Dough Conditioners
Processing_aidOverview
Dough conditioners including L-cysteine, azodicarbonamide, and DATEM modify gluten structure to enable high-speed industrial bread production. These additives allow 10x faster production than traditional breadmaking methods.
39,058
Products contain this
1,901
Ingredient variations
Common forms
Azodicarbonamide, DATEM, SSL, L-cysteine, enzymes
Function
Dough conditioners reduce mixing time, improve gas retention, and standardize texture across varying flour qualities. They enable mechanical processing that would destroy traditional dough structure.
Sources
L-cysteine was historically derived from human hair or duck feathers, now produced through fermentation. Azodicarbonamide is synthetically manufactured specifically for food and plastics industries.
Health Considerations
Azodicarbonamide decomposes to form semicarbazide, showing weak carcinogenic activity in animals. DATEM may affect cardiac muscle based on animal studies at high doses.
Regulatory
FDA permits azodicarbonamide at 45ppm though it is banned in EU and Australia. L-cysteine has GRAS status with specific usage limits in baked goods.
Common Variations (50 total)
Products Containing Dough Conditioners
Showing 12 of 39,058 products, sorted by processing level