Achieving a clean label in baked foods may involve removing artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. It also may mean omitting complex multi-syllablic words from the ingredient list or avoiding the use of bioengineered/GMO ingredients.

Ingredient suppliers may assist with all those issues through a multitude of alternative ingredients and systems, some new to the market.

“AlphaFresh is a cultured wheat flour from Cain that will replace calcium propionate,” said Matt Feder, vice-president of sales and marketing for Cain Food Industries, Inc., Dallas. “To eliminate the oxidizing and relaxing ingredient mix, this can be with enzymes and process control.”

While many baked foods companies already have replaced azodicarbonamide (ADA), they now are moving to replace calcium propionate, SSL (sodium stearoyl lactylate), CSL (calcium stearoyl lactylate), DATEM (diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides), L-cysteine, sodium metabisulfites, iodates and mono- and diglycerides, Mr. Feder said.

“Consumers are demanding the elimination of these traditional ingredients systems,” he said. “There really can’t be a cost concern to keep your loyal customer base happy and buying your product.

“The benefits of clean label, even if there was an increase in cost, outweigh the negatives, but in most of the projects we have worked on we strive for cost neutral or savings with product quality the No. 1 priority.”

To learn how Corbion, Rich Products, and other companies are working with food producers to achieve clean labels, read the full story at Baking Business.