas during fermentation.

Common examples include:

DATEM – one of the most effective emulsifiers for improving bread volume

SSL (Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate) – strengthens gluten and supports oven spring

CSL (Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate) – improves dough tolerance in industrial production

These emulsifiers help dough rise higher, maintain shape, and achieve a fuller, lighter loaf.

Baking emulsifiers in dough and loaf

2. Stabilizing Air Bubbles

The tiny air bubbles introduced during mixing determine how light and fluffy a product becomes. A baking emulsifier helps stabilize these bubbles so they do not collapse during proofing or baking.

This results in:

# better gas retention

# a finer, more uniform crumb

# improved overall volume

Products without emulsifiers often turn out dense or uneven, especially in high-speed or large-scale production.

How Baking Emulsifiers Improve Softness

1. Slowing Starch Retrogradation (Anti-Staling Effect)

Softness decreases over time as starch molecules recrystallize, causing baked goods to firm up. Certain baking emulsifiers bind to starch and slow down this process.

Examples include:

GMS (Glycerol Monostearate) – widely used for softness and shelf-life

PGE (Polyglycerol Esters) – helps maintain a tender crumb in cakes

This keeps bread and cakes softer for longer, especially in packaged or commercial products.

2. Improving Moisture Distribution

Soft texture depends on how well water and fats are distributed inside the crumb. A baking emulsifier helps disperse these ingredients evenly.

Benefits include:

# smoother, softer texture

# less crumbliness

# better resilience when squeezed

This is especially valuable for soft buns, sweet breads, and cakes that need to stay moist and pleasant throughout their shelf life.

Baking emulsifiers in cake

Why Baking Emulsifiers Matter for Bakeries

Whether for fresh-baked rolls or industrial sandwich loaves, baking emulsifiers give manufacturers reliable advantages:

# improved volume and rise

# softer texture and longer freshness

# greater consistency between batches

# reduced waste from collapsed or dense products

# stable performance in modern high-speed equipment

They help bakers meet consumer expectations while keeping production efficient and predictable.

Conclusion

Baking emulsifiers play a crucial role in producing high-quality baked goods by enhancing dough gluten development, stabilizing air bubbles, delaying dough staling, and improving moisture balance, thereby improving volume and softness.

Chemsino offers a variety of baking emulsifiers such as DATEM, SSL, GMS, CSL, PGE, and more to meet your formulation needs. If you are looking for baking emulsifiers, please feel free to contact us.

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