KPM Analytics Releases Second Edition of Baker’s Quality Assurance Handbook
KPM Analytics, a global provider of scientific instrumentation for food quality and safety, has released the second edition of its Baker’s Quality Assurance Handbook: The Keys for Mastering Baking Process Control. The handbook is available as a free digital download and provides guidance on quality control and process management for the baking and milling industries.
The new edition comes as bakeries and millers face increased variability in raw material quality, alongside higher costs for ingredients and energy. Extreme weather events and regional conflicts have affected wheat quality, while inflation, tariffs and trade barriers have added further pressure on production costs.
At the same time, bakeries are facing a growing knowledge gap as experienced master bakers retire or move to other industries. The handbook also addresses the increasing use of AI-driven technologies in baking and milling, offering guidance on how these tools and the data they generate can be applied to improve consistency and quality.
Yuegang Zheo, Chief Commercial Officer at KPM Analytics and co-editor of the handbook, stated: “Objective measurement is how a baking operation protects itself when the variables keep changing, […] When you can quantify what your flour, your dough, and your finished product are doing, you no longer depend on a single person’s experience to make the right decision.”
The second edition is divided into six sections covering analytical tools used in milling and baking, raw material and ingredient quality control, production process control, product inspection and food safety, customer success stories, and guidance on working with technology suppliers.
Among the topics covered are water absorption, dough proofing analysis, moisture and compositional analysis using near-infrared spectroscopy, flour and dough rheology, as well as vision inspection and AI systems for process control and foreign material detection.
The handbook is intended as a practical resource that can be adapted to different types and sizes of baking and milling operations, from companies establishing their first formal quality assurance program to those looking to improve existing processes.
The new edition also includes expanded customer case studies from companies including Domino’s Pizza, Bay State Milling, Richardson Milling USA, Puratos, Europe Snacks, Emmi Desserts, Wooden Bakery and La Toque Angevine, an LDC subsidiary.
Zhao added: “The KPM Analytics’ Applications and Marketing teams put a great deal of work into this edition, and what they captured comes directly from years of working alongside our customers on the production floor,”
