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7 › Better-for-You Bakery Products: 7 Top Trends

FOOD TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE | ARTICLE

Better-for-You Bakery
Products: 7 Top Trends
INGREDIENTS

Elizabeth Brewster

August 1, 2021

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Bread formulated with whole grains and other good-for-you ingredients can help satisfy
consumers’ “comfort food” cravings while also delivering health benefits they seek. ©
klebercordeiro/iStock/Getty Images Plus

While it’s true that pandemic stressors may have had many of
us finding comfort in a big hunk of bread or a handful of
cookies, it’s also true that more and more consumers are
looking to foods to help boost their health. In fact, one in five
is actively seeking health benefits from foods, according to the
International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) 2021 Food &
Health Survey.

Weight loss/weight management, energy/less fatigue,

digestive health, and heart/cardiovascular health are the top
four benefits consumers seek, IFIC found. Consumers also
have definite ideas about what they’re looking for: 27% define
“healthy food” as products that contain certain components
such as nutrients, whole grains, high protein, and/or high
fiber, while 25% say “healthy food” does not contain or has low
levels of components such as sugar, fat, and carbohydrates.

Given this focus on healthful eating, it’s not surprising that

bakery product formulators are working to help consumers
cut carbs, reduce sugar, pump up their protein intake, and
more. Let’s take a look at seven key better-for-you bakery
product trends and some ingredients that allow product
developers to meet consumers’ expectations for health, taste,
and function.

1) Plant-Based Popularity
Nearly 60% of consumers say they “strongly agree” or
“somewhat agree” that their eating habits are increasingly
shifting to plant-based, according to a national general
population survey from OnePoll last fall. And SPINS reports
that sales of overall foods and beverages positioned as plant-
based were up 29% for the year ended Dec. 27, 2020, with $5.6
billion in sales in multi-outlet, specialty, and natural channels.

“There is strong interest in plant-based bakery options,” says

Sheila McWilliams, technical sales manager at Fiberstar. “The
plant-based trend is the next iteration of vegan product
options in the bakery space, and they must deliver on taste.”

In fact, plant-based positioning is a natural for bakery

products, suggests Kathy Sargent, director of global market
strategy at Corbion. “Bakery is primarily plant-based already,”
she says. “Some [vegetarian/vegan] consumers just want a few
ingredients replaced. [Or we can add] new on-trend
ingredients like legumes or vegetables that add a little bit more
of a health benefit with a plant-based halo. It adds to the
excitement of trying something new.”

Kellogg subsidiary RXBAR, for example, in June launched its

first plant-based product, RXBAR Plant in peanut butter and
chocolate chip flavors, using pea and almond protein rather
than egg whites.

Going vegan can

present some of the
toughest challenges
for plant-based
bakery formulations.
“Eggs and dairy
ingredients provide
texture, mouthfeel,
flavor, bulk, and shelf
Removing dairy ingredients requires formulation life to bakery
adaptations to ensure that optimal texture,
mouthfeel, flavor, and bulk are achieved. Photo
products,” says Peggy
courtesy of Kerry North America Dantuma, business
development
director, bakery, at
Kerry North America. “All these aspects need to be addressed
when removing these highly functional ingredients. ... The
degree of di"culty will be determined by the end application.”
Proteins such as wheat, soy, flax, and pea can be used in
combination to replace eggs or dairy proteins, Dantuma
explains. “Typically, a hydrocolloid such as CMC
[carboxymethyl cellulose], xanthan, or guar gum would be
used in combination with a protein source to improve
functionality,” she says.

“Replacement of eggs in bakery has been an ongoing

technology challenge because eggs have so many functions,”
agrees Je# Casper, director of research and applications at
Merit Functional Foods. In April, Merit achieved first
commercial production of its novel lineup of Puratein canola
plant proteins, which can provide critical functionalities
required for vegan bakery applications, says Casper.

“We’ve seen a lot of success using [Puratein C] in the

development of egg-free high ratio cakes with excellent
volume, symmetry, cell structure, and final texture,” he adds.
“Puratein C and G o#ers egglike functionalities, including the
unique ability to whip and incorporate a large degree of air
into food formulations. And when combined with the gelation
functionality, it can set into a stable crumb.”

2) Carb-Cutting Keto
The low-carbohydrate, high-fat keto diet is on a roll, with the
global ketogenic diet market projected to grow from $10.2
million in 2019 to $15.3 million by 2027, a compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3%, according to The Insight
Partners market research firm.

Trimming carbs from carb-heavy bakery products while

maintaining quality can be accomplished by replacing regular
flour with a high-fiber source and modified starches, says
Anita Srivastava, senior technical services manager, bakery, at
Kemin.

“Since the regular starch [in regular flour] has high glycemic
index, the [regular] flour is typically replaced by bran and
other sources of fibers to provide the bulk of the formulation,”
Srivastava says. “This bulk will provide varying levels of
dietary fiber with low to no calories. This also a#ects the
textural properties of the finished product. Due to the high
water absorption capacity of fibers, they compete with gluten
for water, which a#ects the gluten hydration and complete
gluten development. Generally, the higher the presence of
fiber in a dough, the higher the amount of water required in
order to obtain a workable dough.”

In March, Ardent Mills launched Keto Certified Net Carb Flour

Blend in white (all-purpose) and specialized flour blends for a
broad range of applications including breads, buns, rolls,
bagels, pizza, and sweet goods. Keto certified by the Paleo
Foundation, the flour blend is nut free and contains gluten,
 allowing food
companies to run it
on their current
equipment without
any changes.

“It o#ers a highly

nutritious fiber
portion that aligns
with the principles of
a keto-friendly diet,”
says Ken Ruud,
director of
Bimbo Bakeries touts its Healthy Habits white innovation at Ardent
bread made with whole grain as “keto friendly.” Mills.

Bread makers have

lost no time getting in on the low-carb action. In June, Bimbo
Bakeries USA added the first Healthy Habits brand keto-
friendly bread product, Healthy Habits white bread made with
whole grain, containing 6 net carbs per slice. Natural Ovens
Keto-Friendly Hot Dog Buns rolled out in May with 26 g carbs
and 25 g fiber per serving. On the snack side, PepsiCo’s Hilo
Life, part of the food giant’s internal brand incubator, launched
keto-friendly tortilla- style chips in March made with defatted
almond flour. The snack chips provide 3 g net carbs per
serving.

3) Less Sugar in the Mix

Sugar is the top item that consumers who read Nutrition Facts
labels look for (57%), reports NPD, and the number of
Americans limiting or avoiding sugars in their diet has
remained stable at a high level (72%) since 2020, according to
IFIC’s 2021 Food & Health Survey.

Successfully
formulating reduced-
sugar baked goods,
however, requires
addressing all areas
where sucrose plays a
role, says Michael
Merkley, senior
Reducing sugar in baked goods typically requires scientist, bakery,
adding bulking ingredients. Photo courtesy of Tate
& Lyle
NOAM at Tate &
Lyle. “Leveraging an
ingredient toolbox
approach with multiple solutions for sweetness and texture is
critical to maintain product integrity in bakery products,” he
says.

“Sugar reduction in bakery products can be especially

challenging given sugar’s functional role in many
formulations,” says Tim Christensen, senior food technologist,
R&D bakery applications at Cargill. “[But] we’ve found
developers can achieve modest reductions of 15% to 20% in
cookies and 20% to 50% in cakes and mu"ns using ingredients
like stevia leaf extract, erythritol, and chicory root fiber, with
limited e#ect on overall product performance.”

Mondelēz International subsidiary Hu Products, for example,

unveiled a line of no-added-sugar cookies in March made with
chicory root fiber, cassava flour, dates, organic coconut oil,
cashew flour, flaxseed, sea salt, and organic rosemary extract.
Each serving contains 6–7 g sugar, and the cookies are
available in chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, and
ginger snap varieties.

“Low- and no-calorie sweeteners like allulose, stevia, and

monk fruit continue to grow in popularity as an alternative to
sugar in baked goods,” says Nancy Hughes, president of Apura
Ingredients. “Allulose has been receiving the most interest,
particularly in the baked goods sector. It o#ers many of the
same functional benefits as sucrose but with only 10% of the
calories.”

While monk fruit and stevia have given formulators more

options for replacing sugar with natural alternatives, both lack
the bulk that sugar provides, says Sheri O’Brien, vice
president, sales and marketing at BioNeutra North America.
“Many formulators have found success blending these
ingredients with an IMO [isomalto-oligosaccharide]-based
sweetener as the binder or bulking agent,” says O’Brien.

Last fall, BioNeutra introduced VitaFiber PLUS, an IMO-based

sweetener with a dietary fiber approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration that can replace sugar as a binder or
filler in protein bars, snacks, and other baked goods while also
boosting fiber content in a formulation.

When reducing sugar and other carbohydrates in bread,

volume will decrease due to lack of carbohydrates for yeast
activity and lack of structure, says Kerry North America’s
Dantuma. The sweetness is typically replaced with high-
intensity sweeteners such as sucralose, stevia, or ace-k, she
says, and bulking agents can be fibers, resistant starches, sugar
alcohols, or low-calorie sweeteners such as allulose.

4) Pumped Up Protein
Protein continues to be a buzzword among the health and
weight conscious, thanks to its reputation for satiety. IFIC’s
2021 Food & Health Survey reports that 62% of consumers say
they are trying to consume protein. Meanwhile, the global
protein ingredients market is expected to expand at a CAGR
of 10.5% from 2021 to 2028, reaching $85.5 billion by 2028,
according to data from ResearchAnd-Markets.com. One of the
 newest high-protein
entrants in the bakery
market is
UnbelievaBread’s
vegan UnbelievaBuns,
introduced earlier
this year, with 17 g
protein—more
protein per serving
than beef, chicken, or
pork, according to a
company press
release.
Low-carb UnbelievaBuns are vegan, formulated
without the use of eggs. Image courtesy of“We’ve received many
UnbelievaBuns
requests to help
increase the protein
content in a variety
of snacks and baked goods,” says Cargill’s Christensen. “Water
management is a ... common challenge when working with
proteins in baked goods. In some formulas, replacing
granulated sugar with corn syrup, liquid sugar, or honey can
create additional moisture.”

Adding protein to bread results in gluten network

interference, causing a lack of volume and poor grain
structure, says Dantuma. “A stronger dough conditioner is
then needed, as well as flavor masking,” she says. “In sweet
bakery goods, crumbly texture and faster staling are typical
problems [from the addition of protein], as well as flavor o#-
notes.”

Amr Shaheed, technical sales and application development

manager at Innophos, says that “ongoing research in baked
nutrition demonstrates that phosphates provide functional
improvements in appearance, texture, and volume of high-
protein baked goods.”

5) Fiber Fortification
Fifty-six percent of consumers say they try to consume fiber,
according to IFIC’s 2021 Food & Health Survey, and whole grains
are a natural fiber source for some baked goods. In fact, the
pandemic shift in eating habits is boosting interest in whole
grains, says Kelly Toups, director of nutrition at Oldways, a
nonprofit food and nutrition organization.

“In our 2021 Whole Grain Consumer Insights Survey, one in five
consumers reports eating more whole grains now than before
the pandemic,” says Toups. “[The survey] found that the
breads/rolls/buns category is the category in which the
highest percentage of people (over one-third of respondents)
wish their whole grain consumption was higher.”
Inspired by artisanal baking trends and baking blogs, food
companies are incorporating a range of fiber-rich whole grain
flours in baked goods in addition to using conventional whole
wheat flour, says Toups, including white whole wheat flour.
“Spelt flour is also promising, as it tends to perform well in
baked goods,” she says.

“Fortifying baked
goods, especially
savory products like
breads, mu"ns, and
crackers, is highly
acceptable to
consumers,” says
Jennifer Stephens,
vice president of
marketing at
Fiberstar. “They
Chickpea flour’s versatility makes it a high- associate
potential bakery ingredient. © nonindulgence
Zoryanchik/iStock/Getty Images Plus
bakery items as a
means to deliver
nutrition, including
dietary fiber. [But] depending on the fiber’s composition, it
may compete for water or change the baking parameters
which a#ect the texture and organoleptic properties.”

In the past, bakery products used mostly insoluble fibers,

Stephens says. But today, “thanks to new processing
technologies, new types of ingredients are hitting the market,
[such as] more whole food type ingredients with multiple
functionalities,” she says. Upcycled ingredients with high
nutritional value and functionality, such as Fiberstar’s Citri-Fi
produced from the citrus juicing process, are also making their
way into baked goods, she adds.

“Glanbia Nutritionals is launching its OvenPro Series (Bread,

Cake, Quickbread) that allows for clean label dairy-based bakery
solutions that provide high PDCAAS score protein, an
excellent source of fiber, excellent flavor, desirable textures,
and application-specific functionality as a scalable replacement
of 100% total flour,” says Daniel Marciani, research manager
bakery at Glanbia Nutritionals. OvenPro allows formulators to
adjust usage levels to achieve a variety of nutritional goals
while maintaining an appealing bakery product, he says.

Ardent Mills’ Ruud predicts that pulse and chickpea flours will
be bakery ingredients to watch, “as they play exceptionally well
into the plant-forward and health-forward trends. Chickpea
flour is versatile, and protein- and fiber-rich for many baking
applications from bars and snacks to crackers, cookies, and
more,” he says.
6) Immunity Enhancers
The heightened interest in immunity during the pandemic has
also increased interest in foods that may help boost immunity:
Two-thirds of consumers would like to learn more about the
role of food and nutrients in immune health, according to the
recent IFIC survey.

“As consumers continue to look at better-for-you options,

bakery is a great space to o#er products with clinically
demonstrated immune health benefits,” says Dantuma.

Beta-glucan, turmeric, omega-3 and -6

acids, and probiotics are all immune-
boosting ingredients that can be added
to bakery products in small quantities.

Beta-glucan, turmeric, omega-3 and -6 acids, and probiotics

(both vegetative cells and spore formers) are all immune-
boosting ingredients that can be added to bakery products in
small quantities, says Kemin’s Srivastava. However, probiotics
must be kept alive to be e#ective, says Cashtyn Lovan,
marketing manager at Cargill Health Technologies, and that
can be di"cult in any application, especially baked goods.

“Probiotics are still a concern in bakery applications as most of

the probiotics are vegetative cells which do not survive baking
temperatures,” agrees Srivastava. “Spores are also available,
which can withstand baking temperatures, but not many
bakers are willing to evaluate [them] in their facilities as the
major concern is it may introduce a microbial spore in their
facility. [That] would require an additional antimicrobial
step/process to ensure it is not spread to other parts of the
plant.”

Established in the supplement industry, Cargill’s heat-stable

EpiCor postbiotic is new and breaking ground in the food
industry, says Lovan. “A whole food fermentate, EpiCor
postbiotic has been clinically shown to support the immune
system and beneficially modulate the gut microbiota—giving
nutrition bars and similar snacks the superpowers that
consumers often associate with fermented foods,” says Lovan.
“Its recommended dose is just 500 mg per day, making it easy
to formulate into a wide variety of baked goods, snack bars,
and other foods.”

7) Healthier Fats and Oils

According to Cargill’s 2020 FATitudes survey, most global
consumers say the amount of fat (70%) and the type of oil
(67%) are important factors in determining which packaged
foods to buy. A “no saturated fat” claim is the most influential,
with 53% of consumers in 2020 saying they are more likely to
purchase these products.

“In bakery
applications,
saturated fat is a
critical component. It
contributes to
structure, mouthfeel,
and the overall
sensory profile of the
finished good,” says
Achieving the flaky texture of a croissant while John Satumba, global
reducing fat requires the use of a bakery fat
specifically tailored for the application. © bakery technical lead
derketta/iStock/Getty Images Plus and regional R&D
director for North
America, global
edible oil solutions at Cargill. “Reductions to saturated fat
content may require the addition of other ingredients to
replace some of that lost functionality. Modifications may also
be needed to processing procedures, such as changing the
order and rate of ingredient inclusions.”

“Reducing saturated fat can lead to formulation challenges in

applications where the sensory experience is enhanced by a
flaky texture, such as danishes, pastries, croissants, biscuits,
and even pizza crust,” says Tyronna Capers, director of
marketing at Bunge Loders Croklaan. “Each of these requires a
baking fat with unique functional specifications.”

Epogee’s EPG (esterified propoxylated glycerol) oil, which is

made from rapeseed, can replace up to 85% of the digestible fat
in a formulation, with 92% fewer calories and labeled grams of
total fat and saturated fat than its traditional counterparts. It is
GRAS approved for use in applications including baked goods
and mixes, snack foods, and confections and bars, and Epogee
expects multiple new products with EPG to roll out this year,
says chief commercial o"cer Jayme Caruso.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Brewster is a freelance writer based in Evanston, Ill.

([email protected]).

IN THIS ARTICLE

BAKERY FATS AND OILS FIBER PROTEINS

 FOOD INGREDIENTS AND ADDITIVES

FOOD PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

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