HALAL BAKERY

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Halal industry encompasses of food, beverages, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, tourism sectors, among others. One of the sub-sectors in halal food sector is bakery industry. Bakery business refer to business that produce and sells food-based flour baked in the oven. These include a wide variety of products such as bread, rolls, buns, crumpets, muffins, bagels, pancakes, doughnuts, waffles, and cookies and other filled products such as fruit and meat pies, sausage rolls, pastries, sandwiches, cream cakes, pizza, and quiche. These products are mainly composed of raw ingredients such as wheat flour, water, yeast, salt, and other ingredients.

Bakery products can be classified into four classifications:

1. Bread is food made from the main ingredients of flour, yeast, salt, water, and other additives: sugar, margarine, egg, milk, and others. Example of bread include such as Banana bread, Baguette, Breadstick, Brioche, Challah, Ciabatta, Cornbread, Focaccia, Multigrain bread, Pita bread, Pumpernickel, Rye bread, Soda bread, Sourdough, Whole wheat, etc.
2. Cake is a sweet food product made from the main ingredients of flour, sugar, egg, and margarine. Example of cakes include such as Pound cake, sponge cake, cheesecake and muffins are examples of cake. Different types of cakes such as Yellow butter cake, Poundcake, Red velvet cake, Carrot cake, Sponge cake, Genoise cake, Chiffon cake, Flourless cake, Angel food cake, Fruit cake, cheesecake, Muffins, etc. 
3. Pastry is a type of bakery product made from ingredients: flour, fat, sugar, salt, water, and other ingredients. Example of pastry such as Pies, Tarts, Quiches, Croissants, Pastries, Creampuff, Waffles, etc.
4. Biscuits/cookies are pastry products made from the main ingredients: flour, eggs, and margarine with additional ingredients such as chocolate, almonds, cashews, and others. Example of biscuits/cookies include such as Chocolate biscuits, Gingernuts, Shortbread, Custard creams, Scone, Beaten biscuits, Wheat and cream biscuits, Digestive biscuits, Rich tea, Cream crackers, etc.

Any business can be categorized as bakery businesses if it at least has (1) a manufacturing facility or kitchen (width of 100m²) for the minimum food processing and (2) equipment(s) for mixing and processing bakery products such as dough mixer, baking oven and gas stove. The bakery can also be categorized as a retail food business if it sells bakery products such as cake (including wedding cake), artisan bread, and pastry Industry bakery itself has several variations of scales which comprises from large-scale and small scale. The large-scale category is where the bakery has its factories and shops. This large-scale bakery category usually requires more capital, including the cost of shops, factories, and employees. The focus is on large-scale production and sales.

The other type of scale is industrial small-scale. This kind of industrial small-scale can also be referred as cottage industry. This is small business bakery industry, where the industry produces bakery products at home or has a small factory located not far from the owner’s house, making it easier for the owner to control. Usually, the owner has minimum capital and resources because the owner is more focused on skills in producing bakery and adjusting the existing market around.

Bakery products are an integral part of lifestyle. Despite the popularity, there are few concerns pertaining to halal in these products. One of the main Halal issues concerning bakery products are the source of the ingredients used. For example, the common application of ‘critical’ ingredient such as gelatin in the bakery products. Specifically, gelatin is one of the raw ingredients that are widely used due to its ability as a foaming agent, gelling agent, plasticizer, emulsifier, stabilizer, thickener, moisture retention, enhancing texture, and binder. Because of these characteristics, gelatin is commonly used in multiple bakeries products such as cakes.

Raw ingredients are of concern to Muslim consumers because the sources may come from the animals that are not slaughtered in the name of God and non-halal animals. Analysis of bakery products can be very complicated because the nature of the ingredients used in the products is very complex there are several ingredients in bread and cake products that are maybe doubtful (questionable) in term of their halal status, these include:

1.  Blood plasma (in the form of plasma protein isolates) as a substitute for part of wheat flour in bread making, also in place of egg white.

2.  L-cysteine is an additive that is used as an improving agent/improves the properties of desired wheat flour. L-cysteine ​​is often made from human hair/bird feathers.

3.  Cream of tartar (e.g., in baking powder) is potassium salt from tartaric acid which is obtained as a by-product of the wine industry.

4.  Emulsifiers can be made from vegetable or animal ingredients; it is usually mixed with solid fat. The type of fat used is not clear, so the halal status of the product may be questionable. Emulsifiers are used for stabilizers in the process of making yeast and softening cake/dough.

5.  Dough conditioner contains L-cysteine, soy flour, carbonic acid, fat, sugar, preservatives, emulsifiers, and gypsum. Dough conditioner may be questionable because it contains L-cysteine, fat, and emulsifier. It is commonly used to soften and build dough, prolong the life of bread, etc.

6.  Shortening is made of fat or a mixture that has the properties of plasticity. Fat in shortening can consist of vegetable fat only. It can be made from a mixture of vegetable fat with animal fat or fish fat, or a mixture of animal fat (beef fat and lard). Shortening is usually used to make cake dough or bread soft.

7.  Gelatine is made from ingredients that are rich in collagen such as skin and bones, usually from cattle or pigs. Gelatine using cow skin or bones requires a long process and requires more neutralization. Gelatine is usually used to maintain product moisture, as an adhesive for fillers on bread and others.

 List of ambiguous ingredients and their sources in bakery products

Ingredients		Origin	Products
	Gelatine	Animal part	Jelly product, icing, and desserts
	Shortening	Animal and Vegetable fat	Cake, pie, tart and icing
	Bread improver	Chemical substance	Bun and bread
	Cherry tip	Fruit and liqueur	Cake and biscuit garnish
	Marshmallow	Gelatine (animal origin)	Cake garnish
	Ovalette	Emulsifier from vegetable or animal	Cake
	Filling-kaya	Food additive	Bread
	Chicken floss	Processed meat	Bread
	Sausage	Processed meat	Bread
	Bread softener	Chemical substance	Bread
	Cream cheese	Milk protein and rennet (animal origin)	Cake, tart and pie
	Glycerine	Animal and vegetable fat	Cake and icing

Given the critical ingredients that are often used in bakery products, halal certificates for these ingredients are important. Halal certification in the food industry context refers to the examination of food processes (preparation, slaughtering, ingredients used, cleaning, handling, processing, and storage), including transportation and distribution. Halal certificate and logo can only be obtained once the foods and premises have been verified as complying with halal requirements, for example, that food products are prepared from permissible ingredients, and the premises are clean and hygienic.