HOT-STAGE MICROSCOPY OF CAKE BATTER BUBBLES DURING SIMULATED BAKING - SUCROSE REPLACEMENT BY POLYDEXTROSE

A hot-stage video microscopical technique was developed to study the effects of sucrose replacement by polydextrose (weight for weight basis) on the foam characteristics of cake batters, before and during heating. Polydextrose substitution increased the mean size of air-bubbles in the cake batter and introduced a larger variation in bubble size distribution than the sucrose batter. The differences between sucrose and polydextrose batters on initial bubble size distribution were reflected in expansion rates of bubble populations during heating. The lack of uniformity in the bubble distribution of batters containing polydextrose increased the rate of gas diffusion from small bubbles to larger ones. On heating, the bubble population of sucrose batters expanded more than that of polydextrose substituted batters.