Bleaching and Maturing Agents

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top 1000How Baking Works
How Baking Works

By Paula Figoni

Published 2003

  • About
Maturing agents are additives that change the baking properties of flours. Maturing agents are added to flour by the miller and are found in many dough conditioners that can be added by the baker.

Some maturing agents strengthen gluten, while others weaken it. Because the same term—maturing agent—is used to describe additives that have completely opposite functions, it can be confusing. In this text, maturing agents that strengthen gluten, such as potassium bromate and ascorbic acid, will be called maturing agents that strengthen, while those that do not will be called maturing agents that weaken. In either case, only very small amounts (parts per million) of maturing agents are necessary to cause the desired changes.