News

Health and Clean Label are Driving the Bakery Market

The bakery market is considered as the core of pleasure and foodiness, the kingdom of indulgent products, but as consumers are looking for healthier alternatives and natural products, the market is changing. Add health and nature with ancient and whole grains Nutritional recommendations advocate that people switch to whole grains instead of refined ones because […]

The bakery market is considered as the core of pleasure and foodiness, the kingdom of indulgent products, but as consumers are looking for healthier alternatives and natural products, the market is changing.

Add health and nature with ancient and whole grains
Nutritional recommendations advocate that people switch to whole grains instead of refined ones because they contain more nutrients (vitamins, minerals and fibres). But whole grains add a specific taste and texture, especially in bread products that could put a brake on consumption.

Ingredient manufacturers offer new solutions to add the nutritional value of whole grains without the sensorial issues. For example, Nutrixo has launched Pepite IXO, a fraction of tender wheat that comes in small nuggets (2-3 mm) that can be added to wheat flour in order to make wholegrain bread, rich in fibres without the bitterness of a traditional whole grain bread. At Fi Europe, Kampffmeyer will showcase Optigrain Snow Wheat, a high quality whole grain flour which helps manufacture products which look and taste like conventional baked goods but offer the nutritional value of whole grain products.

Ancient grains are also quite trendy these days, whether they come from ancient civilisations (quinoa, amaranth, farro, kamut and so on) or from local traditions (spelt, buckwheat, millet etc.).

They are commonly used in many baked goods and often mixed with seeds (including chia, flaxseed, sesame, poppy) well known for their nutritional benefits.

To respond to consumer expectations, manufacturers are trying to reduce the fat, sugar and salt content of their products. At Fi Europe, several new solutions will be showcased such as microalgae from Roquette which allows a 30% fat reduction in muffins, or Tate & Lyle’s SODA-LO Salt Microspheres which allows food manufacturers to reduce salt levels by 25-50% in various applications without sacrificing taste.

Clean label beats the “E” demons
As consumers try to avoid artificial additives, manufacturers of bakery products are looking for natural solutions to replace the E numbers and ‘clean’ their ingredient list.

Acerola extract can be one of the options to replace ascorbic acid in bakery products. In France, manufacturers of sliced bread are using the extract of this fruit (the richest in vitamin C), which allows them to add an ‘additive free’ claim on their products.