Clean(er) label is a widely accepted term that is used in the industry, but for which no harmonised definition exists. It often results in the removal or reduction of some ingredients, such as preservatives and emulsifiers, artificial colours and artificial flavours.
Bakers know the perfect soft texture in bread is an art to master and a science to perfect.
“At Puratos, we pay attention to every detail in bread texture, and master the interaction between all the ingredients to perfect it.”
In truth, every generation wants to develop and improve their baking skills by trying new techniques and different ingredients. This innovative spirit is clear and obvious when you think about the crackle and endless texture variety available in today’s moist, soft and short bite breads.
And yet, as consumers’ demand for clean(er) label increases, the job of perfecting breads’ texture with fewer ingredients becomes increasingly precise work.
For industrial bakeries, this means to make clean(er) label baked goods without compromise on quality, process or taste.
Innovation inspired by nature
Enzymes are proteins produced by fermentation that are present in every living organism and naturally present in wheat, flour and yeast. They are denaturated during the baking process and as a result, are not functional in the bread sold to final consumers.
For more than 100 years, Puratos has been pioneering improvements in bread production. Thanks to its vertical integration through the production of emulsifiers, enzymes and sourdoughs, it offers unique benefits to help bakers make better breads.
Using enzymes, bakers are able to create shorter and clearer ingredient lists, but still maintain outstanding texture and freshness.
More recently, the company looked to nature to be inspired on new sources that would deliver great functionalities in bread. Together with research partner Novozymes, Puratos discovered enzymes from the Hunan forest in China, which digest old wood into soft and fine nutrients giving life to new vegetation.
Affordable alternative
Puratos latest enzyme technology – Intens Soft & Fine – is a modular bread improver that gives initial softness and fineness of the crumb in bakery applications.
It’s a clean label cost efficient alternative to other solutions on the market like monoglycerides, other lipases and full fat soy flour.
The range is based on the latest ingredient research and development and allows bakers to be fast and flexible when creating new products. As any production team knows, speed and flexibility have never been more crucial when it comes to product development.
Intens Soft & Fine also helps to diminish the exposure to the cost and price fluctuations of emulsifiers.
Sensory analysis
Softness, crustiness, chewiness, moistness... texture and freshness can make or break a bread. The Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) helps to understand how consumers will perceive breads during the course of consumption: both the mastication and the aftertaste.
To see the impact of a Puratos’ bread improver on texture, when comparing the TDS curve from a toast bread sample without solution versus a bread sample containing Intens Soft & Fine, the difference is quite clear.
Regular bread
In the beginning, there is a competition between the dry and the soft sensation. Then it’s taken over by a chewy sensation, a bit of moistness, and finally at the end of the mastication and in the aftertaste, the sample is quite sticky and there is a melting sensation indicated by the experts.
With Intens Soft & Fine
In the beginning, the soft sensation is the most dominant of all attributes. It’s followed by a short bite and a moist feeling. In the last stages of mastication and in the aftertaste, a clear melting sensation is noticed by most of the experts, as well as a sticky feeling at the end.
Clearly, it’s possible to control every facet of the process when preparing different kinds of breads.
An extensive range of clean(er) label bakery improvers makes it much easier to meet consumers’ expectations on texture and freshness. Toast breads, hamburger buns, brioche, pains au lait, panettone, milk rolls, donuts… there is an answer to the clean (er) label journey ahead for all kind of baked goods.
