Layer bake

For the perfect cake, mix a pinch of authenticity with a good handful of clean-labelling until the batter resembles good health and fresh home baking. Repeat for bread, pastries and all other baked goods.

Crack costs rather than eggs, meanwhile, by using ingredients offering versatility across multiple applications, replacing pricey ingredients or extending shelf-life.

A more 'authentic' experience for consumers is what Synergy had in mind when it introduced its Cheese Flavour Solutions line last autumn. The launch followed market research including sensorial analysis of the current retail offer in the category. "The only cheese in bread was on top, there was no real cheese delivery,"​ says Sarah Pearson, category marketing executive at Synergy. "We established where we could add value. The area was crying out for innovation."​

Its Cheese Flavour Solutions can be incorporated into dough for bread, scones, bagels and muffins to enhance flavour delivery and aroma by delivering higher levels of thermostability, and can be used with or as a replacement for natural cheese.

Another ingredient supplier turning to sensorial analysis to develop a more authentic flavour is Puratos, which launched the S500 Sense all-purpose bread improver in March. S500 Sense incorporates a natural sourdough flavour identified in the analysis as popular with British consumer. It taps into associations with home- baked bread packing great taste and flavour.

CSM (UK) concurs with the lure of freshly baked goods. "Today's consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated with a strong demand for 'freshly baked' goods that have the appeal of home baking,"​ says Helen Sinclair, lead category manager at CSM.

Clean-labelling​

Growth of in-store bakeries in also driving demand for authenticity, says Pearson, as well as another major trend across bakery ingredients clean-labelling. Synergy's Cheese Flavour Solutions are designated as either 'natural flavouring' or 'cheese' under labelling regulations.

Research carried out by DSM in January indicated that over 50% of surveyed consumers read labels when shopping, and prefer to see all natural ingredients. "Enzymes offer optimal taste, texture and allow products to remain fresh for longer, without appearing as an additive on the ingredient list,"​ says Leo Nieuwenhuis, global marketing manager for baking at DSM.

CSM cites clean-labelling, particularly 'no artificial colours and flavours' claims, as a prerequisite for retailer own-label products and any lines positioned as child friendly or healthy.

Clean-label is not enough to sell a product in itself, however, says CSM. Thus, its reduced saturated fat margarine Marvello RSF carries a clean-label while also helping bakers meet government guidelines of cutting sat fat by 10%.

Closely allied with clean-labelling is the 'health and wellness' sub-category, which encompasses a variety of claims, from enrichment to reduced fat and salt content.

Ingredion offers ingredients with 'added health benefits' from fat reduction to wholegrain enrichment, fibre enhancement, resistant starch fortification and approved European Commission health claims, as well as recipe cost control through replacers and clean-label reformulation.

It uses a novel data collection system to ensure texture and quality are retained when removing gluten or fats from bakery ingredients such as functional flours or fibre-enriched and gluten-free baked goods.

CSM supplies Arkady Multi-Seed Bread Concentrate, a low glycaemic index bread mix with an abundance of visible sunflower seeds, linseed, pumpkin seeds and oat kernels to give an appealing appearance and "signal to consumers that this is an inherently healthy choice"​, says Sinclair. "Freshly baked products already sit under a halo of being less processed."​

Ireks introduced a new seeded bread line, Chia Bread Mix, earlier this year, building on Chia seeds' reputation as 'the running food' and 'ultimate super food' due to their high content of omega-3 fatty acids and fibre, and valuable proteins.

DuPont Nutrition & Health is, meanwhile, targeting growing markets for both reduced fat lines and tortillas with the PowerFlex range launched under its Danisco portfolio in March.

"Fat reduction is a way for manufacturers to differentiate their brand and reach out to a wider consumer group,"​ says Anne Host Stenbak, strategic marketing manager at DuPont Nutrition & Health.

PowerFlex maintains dough elasticity in lean recipes, according to DuPont, and can also be used in sweet coconut tortillas for desserts and snacks, high-fibre tortillas made with rye or whole grain flour and other ethnic breads such as naan, and piadina.

Lowering salt content​

Lowering salt content is a further priority for bakers and can be challenging. "Cutting salt from bread can have a negative impact on dough stability, leading to a decrease in quality, and fluctuations in volume of the final product,"​ says Nieuwenhuis at DSM, which uses enzymes such as PreventASe to address the problem, maintaining volume consistency while yeast extracts restore taste.

Last autumn, Tate & Lyle introduced a new salt-reduction solution: Soda-Lo Salt Microspheres. It offers the potential to reduce salt levels by 25-50% as a result of a patent-pending technology transforming standard salt crystals into 'free-flowing crystalline microspheres' of smaller size and density maximising surface area relative to volume.

Thus, the same taste can be achieved with a lower salt content, while avoiding the taste issues associated with many salt substitutes, according to Tate & Lyle.

Suppliers are also innovating with ingredients tapping into the often disparate claims of health and indulgence. At the recent IFE exhibition in London, Pidy showcased Fruity Cups and Veggie Cups, coloured pastry cups produced with 30% real juice extract content to carry the message that 'food normally associated with getting fat can now be presented as part of a healthy and exciting lifestyle'.

Alongside the demands of authenticity, clean-labelling and health, cost-cutting remains a major priority for bakers.

Versatility is a key selling point of the Italian Irca line of sweet bakery ingredients newly introduced to the UK by HB Ingredients at IFE, alongside Pidy.

Product lines include Chocosmart, which is for covering or coating cakes, éclairs and tarts. "It's very versatile and doesn't crack, staying soft under the top skin of the product,"​ says Grant Dalgleish, account manager for Scotland and Ireland at HB Ingredients. "It can be beaten and used as a cupcake topping or used as a filling with butter added."​

Good versatile ingredients offer bakers scope for innovation, says Dalgleish: "For high street bakeries, there is an emphasis on quality, and always looking for something new as they want customers coming back to them."​

CSM's Craigmillar Frostings can also be used as a topping or a filling, and are ambient and ready-to-use without beating or further preparation, while Dawn Food's range of flavourings are compatible with neutral mousse fonds, fresh cream, butter cream, ice cream and ganaches, or in combination with fruit pieces.

Among the new ingredients cutting back on wastage by extending shelf-life, meanwhile, is Puratos's New S500 all-purpose bread improver. This addresses current fluctuations in flour quality and demand for consistency with additional freshness enzymes, dough tolerance and machine-ability.

DuPont supplies an enzyme range for industrial cakes, PowerSoft Cake, which lays claim to retaining cakes' 'indulgently soft and fresh quality for a longer period', enabling manufacturers to extend their market reach and commence seasonal cake production earlier.

Egg and dairy replacers​

And with egg and dairy prices subject to ongoing fluctuations, demand for replacers remains high.

"In these challenging economic times, one of the principal concerns that is driving the use of enzymes is the need to optimise raw materials so end product costs are controlled while maximising quality,"​ says Nieuwenhuis at DSM.

DSM supplies CakeZyme Smart, an enzyme ingredient allowing manufacturers to optimise egg usage, and the Panamore Range of enzymes for bread replacing expensive surface-active emulsification agents to achieve similar results with smaller doses costing less.

Synergy also lays claim to cost savings for bakers using its Cheese Flavour Solutions to reduce the volume of natural cheese used in favour of 'cost-optimised, price-stable ingredients', while Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI) "has developed solutions tailor-made for this issue",​ says marketing executive Noémie Jonnez.

LCI's Westhove whole rye H1 offers potential cost savings through guar gum substitution, while its HydraPlus lays claim to cutting costs and improving quality by allowing for additional hydration in the production of sweet and fatty dough.

Ingredia Functional says its ProCake ER easy-to-use powder can totally or partially replace eggs, cutting recipe costs without affecting texture quality and taste.

Launches at IFE, meanwhile, included Meadow Cheese's new Cream Stabiliser Solution with a three-month shelf-life, and Adams Food Ingredients' AdPure clean-label powdered dairy enhancers, which deliver the tastes of butter, cream, Cheddar or Grana Padano cheeses with additional cost savings.

Whether adding value or cutting costs, ingredients that help bakers consistently produce a high-quality product that's value for money will always be in high demand.