What is the effect of the sorbic acid or the potassium sorbate ratios on the shelf life of the cakes?
In the recommended cake recipes for the implementation of the PentaCake, we recommend the usage of sorbate as a preservative. The default values in the cake recipes are 0.18% Sorbic acid or 0.24% potassium sorbate, which were calculated according to a limitation of 2000 ppm sorbates in the final baked product. In some countries, the maximum sorbate limit is smaller. Then, there is need to compensate this lack of preservative by other means. The sorbate is mostly active in acidic conditions. Thus, while its concentration is low, there is need to increase its effectiveness by increasing the acidity of the cake (i.e., reducing its pH). This can be done by the addition of acetic acid. Additionally, elongation of the baking time reduces the water activity of the cake and improves its microbial stability.
