Kerry’s new enzyme solution for sweet baked goods boosts shelf life to fight food waste

07 Nov 2023 --- Kerry is unveiling a new enzyme solution for sweet baked goods that delivers longer-lasting softness, freshness and moistness perception over shelf life while supporting food waste reduction.

Biobake Fresh Rich is a clean label, starch-acting enzyme enabling sweet baked goods containing more than 20% sugar to remain fresher for longer. It is designed to create a softer, more consistent and more flexible crumb structure.

The taste and nutrition company points out that baked goods are the largest category of food waste globally and, as such, extending their shelf life is an essential means of waste reduction. In Dutch supermarkets, for instance, bread and pastries account for the largest share (35%) of total food waste, according to Wageningen University & Research.

Maintaining product quality over a longer shelf life can contribute to a more environmentally sustainable future by reducing the likelihood of bakery products being thrown away by consumers. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, food loss and waste account for 8–10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Consumers against food waste
The company’s global research suggests massive support worldwide for reducing food waste through shelf life extension.

“Our recent research conducted with 5,154 consumers in 10 countries found 98% of consumers are actively trying to reduce food waste, over 72% believe improving shelf life would help reduce waste, and one-third would be willing to switch brand loyalties for a longer shelf life,” shares Deborah Waters, product director for Enzymes at Kerry.Kerry research suggests that an overwhelming majority of global consumers want to combat food waste.

“Kerry’s new Biobake Fresh Rich is a proven performer, maintaining product freshness, softness and moistness in high-sugar content products like muffins, pancakes and pound cakes over longer shelf life. This delivers significant benefits in reducing food waste by making the supply chain more robust and improving the sustainability profiles of bakeries.”

“Biobake Fresh Rich can help bakers address these important evolving consumer desires, all while allowing manufacturers to contribute to a more sustainable environment.”

Shelf life extension
Biobake Fresh Rich comes in a highly dispersible dry format and has a neutral taste. It is suitable for kosher, halal, vegetarian and vegan product manufacture.

In recent sensory trials versus a benchmark fresh-keeping enzyme over a 12-week shelf life, Biobake Fresh Rich significantly outperformed the benchmark in both softness and moistness perception.

“Kerry offers a wide range of innovative enzyme technologies that can help industrial bakeries improve the efficiency and sustainability profiles of their product offerings. Extending shelf life is a strategy being used by many bakeries to increase product appeal with consumers, extend overall profits and reduce food waste,” adds Waters.

“Biobake Fresh Rich is a versatile, clean label solution that maintains freshness in sweet bakery applications over a longer shelf life, helping build brand loyalty.”

Earlier this year, Kerry opened an innovation hub for food protection and preservation in Wageningen University’s “Food Valley” in the Netherlands, pioneering new food waste and clean label ingredient solutions.

Edited by Joshua Poole