Patent Description:
During the preparation of all bakery products a leavening agent or system to is required to impart a light and soft crumb structure to the bakery products. In the <NUM>th century baking powder was developed. Baking powder acts much faster and is easy to store and handle due to its powdery consistency. Baking powders develop carbon dioxide by reaction of a carbon dioxide source with an acidifier.

Today, baking powders comprise sodium bicarbonate or, less frequently, potassium bicarbonate, as the carbon dioxide source, and tartaric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate, or monocalcium phosphate and sodium aluminum sulfate as acidifier. When phosphate free compositions are desired glucono delta lactone and calcium citrate are also used as acidifier.

Current industrial scale baking uses emulsifiers which help to generate foam much faster and secondly stabilize the foam during whipping and baking (Bennion & Bemford, <NUM>). Furthermore, by using emulsifiers, it is possible to whip the whole recipe (i.e. egg white, egg yolk, sugar, starch, wheat flour and baking powder) without side effects. However, such emulsifiers are used in combination with baking powder.

<CIT> describes a sodium free baking powder containing a combination of stabilized, X-ray amorphous calcium carbonate and a leavening acid. As leavening acids, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, fumaric acid and citric acid are disclosed.

<CIT> relates to the addition of citric acid combined with at least one of calcium hydroxide, calcium oxide and calcium carbonate to yeast raised doughs intended for microwave ovens.

<CIT> describes the mixing of encapsulatedchemical leavening agents into a dough with reduced shear to protect the encapsulation by a degradable barrier material applied to control the reaction of the leavening agent until a time during baking.

<CIT> relates to casein hydrolysates which do not contain any unhydrolysed casein, which have a defined molecular weight distribution and a number-average molecular weight of <NUM>-<NUM> and which are (almost) completely soluble in aqueous medium with a pH of <NUM>-<NUM>. The hydrolysates are intended as constituents of dietary food.

<CIT> relates to protein hydrolysates with a molecular weight in the range of <NUM> to <NUM> Da and a solubility of at least <NUM>% and their use as emulsifiers in the preparation of baked goods, in particular of fat-free cakes. The protein hydrolysate can be conjugated to a reducing sugar. The protein hydrolysate is neutralized to about pH <NUM> after hydrolysis with any acid suitable for food ingredients, such as lactic acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, citric acid or sulfuric acid, before spray drying.

<CIT> relates to the treatment of blood to obtain amino acids and to the preparation of protein food products from the hemoglobin-containing fraction of blood by subjecting blood to centrifugation to obtain i. a dark albumin (or hemoglobin) fraction, acidifying the latter to pH <NUM>-<NUM>, adding an anti-enzyme precipitant to precipitate enzyme-inhibitor substances and removing the precipitate, bringing the solution to the pH suitable for the enzyme used, subjecting the solution to enzyme proteolysis and acidifying the hydrolysate to an pH of less than <NUM>. The only acid mentioned is sulfuric acid. The obtained proteins/amino acids are used as nutrients.

<CIT> relates to protein-based foaming agents to be used in firefighting applications and oil recovery operations. The proteins are hydrolyzed and chemically modified by hydrolyzing a protein present in an animal by-product with a base to produce a hydrolyzed protein and chemically modifying the hydrolyzed protein.

Nowadays, the baking industry is interested to extend the volume of a cake based on the same amount of batter or to reduce the amount of ingredients and therefore costs to produce the same volume of cake without reducing cake quality. Further, consumer trends for more natural products and lower number of ingredients on the product label creates a demand for an alternative to chemical baking powder and synthetic emulsifiers such as mono-and diglycerides of fatty acids and synthetic fatty acid esters.

Additionally, for quite a long time now, sodium in food has been a concern. It is believed that an excessive sodium intake provokes or aggravates high blood pressure. Therefore, efforts are undertaken to replace sodium. While replacing sodium bicarbonate with potassium bicarbonate is not problematic for baking powders, the acidifier is more critical. Many batters react sensitively to an exchange of sodium acid pyrophosphate by other acidifiers, especially industrial batters.

Thus, the prior art does not provide a suitable whipping/aerating agent for industrial use that has the same leavening effect as the most commonly used whipping/aerating agents, such as emulsifiers, and good storage stability.

Therefore, the object remains to provide an aerating or whipping agent which is free of baking powder and chemical emulsifiers and yet allows to generate a fine foam and to stabilize foam under stressful environments such as baking.

It has surprisingly been found in the context of the presently claimed invention and as shown and exemplified herein, that the use of the protein hydrolysate or protein hydrolysate conjugate and an acid, such as lactic acid, in baked goods results in superior cake volume and elasticity compared to baking powder and chemical emulsifiers. The use of the protein hydrolysate or protein hydrolysate conjugate and an acid obviates the use of baking powder and chemical emulsifiers and yet results in the same preferred even cake crumb structure.

Thus, in one aspect, the presently claimed invention provides a use of a composition comprising.

In another aspect, the presently claimed invention provides a method for aerating a carbohydrate containing food product comprising the step of adding at least one composition comprising at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate and at least one acid and its salts thereof to the carbohydrate containing food product prior to aerating,.

In yet another aspect, the presently claimed invention relates to a composition comprising.

In yet another aspect, the presently claimed invention relates to a process for the preparation of the composition according to the invention, which comprises at least the steps of:.

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the presently claimed invention or the application and uses of the presently claimed invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, summary or the following detailed description.

Furthermore, the terms "(a)", "(b)", "(c)", "(d)" etc. and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the subject matter described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. In case the terms "(A)", "(B)" and "(C)" or AA), BB) and CC) or "(a)", "(b)", "(c)", "(d)", "(i)", "(ii)" etc. relate to steps of a method or use or assay there is no time or time interval coherence between the steps, that is, the steps may be carried out simultaneously or there may be time intervals of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years between such steps, unless otherwise indicated in the application as set forth herein above or below.

In the following passages, different aspects of the subject matter are defined in more detail. Each aspect so defined may be combined with any other aspect or aspects unless clearly indicated to the contrary. In particular, any feature indicated as being preferred or advantageous may be combined with any other feature or features indicated as being preferred or advantageous.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "preferred embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the presently claimed invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "In a preferred embodiment" or "in a preferred embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment but may refer. Furthermore, the features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments. Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some, but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the subject matter, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the appended claims, any of the claimed embodiments are used in any combination.

Furthermore, the ranges defined throughout the specification include the end values as well, i.e. a range of <NUM> to <NUM> implies that both <NUM> and <NUM> are included in the range. For the avoidance of doubt, the applicant shall be entitled to any equivalents according to applicable law.

The baked goods are products, wherein the lifting of the batter is preferably performed without the presence of yeast or sour dough or any baking powder, but is basically done by mechanically aerating the batter. In other words, the composition that is described herein is preferably free of any baking powder. Baking powder is a powder used as a leavening agent in making baked goods that typically consists of sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate. Hence, the compositions that are describec herein are free of sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate.

Preferred baked goods are cakes like sponge cake, swiss rolls or angel cakes.

In an embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a use of a composition comprising.

In preferred embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a use of a composition comprising.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one acid is selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, tartaric acid and sulfuric acid. In a more preferred embodiment, the at least one acid is lactic acid.

In another aspect, the presently claimed invention relates to a composition comprising.

Protein hydrolysate is defined as a mixture of amino acids prepared by splitting at least one protein with enzyme or by chemical treatment.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one protein hydrolysate is a plant or animal protein hydrolysate. The at least one protein is selected from the group consisting of wheat, soy, rice, potato, pea, sunflower, rape seed, lupin and milk protein hydrolysate. The at least one milk protein is selected from the group consisting of casein, whey protein and beta-lactoglobulin hydrolysate. In a more preferred embodiment at least one protein is selected from the group consisting of wheat hydrolysate and casein hydrolysate; more preferably casein hydrolysate.

Each protein has a different weight average molecular weight (Mw), and structure and therefore the optimal range of different protein hydrolysates depend of the individual protein.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one protein hydrolysate is an enzymatically hydrolysed protein hydrolysate. In yet another preferred embodiment, the enzymes are endopeptidases. The examples of endopeptidases enzymes are Alkalase and Neutrase.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the at least one protein hydrolysate is a chemically hydrolysed protein hydrolysate. The chemically hydrolysed protein hydrolysate is obtained by hydrolysis of a protein by an an acid or an alkali hydroxide. In a preferred embodiment, the alkali hydroxide is selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. In a preferred embodiment, the acid is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid. The conditions and the process must be carefully controlled to obtain a protein hydrolysate in the desired MW range.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one protein hydrolysate is unfiltered after hydrolysis. It is also possible to add a filtering step, when solubility after hydrolysis is too low, and needs to be increased to obtain a higher solubility, a lower batter density, a higher elasticity and a higher cake volume.

In another embodiment, the at least one protein hydrolysate is neutralized to about pH <NUM> after hydrolysis by application of any acid suitable for food ingredients. The acid suitable for food ingredients is selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, citric acid and sulfuric acid. This pH neutral protein hydrolysate is spray dried. The spray dried product has advantages depending on the other batter ingredients.

In a preferred embodiment, the maximum weight average molecular weight (MW) of the protein hydrolysate is <NUM> Da; more preferably <NUM>; yet more preferably <NUM>; most preferably <NUM>; particularly <NUM> or <NUM> Da. The lower the weight average molecular weight is, the finer the resulting cake structure after baking will be with respect to the air pockets in the cake. But a too small MW results in a loss of stability during whipping or baking, and the batter will have a higher density, or the batter will collapse during baking. Therefore, the minimum weight average molecular weight (MW) of the protein hydrolysate is <NUM> Da, preferably <NUM> Da, more preferably <NUM>; yet more preferably <NUM>; most preferably <NUM>; particularly <NUM> or <NUM> Da.

In a preferred embodiment, the weight average molecular weight (MW) of a casein hydrolysate is between <NUM> or <NUM> and <NUM> Da, more preferably between <NUM> or <NUM> and <NUM> Da or <NUM> and <NUM> Da; particularly between <NUM> and <NUM> Da or <NUM> and <NUM> Da.

The at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate is obtained by amino-carbonyl bonding of at least one protein hydrolysate with a weight average molecular weight (MW) in the range of ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM> Da and an at least one sugar having a weight average molecular weight (MW) in the range of ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM> Da. In a preferred embodiment, the amino-carbonyl bonding is performed at a temperature in the range of ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM>.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate is casein hydrolysate conjugate or wheat hydrolysate conjugate. For casein hydrolysate conjugate the MW of the hydrolysate is preferably between <NUM> and <NUM> Da, more preferably between <NUM> or <NUM> and <NUM> Da. For wheat hydrolysate conjugate, the MW of the hydrolysate is preferably between <NUM> and <NUM> Da, more preferably between <NUM> and <NUM> Da.

Molecular weight (MW) determination of protein hydrolysate:
In a preferred embodiment, the weight average molecular weight of the at least one protein hydrolysate and the at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate is determined by measuring OPA-N according to <NPL>) and Total N according to Dumas method <NUM> and calculating of the weight average molecular weight by the following formula: <MAT>.

In a more preferred embodiment, the at least one sugar is a reducing sugar. The reducing sugar is selected from the group consisting of monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the monosaccharide is selected from the group consisting of xylose, glucose, ribose, arabinose, galactose, fructose and mannose; more preferably the at least one monosaccharide is glucose.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the disaccharide is selected from the group consisting of lactose and maltose. In yet another preferred embodiment, the polysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of dextrin, dextran, mannan, galactomannan, pullulan, xanthan gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, tamarind seed gum, guar gum, galactooligosaccharide, monooligosaccharide, xylooligosaccharide, pectin, chitin, chitosan, and alginic acid.

The at least one sugar has a weight average molecular weight (MW) in the range of ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM> Da, preferably ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM> Da, more preferably ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM> Da, even more preferably ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM> Da.

Molecular weight determination of sugar:
In an embodiment, the molecular weight of the monosaccharide or disaccharide is determined by methods known in the art.

In an embodiment, the molecular weight of the polysaccharide is determined by chromatographic techniques (Gel permeation chromatography, High performance chromatography).

In an embodiment, the at least one sugar is a monosaccharide or a disaccharide.

In a preferred embodiment of the use and method of the invention, the composition comprises.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the molar ratio of the at least one sugar to the at least one protein hydrolysate is in the range of ≥ <NUM>:<NUM> to ≤ <NUM>:<NUM>.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one protein hydrolysate is conjugated with at least one reducing sugar. An advantage of this conjugation is the reduction of a bitter taste of some protein hydrolysates without influencing or reducing the baking performance of the hydrolysates. Conjugation in the context of this application means more than just mixing hydrolysate and sugar but performing a Maillard reaction at elevated temperature. The conjugation is initiated by a condensation of amino groups of the protein hydrolysate with the carbonyl groups on the reducing sugar, resulting in Schiff base formation and rearrangement to Amadori and Heyns products. The conjugation can be performed in solutions/dispersions or in dry state and is preferably performed in solution with high concentration of peptides and sugars with reducing end. The hydrolysates treated by this conjugation are called "conjugated hydrolysates". The process of conjugation is controlled by selecting, e.g. pH, temperature and reaction time depending on the respective protein hydrolysate and its MW. Higher amount of sugar results in less bitterness and higher pH results in less bitterness as well as longer reaction time further reduces bitterness. Preferably, the temperature is about <NUM> as higher temperatures need very accurate control of the process to avoid changes in color of the conjugate which are not desired for some applications where a white powder is preferred. The level of conjugation is characterized by determining the degree of conjugation.

In a preferred embodiment, the degree of conjugation, measured according to the method explained below, is in the range of ≥ <NUM> % to ≤ <NUM> %; more preferably ≥ <NUM> % to ≤ <NUM> %. It is to be understood that the higher the amount of sugar is, the lower is the bitterness of the conjugated hydrolysate, as more bitter taste causing groups can react with the reducing sugar. Therefore, the amount of sugar is higher for more bitter hydrolysates such as casein hydrolysate than for less bitter peptides such as wheat protein hydrolysate and will be adjusted depending of the individual bitterness.

In a preferred embodiment, the composition that is used according to the presently claimed invention is free of isolated emulsifiers selected form the group consisting of Lecithin (E322); Polysorbates (E432-<NUM>); Ammonium phosphatides (E442); Sodium, potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids (E470); Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471); Acetic acid ester of mono and diglycerides (E472a); Lactic acid ester of mono and diglycerides (E472b); Citric acid ester of mono and diglycerides (E472c); Diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (E472e); sucrose esters of fatty acids (E473); sucroglycerides (E474); Propylene Glycol Esters of Fatty Acids (E477); Polyglycerol ester of fatty acid (E475); polyglycerol ester of castor oil fatty acids (E476); thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E479) and sodium and calcium stearyl lactylate (E481 and E482) as all these emulsifiers have to be listed with their E number on a product label. Isolated emulsifiers in the context of this application mean emulsifiers prepared and added as a separate component to the batter and not as a naturally occurring part of an ingredient such as e.g. lecithin present in egg yolk.

In another preferred embodiment, the composition that is used according to the presently claimed invention is free of baking powder.

In one embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a method for aerating a carbohydrate containing food product comprising the step of adding at least one composition comprising at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate and at least one acid and its salts thereof to the carbohydrate containing food product prior to aerating. In a more preferred embodiment, the presently claimed method for aerating a carbohydrate containing food product is performed for the preparation of baked goods.

In a preferred embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a use, according to claim <NUM>, of a composition comprising at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate and at least one acid and its salts thereof in baked goods.

In a preferred embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a use, according to claim <NUM>, of the composition comprising at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate; and at least one acid and its salts thereof, in baked goods.

In a preferred embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a use, according to claim <NUM>, of the composition comprising at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate; and lactic acid and its salts thereof, in baked goods.

The amount of the at least one protein hydrolysate or the at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate for the use or method according to the presently claimed invention is depending on the content of flour in the batter.

The molar ratio of the acid and its salts thereof to the at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate is in the range of ≥<NUM>:<NUM> to ≤<NUM>:<NUM>.

The molar ratio of the acid and its salts thereof to the at least one protein hydrolysate is in the range of ≥<NUM>:<NUM> to ≤ <NUM>:<NUM>.

The quality of the composition having at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate and at least one acid to create a fine and stable foam is determined by the batter density. The lower batter density means, the batter is comprising more air bubbles and the final cake volume will be higher, if there is also sufficient stabilization during baking.

In a preferred embodiment, the batter density of a standard cake recipe including the composition comprising the at least one protein hydrolysate or the at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate and at least one acid and its salts thereof after whipping and before baking is ≤ <NUM>/L; more preferably ≤ <NUM>/L. The whipping is performed according to example part "Whipping".

In a preferred embodiment, for an only starch comprising batter the amount of protein hydrolysate or the at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate, in the batter is in the range of ≥ <NUM> % (w/w) to ≤ <NUM> % (w/w). The optimal dosing depends on the individual protein hydrolysate or the protein hydrolysate conjugate, the batter variation and additional ingredients each baker makes.

In a preferred embodiment, for an only starch comprising batter the amount of casein hydrolysate or casein hydrolysate conjugate in the batter is <NUM> % (w/w); more preferably <NUM> % (w/w); in particular <NUM> % (w/w).

In yet another preferred embodiment, the maximum amount of wheat protein hydrolysate or wheat protein hydrolysate conjugate in the batter is <NUM> % (w/w); more preferably <NUM> % (w/w), in particular <NUM> % (w/w).

In a preferred embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a method, according to claim <NUM>, for aerating a carbohydrate containing food product comprising the step of adding the composition comprising at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate and at least one acid and its salts thereof to the carbohydrate containing food product prior to aerating, wherein the carbohydrate containing food product is free of isolated emulsifiers selected form the group consisting of Lecithin (E322); Polysorbates (E432-<NUM>); Ammonium phosphatides (E442); Sodium, potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids (E470); Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471); Acetic acid ester of mono and diglycerides (E472a); Lactic acid ester of mono and diglycerides (E472b); Citric acid ester of mono and diglycerides (E472c); Diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (E472e); sucrose esters of fatty acids (E473); sucroglycerides (E474); Propylene Glycol Esters of Fatty Acids (E477); Polyglycerol ester of fatty acid (E475); polyglycerol ester of castor oil fatty acids (E476); thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E479) and sodium and calcium stearyl lactylate (E481 and E482) as all these emulsifiers have to be listed with their E number on a product label. Isolated emulsifiers in the context of this application mean emulsifiers prepared and added as a separate component to the batter and not as a naturally occurring part of an ingredient such as e.g. lecithin present in egg yolk.

In a preferred embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a method, according to claim <NUM>, for aerating a carbohydrate containing food product comprising the step of adding at least one composition comprising at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate and at least one acid and its salts thereof to the carbohydrate containing food product prior to aerating, wherein the carbohydrate containing food product is free of baking powder.

In a preferred embodiment, the volume of a standard cake comprising the composition comprising at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate and at least one acid and its salts thereof, which is a cake baked of <NUM> to <NUM> batter according to the flour/starch or starch recipe, is <NUM> to <NUM> flour. The volume after baking is an important quality parameter together with the crumb structure of the cake. The volume can be determined by various methods such as laser scanning or rapeseed displacement method. A sponge cake is expected to be light and having an even structure. High volumes often result in big air pockets and an irregular structure.

In a preferred embodiment, the composition of the invention is used as a lyophilizec or spray dried powder. It is also possible to apply the composition as a liquid or concentrate directly after hydrolysis, but protein liquids are generally more difficult to stabilize and to preserve than dried powders, especially for food applications.

In one embodiment, the presently claimed invention provides a process for the preparation of a composition according to the invention, which comprises at least the steps of:.

In a preferred embodiment, lactic acid is present in a solid form or in the form of a solution, preferably an aqueous solution. In yet another preferred embodiment, the lactic acid and its salts thereof are present in the form of a solution.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the pH in step i) is in the range of ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM>.

The presently claimed process further comprises at least one processing step selected from the group consisting of spray drying, pasteurization and lyophilization of the mixture; more preferably spray drying and lyophilization.

The presently claimed invention is illustrated in detail by non-restrictive working examples which follow. More particularly, the test methods specified hereinafter are part of the general disclosure of the application and are not restricted to the specific working examples.

Solubility of the protein hydrolysate is determined for the protein hydrolysate powders after spray drying by dispersing <NUM> protein hydrolysate powder in <NUM>,<NUM> tap water with <NUM>,<NUM> Clarcel DIC-B as filtration aide at <NUM>. Care must be taken that the protein hydrolysate powder does not form clumps, when it is dispensed into the water, by adding it slowly to the water phase. The dispersion is then adjusted to pH <NUM> ± <NUM>,<NUM> using NaOH or HCl. The dispersion/solution is stirred with a magnetic stirrer at <NUM> rpm for <NUM> hour. The sample is filtered under pressure at <NUM>,<NUM> bars using Seitz K <NUM> R001/ <NUM> filter paper. Protein concentration was measured before filtration and in the filtrate. Solubility was calculated by the following formula:<MAT>.

The protein concentration is analyzed per an ISO standard method (ISO <NUM>). Samples are converted to gases by heating in a combustion tube which gasifies samples. Interfering components are removed from the resulting gas mixture. The nitrogen compounds in the gas mixture or a representative part of them are converted to molecular nitrogen, which is quantitatively determined by a thermal conductivity detector. The nitrogen content is calculated by a microprocessor. To estimate the protein content based on nitrogen the following factors where used: Wheat protein, <NUM>,<NUM>; casein and soy <NUM>,<NUM>; rice <NUM>,<NUM>.

A weight average molecular weight MW value was determined by measuring OPA-N (<NPL>). OPA-N does not give a direct indication of MW but only the amount of end amine groups per sample. A MW measurement needs to be done prior to the conjugation. An MW value can be gotten by dividing the total amount of nitrogen (total amount of Nitrogen is measured with the Dumas method <NUM> described above) found with the OPA-N value using the following formula:<MAT>.

Method to quantify Mono- and diglyceride see <NPL>.

First OPA-N value is divided by the total amount of nitrogen i.e. free amino group divided by total amount of nitrogen from all amino acids. Then calculate the % reduction of this ratio after conjugation.

OPA-Nstart is the OPA-N value of hydrolysed protein without conjugation reaction and OPA-Nend is the OPA-N value after conjugation reaction. Similarly, Nitrogenstart is the total nitrogen content of the hydrolysed protein without conjugation reaction while Nitrogenend is the total nitrogen content after conjugation reaction. The ratios are used to account for the dilution effect which occurs when sugar is added to the system therefore both total nitrogen and OPA-N is directly reduced by the dilution. However, by using the ratios only the absolute reduction in free amino groups are calculated.

Hardness and Elasticity of the baked goods was determined by texture profile analyses (TPA) (TA-XT2i, Stable Micro Systems, Surrey GU7 1YL Unitid Kingdom)) which was done with a texture analyzer.

Proteins were dispersed in water followed by pH adjustment. The pH was adjusted to the optimal pH range for each enzyme and can thus vary depending on which enzyme was used. The common processing temperature was <NUM>-<NUM>. When temperature and pH conditions of the protein dispersion were stable, the enzyme was added to start the protein hydrolysis reaction. The reaction time dictates the MW of the protein hydrolysate that was produced thus protein hydrolysate properties can be controlled by the reaction time. When the desired MW was achieved, the reaction was stopped by either increasing temperature to denature the enzyme or by changing pH. Common denaturation temperatures are <NUM>-<NUM>, depending on the type of enzyme used. After denaturation, the protein hydrolysate was lyophilized using, but not limited to, spray drying or freeze drying.

The protein hydrolysate was dissolved in water, the sugar was added to the solution at <NUM>- <NUM> and pH was adjusted to <NUM> or <NUM> with NaOH. The system was stirred while pH was kept constant using NaOH. After <NUM> or <NUM> minutes the system was spray dried to form powder.

Water (<NUM>) was heated to <NUM>-<NUM> (temperature was kept during the whole hydrolysis time) and NaOH (<NUM>% NaOH solution, <NUM>-<NUM>) was added to it. Casein (<NUM>-<NUM>) (moelcular weight approx. 20KDa) was added into the warm water and the pH was adjusted to <NUM>-<NUM> using <NUM>% NaOH solution. Alcalase (<NUM>-<NUM>) was added to it and the material was stirred for <NUM>-<NUM> minutes while slowly adding <NUM>-<NUM> of casein (pH was kept at <NUM>-<NUM>). Alcalase (<NUM>-<NUM>) was added and pH was kept constant at pH <NUM>-<NUM> for <NUM>-<NUM> minutes using <NUM>% NaOH solution. Optionally <NUM>-<NUM> of casein was added while keeping pH at <NUM>-<NUM> for <NUM>-<NUM> minutes. The mixture was stirred for <NUM>-<NUM> minutes while the pH was not kept constant. The end pH was <NUM>-<NUM>. The enzymatic reaction was stopped by heating to <NUM>-<NUM>, and the temperature was kept constant for <NUM> minutes. The weight average molecular weight of the casein hydrolysate was between <NUM> and <NUM> Da.

The mixture was cooled to <NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> of dextrose (Mw- <NUM>/ mol) was added to the solution then NaOH (<NUM>% NaOH solution) was used to adjust the pH to <NUM>-<NUM> and the pH was kept for <NUM>. The weight average molecular weight of the casein hydrolysate conjugate was between <NUM> and <NUM> Da. Lactic acid (<NUM>-<NUM>% solution) was added to it and pH was adjusted to <NUM>. The mixture was spray dried to form a powder.

The baking performance of a protein hydrolysate was tested in a standard cake application (Table <NUM>). A blend of <NUM> wheat flour, <NUM> native wheat starch, <NUM> sugar, <NUM> sodium chloride and either, <NUM> whole egg, <NUM> egg white and <NUM> water or <NUM> whole egg and <NUM> was whipped up together with the protein hydrolysate in a planetary mixer (Hobart N <NUM>, Dayton, Ohio, USA) for <NUM> minutes at step <NUM> and additional <NUM> seconds at step <NUM>.

After whipping, the batter density was determined by weighing the amount (g) of batter that fills a <NUM> bowl. The weight was multiplied with four to achieve a batter density in gram per liter. Example: <NUM> batter in <NUM> bowl * <NUM> = batter density of <NUM>/L.

<NUM> batter was weighed into a round baking tin (<NUM> diameter, <NUM> high) and baked at <NUM> for approx. <NUM> minutes in deck oven (Wachtel, Hilden, Germany) with opened draft.

The volume of the standard cake was determined by using a laser scanner (Volscan <NUM> VSP6000152 Stable Micro Systems, Surrey GU7 1YL United Kingdom).

Cake structure evaluation was performed by letting the cake cool down to room temperature (store at room temperature for <NUM> hour) then the cake was cut horizontally in the middle to investigate the cake structure. The cake structure was evaluated haptically and visually by skilled master bakers or lab technicians.

The cake recipes <NUM> (<FIG>) and recipe <NUM> (<FIG>), recipe <NUM> ( <FIG>), recipe <NUM> ( <FIG>) are according to the invention and recipes <NUM> (<FIG>) and <FIG>) are not according to the invention (comparative).

The recipes <NUM>-<NUM> were tested and the texture profile analysis (TPA) was performed on parameters of hardness and elasticity for recipes <NUM>-<NUM>.

Claim 1:
Use of a composition comprising
a) at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate; and
b) at least one acid and its salts thereof;
wherein the at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate is obtained by amino-carbonyl bonding of an at least one protein hydrolysate with a weight average molecular weight (MW) in the range of ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM> Da and at least one sugar having a weight average molecular weight (MW) in the range of ≥ <NUM> to ≤ <NUM> Da;
wherein the molar ratio of the at least one acid and its salts thereof to the at least one protein hydrolysate or at least one protein hydrolysate conjugate is in the range of ≥<NUM>:<NUM> to ≤<NUM>:<NUM>; as whipping agent.