Need help identifying bread aroma additives used in commercial bakeries (UK)
Hello all. I hope you can help me identify a smell.
My local supermarkets and bakeries (in the UK) all bake their own bread and rolls in-store. Part of the baking process involves the addition of what they call an "emulsifier" mixture - an off-white/beige grainy powder.
However, this mixture contains more than just emulsifiers. It's also responsible for a strong and unmistakeably "bready" aroma which then permeates through the entire supermarket and, of course, affects the aroma and taste of the finished product.
I am trying to find out exactly what ingredient(s) contribute to this very recognisable aroma.
I have asked the in-store bakers however they (understandably) don't know. All they know is the aroma comes from this "emulsifier mix". I was allowed to smell a sample of the powder and it is indeed the source of the "fresh bread" smell.
It does not smell like yeast, alcohol, sourdough, or hops. I would describe it the stereotypical smell of a completed loaf of bread, only stronger. The kind of smell you get when you rip open a soft morning roll (indeed, morning rolls are a prime example of a product which makes heavy use of this aroma). The same smell is not replicable by methods such as long fermenting or the addition of cereals into a dough; this aroma is definitely "chemically enhanced".
I appreciate whatever mixture is being used is probably a proprietary blend of aromatic compounds, however I am wondering if anyone out there has ever encountered such a mixture before, and could point me towards a supplier and/or a source for something similar?
It's such a common aroma throughout virtually all commercial bakeries in the UK that somebody must have encountered it before.
Thanks.