DSM enzyme offers better high-fibre bread stability

Ingredients specialist DSM is helping bakers target the lucrative health-conscious market with its newest enzyme product, designed to overcome the typical obstacles associated with producing high fibre breads.

According to the company, BakeZyme WholeGain efficiently tackles the problems of reduced volume and unstable crumb structure - promising better taste, texture, feel and aesthetic value than generic wholegrain products.

High fibre breads are often beset by problems due to the unwieldy nature of the heavy dough used during the process.

BakeZyme was developed by DSM to create a process-tolerant dough, making the bread base more pliable and user-friendly for large baking production lines.

The enzyme is a cellulase compound which breaks down cellulose fibrils to promote better gluten development and proofing stability which, in turn, results in a better end product.

Like most sectors of the food industry, the bakery market has been hit by rising demand for healthy 'wellness' products promising nutritional benefits.

This move towards health-boosting foods has caused sales of wholegrain and high-fibre breads to rise rapidly in recent years with manufacturers such as Warburton's and RHM rolling out wholegrain versions of its core bread brands to keep up.

Consumption of wholegrains has been linked to improvements in cardiovascular health as well as reducing the risk of certain cancers and lowering blood pressure.

Global baking specialist at DSM Caroline van Benschop said: "Consumer demand for high fibre bread is increasing as consumer awareness of its intrinsic health benefits grows.

However, consumers don't want to compromise on the bread's taste or texture.

"Manufacturers therefore face the challenge of baking healthy bread that is still texturally appealing."

The WholeGain product joins DSM's existing range of 'Let's BakeZyme' products, developed for a wide variety of applications including the formulation of breads, cakes and pastries.