Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

Puratos is launching its bakery enhancers in the Middle East and in Asia in response to growing demand for “western type” cakes with a long shelf life, said the firm.

The cake improver Acti-fresh is an enzyme and emulsifier that enhances the freshness of industrially produced cakes, muffins, swiss rolls and cake donuts by blocking the staling process of the starch in the cake product, according to Puratos.

The ingredients can increase the perceived softness, moistness and freshness of bakery products by between 30 and 40 per cent, three weeks after baking, claims the food ingredients supplier.

Distribution challenges

After success in Western Europe, the ingredients supplier has decided to launch its shelf life enhancers in countries such as China, where western-style cakes are on the rise, said Paul Baisier, senior product manager, Patisserie Mixes at Puratos.

“Cake manufacturers are seeing the opportunity to produce long shelf life snack cakes to satisfy a new type of consumer who is switching from traditional Asian snacks to cake snack products, such as swiss rolls and cupcakes,” he said.

However, these snack cakes are sold in supermarkets, petrol stations and many local grocery shops that are based far away, said Baisier, this leads to huge logistical and distribution challenges where six, nine and even 12 months shelf life are required, Baiser explained.

Puratos recently launched two new Acti-Fresh ingredients for brownies and Asian style snack cakes and will introduce Acti-Fresh for chocolate cakes by the end of this year.

Source:  Bakery and Snacks

Bakery, Ingredients Bakery, emerging markets, Puratos

Puratos announced the acquisition of Pure Food. This family-owned company, based in Latvia, is well-known for its production of fruit fillings. The acquisition, remaining subject to approval by the regulatory authorities, will strengthen Puratos’ position on the Nordic, Central and Eastern European markets.

Founded in 1994 in the town of Pure, near Riga, Pure Food specialises in the production of fruit and berry preparations for bakeries, confectioners, ice cream, yoghurts and desserts. The company employs 167 people. This team will become part of the Nordic region within the Puratos Group.

Pure Food collects and cleans berries from the Baltic States for the end product, bringing vertical integration to the Puratos Group. The Latvian company will be supported by the Puratos Fruit and Fillings business unit, where its expertise in sourcing and cleaning of berries, aseptic industrial packaging, and modern production techniques will bring synergies to the Group. Pure Food’s new production unit was built in 2007, which means that customers benefit from the most modern production facilities for fruit filling production.

“The acquisition of Pure Food will allow Puratos to develop its business with industrial bakeries and patisseries in the region, as well as strengthening its presence in the artisan and supermarket in store bakeries. Our customers are continuously looking for new innovative options for the production of patisserie, and these products will complement our existing products and ranges,” says Simon Peel, Nordic Regional Director Puratos,  who emphasizes that he is delighted to welcome the new team in Puratos.

“Being with Puratos will allow us to develop our business in the bakery and confectionery market, and at the same time give us technical support for R&D and production facility back up to maintain and grow our business in the yoghurts and desserts segment. I feel the cultures of Pure Food and Puratos, both being family owned companies, are similar and will lead to a successful integration. We are looking forward to the successful growth of our company within the Puratos Group”, states Aigars Balodis, General Manager of Pure Food.

Companies Puratos, Pure Food

An enzyme based margarine, butter and oil alternative for bakery goods can reduce the level of saturated and total fat in bread by up to 70 per cent, according to ingredients supplier Puratos.

Puraslim is a “functional paste” that the company claims can allow for nutritional claims such as ‘low in fat’, ‘zero grams trans fat per serving’ and ‘reduced fat’ in rolls, pan bread, tortilla, buns.

The fat in cakes and muffins can be reduced by up to 50 per cent, said Puratos, which also allows for a ‘reduced fat’ claim.

Although the cost of Puraslim within the recipe is comparable to margarines and shortening, it is used at lower dosage levels, which makes it more cost effective, according to Puratos.

“Puraslim is also less price volatile than oils, ensuring a more stable price point,” said the company.

Taste

Despite the drop in fat content, the company claims that taste and texture of the goods is not lost as the ingredient mimics all the functionalities of traditional fats such as texture and shelf life.

“The enzyme and emulsifier technology present in Puraslim brings out a comparable or even improved texture as traditional fats do in soft baked goods, such as softness, freshness and shortbite,” Amber Goossens, brand manager at Puratos told.

“To compensate for the typical mouth feel and flavour release that a fat brings in sweet baked goods, a carefully selected touch of flavour has been added,” said Goossens.

According to Goossens, blind consumer tests run by Puratos Sensobus showed that 44 per cent of the consumers preferred the Puraslim version of brioche breads to the standard bread of with 31 per cent preferred. 25 per cent of the consumers had no preference at all.

When consumers received information about the fat reduction, the preference was increased to 66 per cent, claims Goossens.

The ingredient is available in both the US and Europe.

Source: Bakery and Snacks

Ingredients enzymes, fat reduction, fat replacer, Puraslim, Puratos

Puratos has developed a healthy snacking concept, based around its existing Oxanti chocolate product and combinations with the company’s other ingredients.

The Oxanti healthy snacking range includes a cereal bar, which has 45% more protein compared to other leading cereal bars, a wholegrain cake that has 40% less saturated fat than similar cakes, a ganache tart at just 74 calories per tart; and a friand that is very low in sodium (58% less compared to similar products).

Oxanti is part of the Belcolade range of chocolate made from single Origin cocoa beans from Ecuador with higher antioxidant levels. The company also claims that its antioxidant power remains effective for longer, thanks to a patent-pending conching process.

Chocolate Chocolate, Oxanti, Puratos