Exploring the influence of ohmic heating on the action of baking powders and pound cake textural properties

• Chemical leavening is essential for cake porosity and good volume expansion. • Ohmic heating (OH) mechanism affects action of chemical leavening and acid levels. • Blended acids in baking powders aid in optimization of cake leavening system. • OH generates higher core temperature during baking, impacting pound cake texture. Ohmic heating (OH) involves application of an electric field to a conductive material, causing internal heat generation through resistance. This technology offers novel possibilities for the food industry, yet, its application within the baking industry has been minimally explored. At present, industrial use of OH is in operation for bread crumb (panko), wile for cake making remains at research level. This study explores OH's impact on cake quality by varying baking powder (BP) levels and using a combination of two leavening acids of sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP10 and SAPP40) in a batch process. Compared to conventional baking, OH-baked cakes were notably different in appearance, eliminating distinct crust formation. Although the specific volumes (2.1 – 2.8 cm3/g) and porosities (62 – 72 %) of cakes fell within a common range for both methods of baking, the different mechanisms of heating significantly influenced the impact of BP levels and SAPP10/SAPP40 ratios resulting in very dissimilar response surfaces. Also, higher levels of BP significantly reduced crumb firmness at the center (3.8 N) for OH cakes. The response surface analysis indicated that the optimal formulation for OH involved 3.30 % BP with 60 % SAPP10 and 40 % SAPP40 blend. The study concludes that OH significantly reduces baking time by 60 %, providing industrial advantages without compromising cake quality. Although this study provides valuable insights into both product quality and process parameters with OH, it is constrained by sensory analysis on OH cakes, suggesting the need for further evaluation to validate consumer acceptance.