Process analytical technology for bakery industry: A review

Bakery products are appreciably consumed by the populace of all age groups globally, owing to their flavor and easily digestible nature. The availability of diversified products like bread, cookies, biscuits, muffins, cakes, tortillas, rolls, wafers, and pies has further facilitated their consumption. However, variation in processing parameters and raw material quality triggers many biochemical changes, complex reactions, and physical modifications which are intricate and least understood in the food industry till date. Many operational and product failures have been discovered owing to this poor assimilation of controls in the baking process. In this scenario, bakery manufacturers are increasingly considering the adoption of process analytical technology initiated by the United States Food and Drug Administration to facilitate the production of bakery products with increased safety, product quality, and process efficacy. Studies on the applications of process analytical technology for the bakery industry are outlined and reviewed through this article. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Process analytical techniques are suitable in monitoring various unit operations within a bakery industry that requires process optimization and are sensitive to process extremities of time and temperature. Applications of process analytical technology (PAT) in the bakery unit varies from ingredient metering to optimizing mixing parameters, monitoring baking process and quality analysis of the final product. It possesses fast, reliable, real‐time, and nondestructive evaluation, which makes it a process of choice. Moreover, the need for the development of calibration models, sensors, and chemometrics restrict the adoption of PAT in the bakery industry. Therefore, future research aiding to the progress of PAT technique equipped with strong data tools that enhance understanding of critical points in the process and product line is warranted.