Bakery industry rises to demand for more variety in food ingredients

While the food ingredients industry is trying to meets its consumers' requests for greater choice, the EU is making development more difficult. It is generating more demanding legislation on ingredients in food than any other authority, including the USA.

The EU seems to place protection of the public above all else and is imposing legislation to cover traceability of food ingredients; notification of allergens, novel foods, GMOs, nutrition; and health claims. All of which adds to food manufacturers' development costs and delays the introduction of new food products to markets. The food ingredients industry is bearing up and most companies are continuing to develop innovative products to maintain their competitive edge.

Ingredients: Functional foods

In the area of functional foods, ingredients such as soy products are being used in bread to lower cholesterol and improve heart health. Allied Bakeries has just launched a soy-enriched bread and the company says it marks the increasing acceptance of the ingredient and its move into mainstream foods.

Burgen Soya and Linseed bread is based on two good sources of plant oestrogens that are beneficial for women's health especially around the menopause. The company's Cholessterol bread contains Abacor soya protein complex. The company says research has shown that the inclusion of at least 25g of soya protein per day as part of a diet low in saturated fat can help to reduce blood cholesterol and eating 4 slices of this bread each day will provide one quarter of the 25g of soya protein recommended by the UK Joint Health Claims Initiative.

Burgen Hi-Bran is a brown bread made with wheat bran, whole-wheat grains and oat bran and is rich in fibre. The company says two slices provide 7g of the fibre that the average person needs each day.

Ingredients: Chia seeds and omega-3 fatty acids

A new source of omega-3 fatty acids, from a South American plant, could be approved for use in foods in the UK if it passes novel foods assessment by the Food Standards Agency. The application from Irish firm R Craig & Sons Ltd is for whole and ground Chia seed, to be used in bread.

Chia (Salvia hispanica L) is a summer annual herbaceous plant belonging to the mint family. Its seeds provide a source of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid. This is important for immunity, vision, cell membranes, and the production of hormone-like compounds.

Historically, Chia seeds have been eaten in South America, but they have not been consumed to a significant degree in Europe, according to FSA. Chia was a major food crop of the Aztecs and was grown in mountainous areas extending from west Central Mexico to Northern Guatemala. It is currently grown in Argentina and Peru but cannot be cultivated in Europe as it needs sub-tropical conditions to grow.

Before Chia seeds are introduced on the European market, they must be assessed under European regulations for novel foods and ingredients. A spokesman for R Craig says the approval process is going well and is currently being assessed by EU laboratories in Brussels. Approval is a relatively slow exercise, but the company could be using Chia seeds in new bread products by the end of the year.

Ingredients: Yeasts

DSM Bakery Ingredients, based in the Netherlands, is a leading producer of fresh yeast and bread improvers for the European market and has established an unrivalled reputation for innovation. The DSM Group now employs 23000 people at more than 200 sites worldwide.

On offer is a broad assortment of bread ingredients, from low dosage additives to complete ready-to-use mixes as well as various bread improvers for both industrial and craft bakeries.

Its range of Fermipan dry yeasts helps bakers produce new bread products and with a shelf life of two years, allows plenty of time for development work. The Red version is ideal for all lean dough bread types requiring high fermentation power, those with limited sugar contents. It gives baked products an excellent natural bread aroma.

The Brown version has been developed for doughs with sugar contents of more than 5per cent. It is characterised by high activity, stability and an excellent aroma and also has a very good tolerance in doughs with high acid levels. Fermipan Super is for all lean dough bread types and, amongst its many benefits, enables a significant reduction of bread improver and fat.

Ingredients: Malted flakes

From the UK, the EDME range of malted flakes features a unique process ensuring very low levels of enzymes, which can cause darkening and other enzyme effects around the flake. There is no need to soak them before use. They can be used in bread as well as similar products and are a tasty way to make a contribution to fibre in the diet.

Malted Barley Flakes are processed without additives from whole barley. Phymalt Flakes provide soft flake texture with excellent taste for sweet and savoury products. As an ingredient they are for use in bread and other products where sourdough is used. Phymalt flakes are processed from whole rye.

Malted Triticale Flakes provide soft flake texture with excellent taste for sweet and savoury products. For use in bread, cakes, biscuits, cookies, snack bars, and breakfast cereals.

Flavydry adds natural colour, emulsifies fats and radically alters product mouth feel. DSM says that, one day Flavydry will be used in recipe development as readily as salt and pepper.

For over 110 years EDME has been producing premium malt products in the heart of the UK's finest barley growing region, Mistley in Essex.

Ingredients: Sourdoughs

French company Phil XN specialises in sourdoughs, mixes, premixes and improvers. All products are completely natural and include an organic range. They are mainly designed to reinforce the taste, aroma, texture and colouring of the final applications.

Its latest products include Phil Germe, an aromatic sourdough derived from devitalised wheat germ in powder form with a high level of fat and protein that improves texture and taste.

Phil Germe Mais is another aromatic sourdough with an original taste and a slight yellow colouring derived from dried corn germ in powder form. Phil Creme creates the taste of butter and is ideal for sandwich bread.

Phil Im1 is obtained through the drying of a mix of wheat germ and wheat flour fermented as a sourdough. It improves the suppleness of the dough, gives a light colouring and a better aspect to the crumb and improves the shelf life of final products.

Ingredients: Food fibre

Through Frutafit Inulin, a prebiotic dietary fibre, Sensus enables manufacturers to develop foods that can be used in low calorie and low carbohydrate diets and so increase the range of foods available for dieting consumers.

It can partly replace the carbohydrates such as flour and sugar that are used in bread and other bakery products without impairing the structure and texture of the end product. It also has a big advantage over proteins by contributing to the stability of blood sugar level.

A high intake of proteins triggers gluconeogenesis, which raises the blood sugar level, whereas Inulin limits blood sugar levels by lowering the glycemic load.

A scientific panel says three slices of bread, containing at least 5g of Inulin per 100g, supports a well-balanced gut flora composition and colonic function by selectively stimulating the growth of Bifidobacteria.

Inulin is a very widespread carbohydrate in nature and is present in many plant families. Most of the commercial available Inulin is extracted from chicory while liquid sugar is a raw material for the enzymatic production of very short chain Inulin. On a very small scale, Inulins are extracted from dahlia tubers and agave.

In its report titled EuroBakery 2003, Leatherhead Food International says the European bakery market has benefited, and will continue to benefit, from the move towards snacking due to the decline in formal eating occasions, ongoing product innovations and brand extensions.

This market has also benefited because we live in a multi-cultural society, where demand has led to a greater availability of continental and ethnic varieties of European bakery products.

It says the overall volume of bakery consumption in Europe remains quasi-stable at 35million tonnes and, over the next five years, the European bakery market is forecast to increase by less than 0.5per cent per annum in volume terms, but value growth will be higher.

Ingredients: Competitive markets

The bakery industry will continue to face heavy competition from other non-European bakery market product alternatives such as cereal bars, breakfast cereals and confectionery, but will rise to the challenge by responding to consumer demand for snack sized products; sliced bread with longer shelf life; bread with healthier ingredients; and value added items for those seeking indulgence or luxury purchases by adding chocolate chips, spices or fruits.

This means that manufacturers have to offer a definite unique selling point, a strong brand or a highly competitive price in order to survive.

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