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Baking powders used in chemically leavened products consist of sodium bicarbonate (soda) and one or more leavening acids. Leavening acids, stimulating the conditions and reactions contributing to the crumb properties, affect the taste, crumb grain properties, and the color. It also alters the baked product quality through anionic and cationic interactions with the other components. Leavening acids containing calcium and aluminum ions ensure formation of a thin crumb cell wall and increase the elasticity of the cake structure contributing to gluten development. As a result, the tendency of coalescence of small cells to large bubbles is reduced. On the other hand, sulphate and phosphate containing leavening acids have an adverse effect on gluten development and gas retention. Different leavening acids have different rates of reactivity and CO2 release times which affect the final product attributes. The pH of the final product affects the crumb color. A low pH from low soda gives whiter crumb color while higher pH results in darker colors. In this study functional attributes of leavening acids on chemically leavened products were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baking powders are used commonly in the production of bakery products. They are used especially in soft wheat products such as cakes and biscuits in order to obtain characteristic internal structure. They usually include an alkali component (sodium bicarbonate), one or more of acidic salts and filling material (corn starch). As a result of the reaction between alkali and acid in the presence of water, CO2 is produced. CO2 provides the leavening and at the same time increases the digestibility and attractiveness of the products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]