Chemical leavening and other baker’s yeast substitutes: overview of patents filed between 1833 and 2019

Abstract

The aim of this study was to review general trends in the patent literature on baker’s yeast substitutes, including chemical leavening and gas injection. Overall, 494 unique inventions were described in patents filed over about 200 years, between 1833 and 2019. About two-thirds of patented inventions targeted acid-reacting materials, and the rest was on non-specific protection of active ingredients (13%), gas injection such as in the aerated bread process (12%), gas-releasing agents like sodium bicarbonate (9%) and miscellaneous dough improvers, including flavouring agents and nutrients (4%). Drawbacks included off-taste and potentially non-healthy residues such as aluminium. Most baker’s yeast substitutes were dry chemical preparations, so-called baking powders, that mainly allowed easy and cheap production of miscellaneous fat- and sugar-rich foods such as cakes, and probably contributed to the popularity of the latter. Applications included ready-to-use dry bakery mixes and refrigerated doughs. Yeast substitutes were originally developed for bread in England and perfected later for fat-rich bakery foods, mainly in the United States. where inventors owned 59% of total patents. Specific aspects of baker’s yeast substitutes will be fully covered in companion articles.