Bread is a staple food in the UK. Consumers buy over 500g of bread each week. The total volume of bread sold in the UK exceeds 2 billion kg.  

The stakes for bakeries are high. They must achieve consistent quality control to compete effectively in this marketplace. Bakers must meet the expectations of consumers who want products that look, feel and taste the same each time.  

There are traditional methods for quality control of bakery products, relying on sensory evaluation.  

However, now, more than ever, technology is providing the means for objective analysis of baking ingredients and products. This type of baking quality analysis is the best way to achieve consistent quality control in a bakery.  

Why is Quality Control Important in a Bakery?  

Baking involves natural ingredients. Therefore, although bakers can control baking processes, these ingredients can vary considerably.  

Successful baking requires repeatable results. This depends on the consistency of ingredients and the consistency of dough production.  

If there isn’t consistency at these fundamental stages of baking, then it becomes much harder for bakeries to bake products of a reliable quality time and time again.  

Bakeries must optimise the baking process, and to do this they must monitor and test the quality of ingredients, processes and products.  

What Measures Should Bakeries Put in Place?  

A key measure for establishing the quality of ingredients is to establish specifications for them and critical quality parameters.  

Bakeries should analyse baking ingredients and bakes for the following:  

  • Protein, ash and moisture content 

  • Particle size distribution 

  • Levels of contaminants, including permissible levels.  

They should also carry out the following tests:  

  • Falling number (FN) for alpha-amylase enzyme activity 

  • Rheological testing to measure the stress and strain of dough and batter.  

Along with these quality control specifications, bakeries must also assess the impact of small adjustments and changes to ingredients by carrying out test bakes.  

Test bakes should focus on key characteristics of baked goods, including:  

  • Elasticity 

  • Air 

  • Crust 

  • Flavour 

  • Overall finish.  

Analysing the results of test bakes gives bakeries the data on which to base decisions about baking production.  

They should monitor this production and be ready to adjust the different stages of the baking process.  

These adjustments can include:  

  • Recipe and batch control 

  • Improving dough quality when mixing 

  • Careful dough handling at the dividing stage.  

Bakeries should optimise their processes and establish benchmarks for quality.  

To ensure consistency, this optimisation and benchmarking must focus on:  

  • Mixing 

  • Sheeting and moulding 

  • Baking 

  • Cooling.  

These different processes can all impact baked product quality.  

Changes to mixing times or temperatures can affect the finished product. Similarly, damaging the structure of dough during moulding can cause the release of gases before baking. This then damages the dough’s cell structure.  

The baking process itself requires precise oven temperature. Getting this wrong can affect the oven-spring quality of finished loaves.  

After baking, there must be close monitoring of cooling. To ensure the bread keeps, bakers must decrease the internal temperature at an optimum rate. Too fast and the loaf will collapse.  

How Can Bakeries Improve Quality Control?  

Technology supports improvements in quality control. The C-Cell Baking Quality Analyser. This provides objective analysis, testing and metrics for baked goods.  

These measurements are highly accurate and rapid – C-Cell provides objective analysis of samples in just five seconds.  

The core functions of C-Cell for helping bakeries achieve consistency in the quality of their bakes are:  

  • Measuring internal and external structure 

  • Analysis of l*a*b* crumb colour, and 

  • Bread scoring.  

The use of C-Cell doesn’t need to replace sensory and subjective testing of baked goods entirely, but it will enhance the quality control process by providing solid, objective and actionable data.  

How C-Cell Works  

C-Cell uses high-resolution digital imaging and detailed analysis to measure the structural characteristics of bread and baked goods.  

It measures:  

  • Colour – l*a*b* colour results, internal crumb colour and external depth and crust colour  

  • Dimensions –area, width and optimum packaging dimensions  

  • Shape – concavity, shoulder and bottom roundness and oven spring  

  • Softness –analysis of texture profile  

  • Cell size – holes, cell areas, volumes and wall thickness  

  • Elongation – crumb cell elongation measurement, the axis of elongation, level of curvature of the internal crumb structure, and specific degree of circulation.  

The additional C-Cell bread scoring function incorporates the instrument’s measurements of these critical parameters into a scoring system.  

This simplifies the measurements while giving bakers a clear indication of what their data says about the sample they’re analysing. Using the bread scoring system, bakeries can score their products against their own quality benchmarks and parameters.  

Unlike traditional bread scoring, this isn’t reliant on subjective, sensory impressions, but on multiple measurements taken from precise image analysis.  

By providing a clear, scorable assessment, C-Cell helps bakeries achieve consistent quality control.  

For more information about using C-Cell to optimise your quality control and maintain consistency in your bakes, please contact Calibre Control.