Kemin webinar preview: Naturality and planetary health drives bakery innovation

14 Mar 2024 --- Rising consumer demand for healthier and natural food options has encouraged the exploration of natural plant extracts as alternatives to synthetic ingredients. In the bakery world, oxidation and rancidity pose significant challenges, impacting the shelf life and overall quality of dry baked goods such as breadsticks, cookies and crackers.

In Kemin’s upcoming webinar, “OLESSENCE: The Next Generation of Natural Solutions,” the company will discuss solutions for boosting flavor while and as a secondary effect, extending the shelf life of bakery products.”

Speaking to Food Ingredients First ahead of the live broadcast, Caroline Ecoffard, product platform manager for Food Technologies EMEA, addresses some of the stand-out bakery market trends.

“What we are seeing in bakery today is the move to replace synthetic ingredients while keeping the structure of the products. So you see a lot of innovation around natural texturizers, natural plant extracts to protect the product from oxidation and natural flavors to help balance or maintain a certain neutrality in the taste that some plant extracts can bring to their recipes,” she explains.

“But the pace is still quite slow in seeing all these solutions being implemented. Indeed, bakery, in general, is linked to indulgence, so when buying a bakery product, consumers do not look closely at the ingredient list. The shift has just started, so we need to take action now to be among the first to offer the right natural solutions.”

Naturality reigns, sustainability in spotlight
According to Ecoffard, naturality is the mega-trend driving all the company’s sub-trends, such as free-from, GMO-free, no preservatives or additives etc.

“The competitive innovation in this space has been relatively high for the last few years,” she outlines. 

“Everyone is working toward naturality, trying to find the newest ingredient that has yet to be used but still effective. Process technologies are also evolving, allowing more efficacy with essential ingredients. And, of course, AI is starting to boom with some prediction tools in trends or formulations.”

Still, she highlights that sustainability is “growing as consumers want to understand the sourcing and supply chain information of the product or ingredient they are eating.” 

Moreover, Ecoffard flags the importance of health awareness. “Consumers are also conscious of improving personal health with more healthful ingredients while still having technological functions in some cases.”

“Our innovation process is driven by market needs and trends, which look to ingredients that best fit the global picture of naturality. Customers’ hurdles and challenges in application and processes need to be addressed to find the best possible solution and the market needs to replace key synthetic ingredients. Still, achieving it can be a real challenge,” she discloses.

Innovation pipeline
Discussing how Kemin advanced in this space recently, Ecoffard says the company has achieved some key innovations. 

Kemin’s new brand line, OLESSENCE, is based on olive extract.Examples include its 2022 launch RUBINITE GC Dry, a patent-pending solution as an alternative to nitrite in processed meat, its SHIELD V Plus Dry launched in 2023, as a mold inhibitor for bakery products and more widely, a viable potassium sorbate alternative in extended applications like sauces, dressings and dips. 

“We are now paving the way with our new brand line, OLESSENCE, with a new ingredient to build a new product portfolio based on olive extract,” she continues. “Our first release is focused on dry bakery products, OLESSENCE B Liquid, but we are already prototyping formulas for dairy, meat and beverage applications.”

Ecoffard states this new line will “allow us to move to the next generation of natural solutions at Kemin, based on stronger synergies with our existing ingredients and olive extract.”

Webinar attendees can learn more about OLESSENCE by registering for Kemin’s webinar on March 21, 2024. Ecoffard will also be joined by Serena Martini, senior R&D manager, who will delve further into its product portfolio while also addressing how Kemin is working globally to have an impact locally, remaining true to its core values of sustainability and vertical integration.

You can register for the webinar here. 

By Elizabeth Green