New DSM enzyme slashes emulsifier costs for bakers

Panamore, an enzyme preparation borne from microbial fermentation, acts on polar lipids already present naturally in the wheat flour to "unlock and maximise their emulsification properties."​

"With Panamore bakers can completely, or partially, replace the use of chemical emulsifiers such as DATEM,"​ explained Phil Latham, new business development manager at DSM Food Specialities.

DATEM, an acronym for diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono/diglyceride, is commonly used by bakers to strengthen and soften dough. For standard-type bread, DATEM is typically about 0.3 per cent of the total flour weight.

But derived from raw materials such as palm oil, prices for this emulsifier have spiralled upwards, marching in tune to the massive upward pressure in costs that have impacted a large swathe of edible building blocks for the food industry.

"Depending on the amount of DATEM replaced in the application, our enzyme can lead to a 50 to 70 per cent reduction in costs,"​ Mr. Latham told BakeryandSnacks.com.

With regards to functionalities, DSM claims its latest bakery enzyme improves dough tolerance, conditions the dough and softens the crumb in situ, providing "optimal volume and crumb structure in the finished product." ​

In addition, the Panamore preparation, produced by Aspergillus, can "increase bread volume, crust appearance and oven spring."​

The bakery industry, together with all other sectors of the food industry, must answer growing demand from the consumer - increasingly wary of artificial additives - for clean labels. Such demand is one of the driving impetuses behind innovative ingredients makers to design products that can meet these needs.

A processing aid, Panamore is a clean label ingredient that for the baker means "nothing on the label",​ said Latham. In other words, unlike emulsifiers, they do not have to be labelled as additives under the E-number system.

According to Latham, the switch from emulsifier to the DSM enzyme preparation can also provide bakers with greater flexibility: "Our enzyme technology can strengthen poorer quality flour, reducing the bakers' dependence on high quality flour."​

Panamore, which will be presented to the food industry next week at the AACC meeting in Honolulu, "eliminates the impact of seasonal flour variation, and the bottom line is a consistent and uniform product,"​ he added.

Produced at DSM's enzyme facility in Seclin, France, the enzyme preparation is sold in powdered, granulate form, with a two year shelf life. Dosage for the product - that depends on the application to include crusty bread, longer fermentation processes (Turkish style bread, for example) and bread rolls - ranges from 5 to 20 parts per million.

And for bakers opting keep a certain level of emulsifiers, for instance 0.1 per cent of DATEM, in their formulations, Panamore can also work in combination: "It's not an all or nothing option,"​ stated Latham.

Approximately three years in development, Panamore is the next generation of DSM's BakeZyme PH 300 and PH 800, joining its predecessors in DSM's growing bakery enzyme portfolio.

With this latest launch, DSM will be eager to tap into a buoyant bakery enzymes market, pitched by industry observers to be worth globally around €161m.

Indeed, the food enzyme market, in general, is "very important to DSM and one in which we have a strong global position," ​Alexander Wessels, business group director for DSM Food Specialities, said in July this year, following the Dutch company's acquisition of US biotechnology firm Valley Research.

The global enzyme market is estimated to be worth about €1.7bn, although food use accounts for only around a third of this, finds a recent report, the Food Additives Market 2008,​ from Leatherhead Food International.

The report notes that, in particular, the market is being driven by new products for the bakery and beverage industry. If the bakery enzymes market represents about €161m, according Leatherhead Food International, this would give the sector "over a quarter of the food enzymes market."​

Competing for a slice of the market, recent enzyme launches from DSM that target the bakery industry include CakeZyme and Let's Cake Together that aim to help manufacturers respond to the demands for indulgence, reduced fat and improved costs.

And in the race for sales in the acrylamide-busting food formulations, DSM last year launched PreventAse, an acrylamide-reducing enzyme derived from Aspergillus niger. Preventase is now available in three sub-brands - Panna, Bicra and Xtru - which are intended for use in different kinds of products.

Panna is said to be intended for use in wheat-based products like bread, biscuits and crackers; Bicra is for "subcategories of biscuits",​ according to the company. Xtru, meanwhile, targets acrylamide reduction in extruded snacks.