Clean label continues to drive ingredient and formula innovation—and when those innovations can also help bakers increase production efficiency and maybe even save some money, everyone wins. In order to learn more about a recent innovation along these lines, we reached out to Walter Postelwait, president, Pak Group LLC/Bellarise Baking Ingredients, Pasadena, CA.

Douglas J. Peckenpaugh: What are the key benefits of the new Bellarise Supreme Instant Dry Yeast?

Walter Postelwait: The Bellarise Supreme instant dry yeast (IDY) provides the baker up to 30 percent more gassing power than a conventional Red IDY when used in a low-sugar dough application (15 percent or less by bakers percentage). This translates into much faster proofing and baking times for the baker, which in turn makes their bakery that much more efficient.

If speed and efficiency are not the baker’s goals, then the Supreme IDY can help bring cost savings by allowing the baker to use up to 30 percent less yeast in their dough formulations. Though the Supreme IDY is a bit more expensive per pound than regular Red IDY, the baker will still realize savings in their bowl relative to the lower use rates needed for the same performance. If bakers are looking for similar performance as their Red IDY they use today and decide to use our Supreme IDY at a lower use rate, most will see a 5 percent to 15 percent savings on their yeast costs.

DJP: Is this yeast particularly suited to any specific types of baked goods?

WP: Yes, the Bellarise Supreme IDY is a new strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (aka, baker’s yeast), which provides improved gassing power when used in low-sugar formulations. As this strain is not sugar-tolerant, we would recommend using our Bellarise Gold IDY for any dough formulas with 15 percent sugar or greater. Therefore, the Bellarise Supreme IDY is ideal for low-sugar pizza crusts, French baguettes, artisan breads, bread sticks, rolls, pan breads and the list goes on.

DJP: What types of baked goods have you tested with this new yeast product? How did they perform?

WP: We have tested it in a wide variety of bread products to date. Some of these are pizza doughs, sandwich rolls, French baguettes, lean pan breads and low-pH doughs. In each product, the yeast has performed significantly better than a typical Red IDY—or fresh yeast, for that matter. There are some formulation adjustments that may need to be dialed-in to get the optimal performance out of the yeast. However, when this is done, the advantages are very evident. Our staff of technical Master Bakers work hand-in-hand with our clients to help them quickly adjust their doughs to get the optimal performance and cost savings.

DJP: What are some of the biggest challenges bakers face when developing clean-label products?

WP: The biggest challenges are typically achieving the volume, strength and softness they are looking for over a given shelf life. These three attributes go hand-in-hand, and clean-label solutions have to work in concert with each other to achieve all three goals.

DJP: Do you anticipate that the market for non-GMO baked goods will continue to grow?

WP: Yes, we see the consumer demand for non-GMO products increasing over the next five years or so. Consumers want to be able to trust what is in their food. Non-GMO significantly helps them put their fears or mistrust at ease. Organic, of course, is a step above in easing fears and, thus, we see this trend continuing, as well. Therefore, we at Bellarise have been focused for the past five years on baking solutions for the industrial baker to achieve the same high-quality baked goods while helping them achieve an ingredient statement their consumers can trust.