Pro Tip: Use mucilaginous ingredients to replace gums, emulsifiers and modified starches; reduce or eliminate eggs; and improve moisture, structure and fiber content.

Whether you are reformulating for clean label, reducing eggs or building structure without gums, mucilaginous plant-based ingredients can be powerful functional tools in baking.

Mucilage is a natural, water-binding gel made from plant polysaccharides — long chains of natural sugars that swell and form a gel when hydrated.
 This gel creates a sticky, stretchy network that can bind ingredients, trap air and moisture, and improve structure and shelf life.

Common mucilaginous ingredients include the following:

Chia seeds: Replace eggs or gums in cakes, muffins and crackers.

Flaxseeds: Common egg replacement in cookies and batters.

Psyllium husk: Boosts structure and elasticity in breads.

Fenugreek gum: Useful as a natural binder and thickener.

Plantain seeds: Can replace synthetic gums in wraps and flatbreads.

Citrus fiber: Improves moisture, softness and emulsification in a variety of baked goods.

These ingredients can help formulators replace gums, emulsifiers and modified starches; reduce or eliminate eggs; and improve moisture, structure and fiber content naturally.

However, keep in mind the following:

Hydration is key — mucilage must fully absorb water to function. Sugar levels, water content and pH will all affect how it performs.

Also, temperature matters. It impacts hydration speed, gel strength and dough handling. In addition, every formula and process is unique — results will vary.

Whether you're baking bread, cookies or cakes, test these ingredients in your own formula and environment to understand how they behave. That’s the only way to unlock the true potential of these clean label tools.

Richard Charpentier is a classically trained French baker, CMB, holds a degree in baking science from Kansas State University, and is owner and chief executive officer of Baking Innovation. Connect with him on LinkedIn.