Consumers continue putting bread in their carts during their shopping trips. What continues to change over time is the qualities shoppers are seeking in the bread products they buy. Producers and ingredients suppliers like Beneo are working together to deliver to health-conscious consumers bread items that offer higher fiber content, lower sugar levels, and more.

To learn more about health-centric bread developments, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery spoke with Kyle Krause, product manager for functional fibers and carbohydrates, North America, Beneo.

Jenni Spinner: Could you please talk a little bit about how consumer’s tastes and preferences have evolved around bread in recent years?

Kyle Krause: Consumers are purposeful in their food choices. Taste and texture are of the utmost importance but not if it means sacrificing health benefits. Consumers are increasingly aware of how their dietary choices have a major impact on their metabolism and weight, which influences their overall health. They want to increase their fiber intake and improve their digestive health. 

Also, transparency is an important aspect of food choices for consumers today, with many choosing sustainable, organic, and natural ingredients along with clean label. 

The keto trend first started in snacks and paved the way for very low-sugar confections and other snacks. Then keto hit bread and other baked goods, and manufacturers offering this variety to their bread line use chicory fiber to increase fiber which offsets the total carbohydrate in bread.

JS: Specifically, could you dive into increasing interest in more healthful eating, and how that desire for BFY (better-for-you) breads has impacted the category?

KK: In a 2023 FMCG Gurus Bakery Trends survey in the U.S., 55% of responders said they check nutritional labeling when they choose bread products. In addition, when asked what they consider the most appealing claims for bakery products, 70% said fiber. Responding to the  question “What do you think makes a bakery product more premium/higher quality,” 68% answered, “Natural ingredients.” As the awareness of the need for more fiber in one’s diet for overall health has grown, manufacturers are turning to proven sources of prebiotic fiber to support structure/function claims around digestive health. 

Beneo’s natural, soluble, and non-GMO chicory root fibers, inulin and oligofructose, can be easily incorporated to increase the fiber content in baked goods while providing functional and nutritional benefits. 

Prebiotics selectively promote the number of naturally occurring good, beneficial bacteria in the intestine. A selective increase in Bifidobacteria can be regarded as a marker of intestinal health. With consumption of only 5 grams (1 teaspoon) per day of the chicory root fiber inulin or oligofructose, Bifidobacteria increase significantly and therefore support digestive health and overall well-being, while helping to keep the inner defense system in balance.

Next to nourishing beneficial gut bacteria, prebiotic chicory root fibers support digestive health by improving bowel regularity. Fibers increase calcium absorption and thus contribute to bone health. In addition, Beneo’s chicory root fibers Orafti Inulin and Oligofructose contribute to better blood glucose management, as they elicit a lower rise in blood glucose response. Having a healthy blood glucose level is equally important to a balanced microbiome, as high blood glucose levels (even for a short time) can harm our immunity. Human clinical studies with a unique Orafti ingredient also show that weight management is another consumer benefit.

Also, half of U.S. consumers are extremely or very concerned about heart health issues while 1 in 5 people are personally affected by issues like cholesterol or hypertension.^[i] Earlier this year Beneo launched barley beta-glucans that offer unique health benefits including positive impacts on heart health and blood sugar management.  Beneo’s new product Orafti β-Fit, a natural and clean label wholegrain barley flour with 20% beta-glucans, is a significant extension of the company’s functional fiber product range. It is locally produced in the U.S. and offered by Beneo worldwide. Beneo’s Orafti β-Fit also allows for fiber enrichment, thus helping to bridge the fiber gap. It can be used in a wide range of applications including baked goods (such as cakes, muffins, bread, and biscuits), pasta, and cereals, as well as meal replacements. 

Consumers are increasingly aware of how diet impacts both short and long-term wellbeing thus there is a growing demand for healthier food and beverage options. Functional ingredients such as barley beta-glucans, with proven health benefits and approved health claims offer food manufacturers an easy way to create appealing products with convincing front-of-pack communication and a convenient way for consumers to choose nutritional products that positively impact heart health.
 
JS: I am among the many Americans being told to increase their fiber intake—could you please talk about some of the ways that bread producers have sought to help consumers like me out by upping the fiber content of their products?

KK: High-fiber breads using soluble chicory root fiber have been an easy way to increase fiber in bread, thus making it a simple choice for sandwich-making consumers to increase their daily intake of fiber. Now we see prebiotic breads being launched using chicory root fiber, taking advantage of its proven benefits backed by human clinical data.

Prebiotics are scoring high in consumers’ minds because as preferred feed for beneficial gut bacteria that are supporting digestive health as well as overall well-being. Inulin and oligofructose, such as Beneo chicory root fibers, belong to the very few scientifically proven prebiotics according to ISAPP (International Scientific Association for Pro and Prebiotics). Due to their characteristics, they support a number of structure/function claims at low use levels, thereby allowing innovative snack and bakery products to stand out from the rest of the crowd.

This will help manufacturers formulate with the most scientifically substantiated prebiotic fibers so that consumers are not misled and are able to take advantage of all the health benefits of prebiotics. While easily increasing fiber intake they provide a neutral flavor, which enables smart sugar reduction while maintaining the taste and texture of the final baked good. Added sugars can be reduced, which is then apparent to the consumer via the nutrition facts panel. Additionally, inulin can help to reduce the fat content of baked goods, particularly with long chain inulin, which has texturizing capability. It allows for easy processing without changing production processes. At only 2 kcal/g chicory root fiber enables food manufacturers to produce fiber-enriched and reduced calorie versions of traditionally indulgent baked goods and snacks such as cereal bars, and baked goods.

JS:  When it comes to fiber, though, not all are created equal. Can you talk about the different fibers available to bread formulators, and what benefits the different varieties can offer?

KK: Chicory root fiber/inulin is a soluble fiber, and therefore it works quite well in bread. It’s been used to increase fiber in bread, and globally, for decades.

JS: Folks are also interested in protein enrichment, especially in incorporation of plant-based proteins. Please talk about some of the tips and tricks bakeries might consider when looking to evolve the nutritional profile of their bread items.

KK: When it comes to plant-based products the challenge is all about taste and texture. In recent times, there has been growing awareness of faba beans as an alternative raw material for baked products, as well as their functional benefits in numerous applications.

Sensory tastings reveal that faba beans have a considerably less pronounced bean-like taste in comparison, for example, to peas. In addition, it is characterized by functional thickening and binding properties.

Mature seeds of the faba beans are rich in proteins (26.1%), carbohydrates (58.3%) and dietary fiber (25.0%). Furthermore, their protein content is higher than peas and most pulses on the market, such as beans (22.2%), lentils (22.2%), and chickpeas (19.5%). Using faba beans in bakery formulations can therefore be helpful in increasing the protein content of baked products, thus offering manufacturers the opportunity to achieve appealing product positionings. It’s also an alternative to animal proteins, e.g., dairy protein and eggs, or other plant proteins such as those from soy or pea. 

Since 2020, the Beneo Technology Center has been exploring options for the application of faba bean ingredients in different bakery concepts suitable for commercial realization. The food technologists at this Center are working on profiling the ingredients‘ functionality and are focusing on recipe development in order to create bakery products that meet market expectations in terms of taste, texture, volume, and appearance. Using faba bean protein concentrate e.g., enables 100% egg replacement in muffins, as well as in other bakery recipes.

Beneo rice protein (Remypro) is also an excellent choice for introducing protein to bread or other bakery snacks. It has a neutral flavor, unique amino acid profile, and works well in combination with other plant-based proteins. It is all-natural, gluten-free, non-GMO and hyper-allergenic. As a concentrated source of rice proteins, higher than almost any other plant-based protein source, it is an excellent source for mainstream and gluten-free products and has been used in breads and other similar products, i.e., English muffins to increase protein.

JS: Could you please share how suppliers like Beneo can help bread makers improve the nutritional benefits of existing products, or launch new ones?

KK: We see a high demand for prebiotic chicory root fibers due to the versatile benefits it offers in product development. Over the past four years, the number of new product launches containing inulin chicory root fiber has grown by 50 percent globally^[i], with the market expected to reach $11.48 billion USD in 2028. The use of prebiotic chicory root fibers in product development allows manufacturers to respond to leading consumer trends such as digestive health and immunity, inner well-being, weight management, blood sugar management and bone health. As they meet key consumer needs of today, we are sure that they will play a central role in healthy nutrition in the future. 

To meet this rising customer demand and drive further growth within the market, Beneo has a multi-million investment program, to expand capacity for its prebiotic chicory root fiber production sites in Pemuco, Chile, and Oreye, Belgium. Thanks to a 90 million Euro investment into its production plant in Pemuco, for example in a new refinery line opened in 2022, Beneo increased global capacity for its prebiotic chicory root fibers by 30%. With increased capacity, Beneo continues to offer a secure supply to its customers and partners worldwide.

Related: Beneo to debut barley beta-glucans fiber product at IFT FIRST