Of Flavours And Colours

While colours work by increasing the visual appeal of the bakery products, flavours help bakers to develop a unique taste of the products

- Jyotismita Sharma

They sound a little too cosmetic, but in reality both flavours and colours serve as key ingredients in bakery products. Colours work by increasing the visual appeal of the products and this is no mean achievement. Research works have proved that when it comes to the choice of food, vision is the main sense that people use as their guide.

The primary function of flavours goes even deeper. They can not only enhance the taste by neutralising the foul smell of some essential ingredients, but can also help bakers to develop a unique taste of the products. Using flavours and other ingredients in specific proportions can help bakers produce refreshing taste.

Fruits of Flavours

While appearance often becomes the basis for initial choice of a product, flavour holds the key to most subsequent bakery sales. According to experts, there are several ways to derive a unique flavour in bakery production. For example, the process of baking itself – during brown reaction and caramelisation — can bring about changes which can add flavour to the product.

The flavour may also depend on the process of fermentation. For example, breads made from sourdough or overnight sponge would have a different flavour from those made from short sponges and straight dough process. The use of different varieties of dried and preserved fruits and nuts to produce different types of flavours and finishes is also common in bakeries.

And there are, of course, the flavour additives which can be natural, synthetic and imitation, with endless combinations of all the three.