Mühlenchemie improves baking with composite flour

Mühlenchemie has developed a new series of enzyme-based products to improve baking results with composite flours.

These solutions allow replacement of up to 20% of the wheat with alternative raw materials, without losses in quality, according to the flour treatment specialist. This enables the use of locally available grains and reduces dependence on global raw materials markets, it added.

The “Compozym” toolbox is available for numerous applications and flours, and is being extended for further uses.

With mills looking for ways to make their raw materials sourcing less dependent on the global wheat market, Mühlenchemie said one way to achieve this is to use composite flours made of wheat and other crops, such as maize, cassava or sorghum, which are grown and available locally in many parts of the world.

With Compozym from Mühlenchemie, these crops can replace up to 20 percent of the wheat without impairing quality.  The use of regionally grown grains or other crops makes it possible to efficiently manage raw materials fluctuations and shorten supply chains. Reverting to local suppliers not only supplements wheat imports, but also opens up the possibility of marketing innovative and more sustainable products made of composite flour.

Reducing the proportion of wheat flour and adding other flours  changes the properties of the flour, dough and final baked goods. This can result in reduced volume, lower stability and shorter fresh-keeping, as well as differences in the colour and/or surface structure of the final products. With the Compozym enzyme series, bakers can compensate for these effects and get the same results as with pure wheat flour.

The toolbox includes complete solutions for tin loaves like sandwich bread, freestanding breads like baguettes and fino, and flatbreads like parotha and chapati. The toolbox also offers products to address the special requirements of composite flour, regardless of the application. Among these are solutions that provide better water absorption during dough production, improved stability during fermentation, and longer freshness and softness. All the solutions can be used in a variety of composite flours.

The new Compozym product line was developed based on extensive analyses in rheology and in the baking laboratory, and has been tested and refined with a wide variety of flours and applications.

“Our development work continues, and we have further MC product solutions in the pipeline,” said Mühlenchemie product manager Greta Reers. “We’re expanding the Compozym line to address additional applications, and are continually adapting it to market conditions.”

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