While targeted at both craft and industrial bakers, the managing director of the German refined milled grains supplier, Michael Gusko, said private label bread is fertile territory for such ingredients as its Slow Milling Ferment’tic wheat germ flour.
Indeed, speaking to FoodNavigator.com at FIE in Paris last month, he noted that NPD innovation is often more pronounced in the private label sector where retailers can afford to have a marginally successful product whereas the big brands tend to only introduce innovations that are sure to be a total success.
And Gusko stressed that naturalness is now, more than ever before, a key decider, in consumer purchasing decisions.
Additive-free innovation remains challenging in the more indulgent bakery categories, concedes Gusko, with 40% of Kampffmeyer’s product portfolio taken up by non-clean label orientated ingredients. “However, we are developing a clean label line for sweet bakery which should be market ready in around 12 months,” added the MD.
Kampffmeyer said its Slow Milling Ferment’tic replaces baking agents such as synthetic emulsifiers and reduces the proofing time required for bread types such as ciabatta from 24 to 3 hours, thus increasing speed to market for manufacturers.
The new flour can also be incorporated into brown bread and pastries as a taste improver, and can also be used in products such as pizzas, baguettes and frozen dough, said the supplier.
Hamburg-based Kampffmeyer said that the flour’s technological advantages, including its ability to support elastic and fluffy doughs with high proofing stability, have been demonstrated through industrial-scale trials.
It enables baked goods with high loaf volumes and extended freshness by two to three days, added the company, whose slow milling portfolio comprises natural ferments, malts as well as active and speciality baking flours.
And Kampffmeyer claims cost savings can also be accrued by bread makers already hard hit by commodity volatility with the wheat germ flour.
By using straight dough bulk fermentation, the fermented wheat germ flour results in a short manufacturing process so that over-production is avoided as output can be planned flexibly. Furthermore, cooling plant capacities are not needed as the dough does not require chilling, added the flour specialist.