Adding nutrition and crunch: Naturality and healthy indulgence drive bakery space, but taste and texture remain key

23 Oct 2019 --- Consumer demand for naturality is fast climbing the industry’s trend list, while ingredient provenance is not only an added perk but a prerequisite that drives consumer choice. In the bakery sector, taste and texture are crucial elements and driving factors behind repeated purchases. However, the demand for clean label offerings, featuring natural ingredients that boost health and wellness, is also gaining momentum. From perceived healthier grains to natural food colorings and vegan products, experts speak to FoodIngredientsFirst on what is propelling the bakery sector.

“In trending ingredients in the bakery segment right now, there is a preference for those used to promote healthy living and gut health, as well as those that allow for ethnic-inspired, label-friendly, free-from, high-protein and fiber-rich applications,” says CJ McClellan, Global Marketing Manager at Corbion.

“Health and wellness is top of mind for many consumers when purchasing food and beverage products today, and the bakery segment is no exception. As a result, there’s a strong need for cleaner, more natural ingredients that provide similar functionalities as their traditional counterparts,” McClellan adds.

“Indulgence strongly influences choices, however, many consumers have concerns about artificial ingredients used in bakery. The use of natural ingredients in the bakery category is becoming more and more important,” adds Pernille Arskog, Senior Manager, Global Marketing at Chr. Hansen Natural Colors A/S.

Arskog says that consumers are scrutinizing labels in search of cleaner and more natural products, and they expect transparency about how a product is made, where the ingredients come from and how they ended up on the shelf. 

“Bakery products made in a traditional way, with few ingredients, is a trend that is here to stay,” says Limagrain Ingredients.“Consumers want naturalness and healthy products. They want to see a clear and short ingredient list,” says Pauline Arramy, Bakery Culinary Marketing Manager at Limagrain Ingredients. “Consumers expect pleasure and taste from baked goods, but they also want reassurance. They want to be sure of what they eat. Bakery products made in ‘an old way’ or traditional way, with few ingredients, is definitely a trend that is here to stay,” says Arramy.

Taste is king – Texture is queen
Quality, taste and freshness are top of mind for consumers when selecting premium baked goods products, according to Corbion-endorsed research. When it comes to baked goods, most consumers put taste as their most important product feature, but the texture of the baked good may determine whether a consumer will purchase the product again, notes McClellan. Texture, however, is a pivotal aspect, as well. 

Textures in baked goods are determined by many factors – ingredient qualities, climatic conditions, moisture content and interactions between components in the food system. All of these factors affect the resiliency, tenderness and crumb structure.

“To make sure texture and taste are ensured, we start by understanding exactly what sort of texture and eating qualities each customer wants to create. We then identify a solution from our broad portfolio that can deliver those attributes and partner with our customers to help them implement it successfully,” continues McClellan.

Attractive colors and vegan offerings
Ingredient provenance is indeed an overarching industry trend that is fast-growing and many ingredients companies are boasting naturality in their NPD, from bakery to botanicals and colorings. Chr. Hansen, for example, offers a range consisting of colorful, minimally processed fruit and vegetable concentrates like orange carrot, black carrot and sweet potato, to meet consumer’s request for natural, simple and recognizable ingredients. They can be used to provide color to cakes and other bakery products. 

“Consumers are attracted by colorful bakery products with novel, unusual and luxurious flavors and contrasting interesting textures. They like to share photos of their eating experience on social media. Color influences our actual taste experience and ensures the bakery product is appealing and appetizing,” says Arskog. 

“There is also a huge trend for vegan products, this type of diet is growing, and the consumers want to find healthy and adapted products,” Arramy notes. “As vegetal protein is key, in this diet they look for products, and especially bakery products high in vegetal protein. Pulses are one of the answers to improve the vegetal protein level of bakery products. In this theme, Limagrain Ingredients has launched a range of Toasted pulses – toasted broken chickpea and toasted red lentil. It’s an easy way to add nutritional benefits and crunchiness to the bakery products.”

Ancient grains and practices?
Consumers seek products that are manufactured in traditional ways, a characteristic which is particularly important in artisan bakery and pastry making. 

Every final product has a story to tell. Often, consumers gravitate toward classic and traditional baked goods because of their emotional link to them. Meanwhile, the need for healthier options remains and this has led to the rise of alternative flours and ingredients that boast taste, indulgence, naturality and health. 

Bread with Tartary Buckwheat from GoodMills Innovation.This is where ancient grains come into play as they offer a more healthful alternative to traditional flour. Michael Gusko, Managing Director at GoodMills Innovation, calls ancient grains a megatrend. “These include ingredients such as spelt and buckwheat and, at a lower level, ingredients, such as chia, amaranth and emmer,” he says. 

From a consumer point of view, the trend towards ancient grains is easy to explain: Ancient grains meet consumer demand for authenticity – they are perceived as naturally beneficial and less processed, i.e. a healthier and more natural alternative. Provenance then comes into play yet again. 

For GoodMills Innovation, the nutritional values of the ancient grain varieties are extremely important. “For example, we initiated the renaissance of Tartary Buckwheat by replanting this 85-million-year-old variety. This buckwheat variety contains 100 times more rutin, a valuable secondary plant substance, than common buckwheat, making it a true superfood,” Gusko notes.

One hurdle, however, is the high price of these materials. Compared to wheat and rye flour or sunflower and pumpkin seeds, these ancient grain specialties are significantly more expensive. Furthermore, these ingredients have no additional sensory benefits – quite the opposite, in fact, Gusko notes. Ancient grains usually have baking disadvantages, such as less volume or drying out faster. Bakers, therefore, add them in small doses. 

Corbion notes that it sees many manufacturers expanding their product lines to include more organic, low-carb, non-GMO, gluten-free and vegetable-based alternatives as consumers continue to seek healthier options. “Some of the challenges we see associated with these types of products include maintaining the functionality needed for processing tolerance and overall eating quality (taste, texture, crumb structure, etc.), as well as minimizing production costs,” McClellan says.

“When it comes to developing gluten-free baked goods, product developers are challenged with finding solutions that mimic the original gluten properties and dough tolerance necessary for commercial production. Wheat gluten provides certain viscoelasticity properties for baked goods and helps retain gas bubbles in the dough, which impact crumb structure, texture and mouthfeel,” McClellan concludes.

What’s next?
Bakery is a major industry sector, which has risen to every challenge so far, from sugar reduction, healthier grains and superfood trends. As ingredient naturality and sourcing gain momentum, the bakery space is responding with more innovation and expanded ingredient applications. Ingredient provenance is key for the modern consumer and demands for more natural and traditional raw materials is expected to grow further. 

By Kristiana Lalou