staling

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staling Starch has a crystalline structure which is lost during baking. Subsequently the starch recrystallizes, i.e. it retrogrades and, in the instance of bread, the crumb loses its softness and the bread goes stale.

Staling can be delayed by emulsifiers (crumb softeners) such as polyoxyethylene and monoglyceride derivatives of fatty acids.

Retrogradation of starch also takes place in dehydrated potatoes.