Dough conditioners can improve dough handling, gas formation and retention, loaf volume, crumb structure and texture, crust development and color, general appearance, sliceability of the baked product, and more.
Dough conditioners will interact with a dough’s gluten matrix to modify it for consistent development and interaction with other active ingredients. In the end, they give bakers more consistent crumb structure in industrial baking environments and slow down the staling process of the finished product to improve shelf life and provide a consistent texture and structure.
According to a recent study from market research firm Graphical Research, in North America the dough conditioners market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD1.85bn by 2026.
With the rising demand for baking products, the market is looking at a promising growth trajectory ahead. Dough conditioners are substances of natural or synthetic origin that are most commonly used in baking recipes. They can increase baking flour performance and provide high-quality baked products with prolonged shelf life while ensuring consistent manufacturing procedures.
To achieve the desired mix, dough conditioners will also contain non-reactive fillers or carriers, to standardize their activity and ease their scaling (e.g. wheat flour, starch, calcium carbonate, vegetable fats). Ratios are established by taking end-use functionality, customer preference, and machinability during blending into consideration, among other application-specific variables, to provide an optimal blend. Maximization of yield – the number of breads produced on a line over a specific amount of time – is also a key goal. Essentially, most products have use rates (expressed as baker’s percentage) that fall within a 1% to 2% range.
Baking Away Through COVID
As individuals started spending more time at home than before the pandemic, they made use of their time by exploring new hobbies – such as baking. Due to changing consumer tastes, an increasing number of customers are searching for new cake and pastry experiences, which has increased demand for bakery items with better flavor and texture profiles.
Dough conditioners are used in the production of cakes and pastries to enhance the texture of the product and to make the combining of components easier. This trend has influenced manufacturers to include premium ingredients that provide seasonal and nostalgic flavor experiences. The increased consumption of packaged meals and ready-to-eat foods has pushed bakers to create products with long-lasting texture and flavor, hastening the usage of dough conditioners by packaged bakery food manufacturers.
Rising Use of Emulsifiers as Dough Conditioners
Emulsifiers serve as a bridge between opposing food components such as water and oil. Each component of food, such as protein, carbohydrate, oil and fat, water, and so on, has unique characteristics that can occasionally clash with one another, much like oil and water. Emulsifiers are employed to make the two components compatible. Milk, for example, a combination of fat embedded in an aqueous solution, is a classic natural emulsion.
Egg yolk, mustard, soy, and yeast are some of the most frequent emulsifiers used in baking. The usage of emulsifiers as dough conditioners has expanded substantially in North America, as has their consumption of bakery products, notably bread.
High Demand for Enzymes
An enzyme is a protein catalyst that causes chemical changes in biological systems. In the baking business, enzymes such as amylases and proteases are employed in baked goods, dairy, glucose syrups, starch, and other culinary products. Other than serving as great dough conditioners, enzymes also act as fermentation enhancers, and anti-stalling agents, allowing bakers to produce clean label baked goods. In 2019, the dough conditioners market share for the enzymes segment was valued at USD825m in North America.
Soaring Demand for Bread
You can read the rest of this article in the Winter issue of Asia Pacific Baker & Biscuit, which you can access by clicking here.