The researchers estimate that revenue gains for food application enzyme suppliers will reach $501.0m by 2016 from total earnings of $407.5m in 2009, with the ongoing R&D focus aimed at chemical selectivity and higher specificity set to translate into lower costs for bakery and food manufacturers.
Senior research analyst, Dr Kaushik Ramakrishnan Shankar, told this publication that bakery orientated enzymes such as emulsifier replacers, proteases and lipases, and those that depolymerise starch like amylases currently corner 25 per cent of the overall food application enzymes market, but the analyst forecasts these to take 30 per cent share by 2016.
“Emulsifier replacement is a relatively new trend that will benefit from continued technical enhancements by manufacturers that will enable them be incorporated into baked goods at a lower inclusion rate, to lower cost of usage per unit,” he said.
High specificity
This higher specificity, explained Dr Kaushik, could see usage levels of 0.5 gram of proteases per 100kg of dough as opposed to the current concentration of 1 gram per 100kg of dough.
Bakery enzymes such as oxidases that strengthen and bleach dough will remain niche, said the market researcher.
But he added this enzyme category will experience some growth based on health and wellness demands, due mainly to ability of oxidases to whiten wholegrain products and thus encourage greater consumer take-up, said Dr Kaushik.
He noted that the market for enzymes aimed at lowering bread wastage could also see growth, pointing to a starter containing enzymes from Dutch supplier Sonnveld that is said to allow a baker to reprocess overages, production errors and out of spec bread as sour dough, thus reducing a manufacturer’s level of waste while also ensuring cost savings.
Art of blending
Dr Kaushik said that among all the food applications, the usage of enzymes in the baking industry is the most complicated, with enzyme blending in baked goods considered by R&D in the industry to be akin to an art form.
The blending has to be precise in order for the enzymes to effectively and consistently deliver the desired benefits, with formulators needing to be well versed in the effects of factors like temperature, acidity of the dough and time given for the chemical reaction, he explained.
According to the market researcher, current leaders in the bakery enzyme markets are AB, Kerry, Novozyme, and DSM, and smaller players aiming to compete must be able to offer ongoing product innovation, pilot plant testing facilities and technical support teams to offer customisation of enzyme applications to bakery manufacturers.
“Manufacturers can use novel materials and methods, such as cheaper and non-traditional carbon and nitrogen sources to reduce their production costs but they should also invest in R&D to distinguish themselves in the market.
In addition, strong distribution partnerships with other companies will help manufacturers entrench themselves in the market,” maintains Dr Kaushik.