STORY: Insights from the BSB/Synergy Flavours Webinar
The British Society of Baking's latest webinar took place yesterday (11th March) in conjunction with Synergy Flavours, and was, as ever, packed full of useful information for delegates to take away and put to practical use. This was the third webinar to be given by the BSB, in place of its very popular conferences.
Two vital trending topics were covered, namely calorie reduction and key drivers for vegan growth.
BSB chairman Richard Hazeldine introduced the presentations, which were given by Adam Byrne, Reseach Applications Technologist at Synergy Foods, and Natalie Sheil, Category Manager - Bakery & Dairy at Synergy Flavours.
Reformulating bakery products to reduce calories
With increased pressure from government and media for manufacturers, retailers and brands to make products with less sugar, and/or calories, how can bakers reformulate while maintaining the same level of taste and texture that consumers expect?
Adam Byrne shared the research that Synergy has been doing in this area and how bakers can tackle the taste and texture challenges.
- Maintaining taste and texture in refornulated bakery products will help to meet the high demands of today's consumers.
- A sensory and analytical-based approach to reformulation will help bakers to understand and overcome the challenges associated with reduced calorie recipes.
- Synergy's 3D approach to tackling taste challenges can help bakers to exceed the 10% calorie reduction guidelines set out by PHE.
From sensory studies, flavour analysis and recipe development, Adam looked at the process of reformulating bakery products without compromising taste or texture.
Key drivers for vegan growth
The global vegan market is expected to reach a value of $31.4 billion by 2026, but what is driving demand, and how will this impact our sector in future?
Natalie Sheil presented key drivers for growth in vegan products, what this means for bakers and some of the challenges associated with developing products without the use of eggs, butter milk or cream.
Synergy has established an analytical-based approach to researching flavour and textural challenges that comes with developing vegan products, and how such challenges can be overcome through replicating key characteristics of eggs and dairy products while also masking undesirable flavour notes.
- Consumer research conducted by Synergy highlighted that 27% of respondents felt 'better taste' would improve plant-based products
- 24% of consumers wanted vegan products to taste more like traditional products
- Other factors deemed important were improved indulgence and better flavour variety
For more information visit bsb.org.uk
