The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

over dose of L cystiene

brent123's picture
brent123

over dose of L cystiene

i here can oneone help me out if i add  to much of L cystiene to my dough what faults will i get in the hole process

Comments

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi brent123,
I don't know where you are based, but here in the UK the legal maximum quantity of L-Cysteine permitted for use in bread is 80 ppm. That is 80 units for every million units of flour...whether in grams, ounces etc by weight, of course.
That is not very much at all [actually 0.008%]! It is a very powerful chemical.
Its use in a bread improver formulation is as a Reducing Agent. In other words it breaks down the gluten network to create an extensible dough, rather than one which is overly elastic. If you use too much, your dough will breakdown very quickly. I suspect you also run the risk of making yourself ill if you eat finished product which contains an excess too.
Best wishes
Andy

Bara1's picture
Bara1

I find this interesting.  I've been searching for L-Cysteine on the web but I cannot get hold of any at all except as a kind of supplement for weight lifters etc.  Does anybody know where I can get hold of it?  I too am in the UK.  Thank you.

nicodvb's picture
nicodvb

is a good replacement. Microwaved yeast was adviced, or yeast sprinkled with all the salt and sugar called for in the recipe until it foams. Dead yeast is a source of glutathione that is a dough relaxer (a compound of Cysteine and 2 other amminoacids).