Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery was recently able to talk to Kjeld van de Hoef, business director baking, DSM, Delft, The Netherlands, about shelf-life in the baking industry.

Liz Parker: What are some functional ingredients to increase shelf-life, while also remaining efficient and sustainable?

Kjeld van de Hoef: To help large-scale bread improver companies and industrial bakers keep baked goods fresh for longer, DSM offers trusted and high quality maltogenic amylase enzymes, complemented by our advanced applications expertise and technical support. 

DSM’s BakeZyme Fresh XL and BakeZyme Master enzymes, for instance, address freshness challenges by improving the resilience and quality of bakery products to maintain a soft crumb and mouthfeel. BakeZyme Fresh XL increases moistness in a range of bread types, including whole wheat, white, and rye bread. Meanwhile, the premium BakeZyme Master maltogenic amylase complements BakeZyme Fresh XL by enhancing the sensory profile of and even further delaying staling in bread applications like ready-to-eat sandwiches (even when refrigerated) and improving the foldability of tortilla wraps. These enzymes also allow manufacturers to reduce energy and water usage to produce baked goods in a more sustainable and efficient way.

Additionally, in combination with other enzymes from DSM’s portfolio, BakeZyme Master can play an important role in improving the quality of flour tortillas over shelf life. Our Flour Tortilla Toolkit was developed to help manufacturers achieve improved rollability, freshness and softness over shelf life, ease of separation, diameter control—while also offering a shorter, more recognizable ingredient lists. These benefits are important for enhancing consumer appeal, particularly when producing tortilla wraps, which rely on excellent foldability.  

LP: How can these ingredients stay sustainable?

KVDH: The use of functional ingredients, like enzymes, can help to streamline processes in bakeries, but also make them more sustainable by optimizing time and resource efficiency. For instance, replacing an emulsifier with an enzyme can help reduce a company’s local carbon footprint. For example, DSM’s Panamore enzyme can be used in place of the emulsifier Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Ester of Monoglycerides (DATEM) in many bread types and has a carbon footprint that is 14 times lower than that of DATEM. This is because the production of enzymes, which are added in very low amounts, requires much less energy than the production of emulsifiers to achieve a similar effect. As another example, adding specific combinations of xylanases can reduce the baking time of biscuit or wafer production, by decreasing the volume of water needed. With less water, these types of products require shorter baking times, thereby reducing energy usage.

LP: What functional ingredients are popular now or might be popular in the future?

KVDH: Beyond solutions for increasing freshness of baked goods, nutritional ingredients are also gaining traction amongst bakery producers looking to boost the nutritional profile of their products to meet the needs of today’s increasingly health-conscious consumers.¹ The latest ingredient technologies in this space—including DSM’s algae-based life’s OMEGA omega-3 and fish oil-derived MEG-3—can help brands create products that deliver added health benefits, without compromising on taste, texture or freshness. DSM’s life’s OMEGA is a unique, algae-based omega 3 oil that contains eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and is a potent alternative to fish oil for those looking for vegan, Kosher, and Halal solutions. Traditionally known for their role in supporting heart, eye, and brain health, omega-3s EPA and DHA are proven to be more beneficial than seed-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Meanwhile, DSM’s MEG-3 powder is a high quality, easy to handle and sustainable source of omega-3 EPA and DHA.  

With the option of two omega-3 solutions, producers can benefit from DSM’s recommendations and technical support when choosing the most suitable solution for each application. These solutions have no impact on taste, texture, or appearance—even when used in combination with other ingredients. Fortifying bakery products with these essential nutrients is particularly important for consumers, as global consumer intake is below recommended levels.² But as well as this, manufacturers have an opportunity to bolster label claims and differentiate products with ‘source of Omega-3’ or ‘high in Omega-3’ front-of-pack claims.

¹ FMCG Gurus consumer survey—April 2020 survey across 18 countries. 

² Murphy et al. Suboptimal plasma long chain n-3 concentrations are common among adults in the United States, NHANES 2003-2004. Nutrients, vol. 7, no.12, pg. 1028210289, 2015.