Sponge cake water activity

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Hello dear Sirs
I need a help if you can please :
What to do to reduce or increase the sponge cake water activity ?
What factors that affecting on it ?
Why there is no bubbles in the cake during baking in a oven with 3 zones ?
Thank you so much for your help
 
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Hello dear Sirs
I need a help if you can please :
What to do to reduce or increase the sponge cake water activity ?
What factors that affecting on it ?
Why there is no bubbles in the cake during baking in a oven with 3 zones ?
Thank you so much for your help


I’m sorry but I’m not clear as to your question as water activity and bubbles in a batter are not related to one another.

Water activity is the measure of free water molecules in the food and the water vapor in the air. Water molecules that are not bound to other molecules, are “free” and available to bind with harmful bacteria that leads to food poisoning. So water activity level is used to determine proper cooking, handling, and storage of the product. It’s not used to determine how a product bakes.

The bubbles that are visible in cake batter are produced from the leavening.

If you are using a chemical leavener, baking powder or baking soda or a combination of both, You need to activate the leavening.

Baking powder simply needs moisture to activate as it is a combination of baking soda with a acid.

Baking soda requires an acid to activate. The most common acids used to activate baking soda are buttermilk, yogurt, vinegar, or lemon juice.

If you are using a traditional sponge cake without a chemical leavener, then the bubbles are from the whipped egg whites. You may not see visible bubbles during baking.

But not knowing what your issue is with the cake and not knowing your formula and mixing method, it’s not possible to help you out.
 
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I’m sorry but I’m not clear as to your question as water activity and bubbles in a batter are not related to one another.

Water activity is the measure of free water molecules in the food and the water vapor in the air. Water molecules that are not bound to other molecules, are “free” and available to bind with harmful bacteria that leads to food poisoning. So water activity level is used to determine proper cooking, handling, and storage of the product. It’s not used to determine how a product bakes.

The bubbles that are visible in cake batter are produced from the leavening.

If you are using a chemical leavener, baking powder or baking soda or a combination of both, You need to activate the leavening.

Baking powder simply needs moisture to activate as it is a combination of baking soda with a acid.

Baking soda requires an acid to activate. The most common acids used to activate baking soda are buttermilk, yogurt, vinegar, or lemon juice.

If you are using a traditional sponge cake without a chemical leavener, then the bubbles are from the whipped egg whites. You may not see visible bubbles during baking.

But not knowing what your issue is with the cake and not knowing your formula and mixing method, it’s not possible to help you out.
Dear
We have a sponge cake production line with an oven which has 3 burners on 3 zones
But we have a problem with water activity it's higher than limit
And if I looked at any window of the oven there was big bubbles inside the batter before now it doesn't show
 
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I guess English isn't your first language, so I'll try and keep things simple :) The bubbles aren't caused by water, they are caused by air. The raising agent (eg baking powder, bicarbonate of soda) creates air bubbles in the cake batter, so it is probably the cause of the bubbles you see. When the cake is in the oven the heat causes the tiny air bubbles to get bigger (because air expands when it gets warmer) which is what is causing those bubbles you see. It is not water.

Has the recipe changed recently? Is the oven set to a higher temperature than before?
 
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Dear
We have a sponge cake production line with an oven which has 3 burners on 3 zones
But we have a problem with water activity it's higher than limit
And if I looked at any window of the oven there was big bubbles inside the batter before now it doesn't show


In the US, water activity has a very specific meaning in food production. It’s not something that has anything to do with the actual baking. Rather, water activity is a measure of free water to determine potential bacteria growth.


From your description of visible bubbles during baking I take it to me the cake batter produces a lot of carbon dioxide gas during baking, creating a finished cake with a coarse open crumb. There’s a lot of factors that will cause this.


Chemical Leavening: if chemical leaveners are not thoroughly sifted into the flour it will produce a mix of large uneven gas bubbles throughout the batter. Sift chemical leavener in thoroughly.


Machincal leavening: whipped egg whites is mechanical leavening. Over whipped egg whites will produce too many air bubbles. If you are beating to stiff peak stage, reduce to firm or soft peak egg whites.


Too much leavening: Whether you use chemical leavening or mechanical leavening or a combination of both, make sure you are using the appropriate leaveners at the appropriate amounts.

Mixing method: the mixing method and amount of mixing is the number one cause of too much gluten development. Too much gluten traps too many gas into bubbles as soon as they form. It’s better to have a week gluten structure for cake batter so it does not trap as many bubbles. The high ratio mixing method works best to minimize gluten development.

Flour protein: strong flour will create too strong a gluten network. Make sure your flour is a low protein flour suitable for cake.

Ingredients temperature: if the liquid and fats are too cold they will not emulsify properly and the emulsion will break. Improper emulsification will create a coarse uneven crumb. Check the temperature of all your ingredients before mixing.

Finished Batter Temperature: after the mixing the temperature should be 68°F – 72°F (20°C – 22°C).
 
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In the US, water activity has a very specific meaning in food production. It’s not something that has anything to do with the actual baking. Rather, water activity is a measure of free water to determine potential bacteria growth.


From your description of visible bubbles during baking I take it to me the cake batter produces a lot of carbon dioxide gas during baking, creating a finished cake with a coarse open crumb. There’s a lot of factors that will cause this.


Chemical Leavening: if chemical leaveners are not thoroughly sifted into the flour it will produce a mix of large uneven gas bubbles throughout the batter. Sift chemical leavener in thoroughly.


Machincal leavening: whipped egg whites is mechanical leavening. Over whipped egg whites will produce too many air bubbles. If you are beating to stiff peak stage, reduce to firm or soft peak egg whites.


Too much leavening: Whether you use chemical leavening or mechanical leavening or a combination of both, make sure you are using the appropriate leaveners at the appropriate amounts.

Mixing method: the mixing method and amount of mixing is the number one cause of too much gluten development. Too much gluten traps too many gas into bubbles as soon as they form. It’s better to have a week gluten structure for cake batter so it does not trap as many bubbles. The high ratio mixing method works best to minimize gluten development.

Flour protein: strong flour will create too strong a gluten network. Make sure your flour is a low protein flour suitable for cake.

Ingredients temperature: if the liquid and fats are too cold they will not emulsify properly and the emulsion will break. Improper emulsification will create a coarse uneven crumb. Check the temperature of all your ingredients before mixing.

Finished Batter Temperature: after the mixing the temperature should be 68°F – 72°F (20°C – 22°C).
thank you so much cate
i really appreciate it a lot
 

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