Functional and nutritional ingredients aim to please health-conscious consumers | Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery

Nov 13, 2024

Courtesy of A&B Ingredients

As any savvy snack or bakery pro could tell you, a growing number of consumers are seeking products with better-for-you nutritional profiles. According to Joe O’Neill—vice president, sales and business development, A&B Ingredients—this trend has started to influence product innovation in the bakery.

“We are noticing many new products hitting the market with improved front-of-pack labeling or claims such as protein and/or fiber fortification, gluten-free, low carb, and reduced calorie options,” O’Neill notes. “Traditionally, baked goods often had less attractive nutritional profiles when considering sugar, fat, fiber, and protein content. With the growing number of consumers being conscious about their diet and the nutritional quality of the foods they eat, they are searching for healthier versions of their favorite products for guilt-free indulgence.”

Protein fortification, fiber enrichment, and sugar reduction are all trends reshaping the snack and bakery industry. Alongside these trends, the rise of clean labels, natural ingredients, and ingredient transparency are drawing increased consumer attention, adds O’Neill.

Cargill recently highlighted trends in the latest edition of its ClaimTracker proprietary consumer research. The report is designed to provide an assessment of food and beverage claims, identifying the claims with the greatest and least impact on consumers. Jana Mauck, category marketing manager for snacks, Cargill, shares some of the key takeaways from the research.

Beneo recently launched a new whole-grain barley flour called Orafti-β-Fit. It contains approximately 40% total fiber, of which 20% are beta-glucans. According to Kyle Krause, regional product manager, functional fibers and carbohydrates, North America, Beneo, Beta-glucans are fermentable dietary fibers that can offer various health benefits:

Additionally, Beneo Orafti β-Fit fulfills the American Heart Association’s strict nutritional requirements to receive certification and to carry the organization’s acclaimed and trusted Heart-Check mark.

The company has also added a new range of faba bean ingredients to their portfolio. According to Krause, these ingredients offer producers a range of benefits:

Both new products Krause mentioned reportedly can be used in snack and bakery applications such as cookies and muffins, high-protein baked goods, and protein bars.

A&B Ingredients’ most recent addition is their Foslife sweet soluble prebiotic fiber; the product is a short-chain fructo-oligosaccharide made from cane sugar through a proprietary enzymatic process, explains O’Neill.

“The ingredient is a prebiotic fiber that has about 50% fiber content, provides a sweetness value of 70% that of sugar, and comes as a highly soluble liquid. Additionally, Foslife has a low glycemic index, meaning it is digested and absorbed slowly, causing a slower and smaller rise in blood glucose levels. This makes it ideal for use in low-calorie diets, sweets and weight loss foods,” states O’Neill.

Glanbia Nutritionals has introduced OvenPro Sweet Goods, a functional solution designed for protein fortification (greater than 76%) in bakery applications, which is designed to deliver superior texture and flavor.

“It allows customers to achieve high levels of protein in baked applications, maintains a clean flavor, and it can be used as a partial or 100% flour replacement,” explains Meghan Wahlin, senior product specialty manager, Glanbia Nutritionals. The ingredient is said to perform well in cookies, muffins, brownies, scones, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, and batters.

Arla Food Ingredients’ Lacprodan product line has a range of protein ingredients that offer varying functionalities for different textures.

“All the Lacprodan products score high in terms of the nutritional profiles and essential amino acids,” says Christian Jonassen, senior application specialist, protein bars and bakery, Arla Food Ingredients. “In particular, Lacprodan SoftBar is a protein ingredient that enables high levels of high-quality protein to be packed into snack bars, while maintaining soft texture through shelf life. The primary benefit of Lacprodan SoftBar is the ability to pack in a lot of high-quality protein into the bar.”

Jonassen adds the ingredient also works well with others.

“For example, it can be combined with whole foods like dates, nuts, or different types of binders that offer an indulgent eating experience and enable claims such as high in protein,” he concludes.

Protein remains the top nutrient consumers seek across the food and beverage landscape, states Chad Rieschl, principal food scientist, Cargill.

“The challenge for snack and bakery manufacturers is delivering the ever-higher levels of protein consumers want while also meeting their taste and texture expectations. To support the innovation journey, our joint venture partner Puris continues to expand and improve its pea protein ingredients,” he explains. “Puris uses yellow pea seed varieties specially selected to minimize off-notes and processed without the use of hexane to bring out the best flavor possible. Additionally, by leveraging advanced processing technology, Puris offers different pea protein formats that bring unique functionality and are aligned to different application needs, including hydrolyzed powders and pea protein crisps for use in snack and bakery applications.”

Many types of bakery items like breads, cookie, cakes, and ready-to-eat or raw doughs are shipped and sold frozen. Whether at retail or foodservice, frozen bakery products are an excellent way to provide convenient, nutritious, and specialty foods to consumers, explains Sheila McWilliams, technical sales manager, Fiberstar.

“For frozen bakery products to maintain their quality through freezing, thawing, and slacking, bakers have used enzymes and stabilizers,” McWilliams relates. “An alternative ingredient is Citri-Fi citrus fiber. Citri-Fi is an upcycled citrus fiber produced from byproduct of the citrus juicing industry. The process, which is free from chemical modifications, produces a citrus fiber that succeeds in providing emulsification and water binding to maintain the quality of frozen bakery products.”

McWilliams adds, “The matrix of soluble and insoluble fiber minimizes water from evaporating and forming large crystals that will damage cell structure and cause moisture loss. At low usage levels (<1%), Citri-Fi provides emulsification properties, providing a clean label alternative to other stabilizers. The protein present in Citri-Fi along with the soluble fiber stabilize fats and oils, emulsifying to improve the texture and stability of frozen bakery items.”

A&B Ingredients reportedly is exploring new ways to make their ingredients work smarter. Their Cellula pea hull fiber is a natural dietary fiber produced from sustainably sourced yellow peas. It contains 80% fiber and also helps control starch expansion in extruded snacks, acting as a nucleation agent. According to the company, it can be used for extruded snacks, bakery items, bread, cakes, biscuits, and nutritional foods.

Chicory root fiber is another ingredient gaining traction, especially with the growing demand for high-fiber bakery products, states O’Neill. “It’s perfect for adding dietary fiber to bread and other baked goods. Plus, chicory root fiber doesn’t just improve nutrition-it also enhances dough texture offering both prebiotic benefits and functional improvements.”

Joyce Friedberg, Contributing Writer