How to slow down bread staling and save millions

✅ Ever wondered why bakers talk about "matured flour"? When wheat flour is freshly milled, it’s called green or immature. At this stage, it isn’t ideal for baking. Over time (or with the help of oxidizing agents like ascorbic acid, chlorine dioxide, or potassium bromate), flour undergoes maturation — a process that improves its performance in baking. Here’s how maturation benefits flour and bakers: 🔬 Key Changes in Matured Flour 1️⃣ Gluten Strengthening – Proteins become stronger and more elastic, helping dough trap gases better. 2️⃣ Bleaching of Pigments – Carotenoids are oxidized, giving flour a whiter and brighter look, perfect for bread and cakes. 3️⃣ Controlled Enzyme Activity – Excess enzyme action is reduced, ensuring predictable fermentation and stable results. 4️⃣ Better Water Absorption – Leads to smoother mixing, consistent kneading, and improved dough handling. 🍞 Why Bakers Love Matured Flour Produces lighter, higher-volume loaves Gives fine, even crumb texture Provides consistent, reliable results Improves dough elasticity and handling 👉 In short: matured flour = stronger dough, better texture, whiter products, and more reliable baking.

At the California Wheat Commission, we evaluate flour functionality the artisan way—through #sourdough bread. 🥖 Our standardized test follows a long fermentation protocol spanning two full days: 🌾Levain build: 16 hours (natural preferment) 🌾Bulk fermentation: 16 hours at controlled conditions 🌾Formula: 100% flour, 70% water, 2% salt, 30% levain At each stage, we document dough performance—mixing tolerance, fermentation activity, pre-shape and shaping strength, and proofing stability. Finished loaves are assessed for: ✨️Exterior quality: crust color, loaf volume, and cut expression ✨️Interior quality: crumb openness, cell wall thickness, uniformity, and texture ✨️Sensory attributes: flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel This protocol highlights how flours differ in gas retention, gluten strength, and fermentation tolerance. By combining quantitative scoring with sensory evaluation, we connect wheat quality directly to baking performance—ensuring that every flour is tested where it truly matters: in the bread itself. 🍞 #California #Wheat tested by #variety Stay tuned for our final Crop Quality Report coming out in September.

🌾 Baking Enzymes = Softer Texture, Longer Freshness & Better Efficiency Behind every perfect loaf is science at work. Enzymes in baking aren’t just about volume — they improve dough handling, enhance softness, extend shelf life, and deliver consistent quality while reducing dependency on chemical additives. ✅ Softer, fresher baked goods ✅ Improved dough stability & machinability ✅ Cost-efficient & clean-label solutions At Catalex Bio, we help bakeries achieve more with enzyme innovation. 👉 Explore more: https://lnkd.in/gv8wt5Rk #BakeryInnovation #Enzymes #FoodTechnology #SustainableBaking

🍞 From Grain to Loaf: The Bread Manufacturing Process 🥖🏭 Bread is one of the most widely consumed foods around the world, but have you ever wondered how it’s made on an industrial scale? The process involves several key steps: 1️⃣ Mixing Ingredients – Flour, yeast, water, sugar, and other ingredients are mixed to form dough. 2️⃣ Kneading – Dough is kneaded to develop gluten, giving the bread its structure. 3️⃣ Fermentation – Dough rests to allow yeast to work, producing gas for the rise. 4️⃣ Shaping & Molding – Dough is shaped into uniform loaves or buns. 5️⃣ Baking – Precision-controlled ovens bake the dough into golden loaves. 6️⃣ Cooling & Packaging – After cooling, the bread is sliced (if needed), packaged, and made ready for delivery. 🥖 Freshly baked ⚙️ Automated precision 🌾 From farm to table Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how technology and tradition combine to make the bread we enjoy daily. #ManufacturingProcess | #FoodIndustry | #Bakery | #Automation | #IndustrialManufacturing | #ProductDesign | #Innovation | #FoodProcessing | #SupplyChain | #FreshBread

Why does bread go stale—and how can enzymes make a difference? Bread staling is primarily driven by amylopectin retrogradation—a process where starch molecules recrystallize after baking, causing the crumb to firm up. Simultaneously, moisture migration from the soft crumb to the crust contributes to dryness, reducing both mouthfeel and shelf life. Maltogenic Amylase targets this problem at the molecular level: It hydrolyzes long-chain amylopectin fragments into shorter dextrins, slowing crystallization. By doing so, it retains crumb softness and moisture for longer periods. The enzyme also improves dough handling and volume, giving bakeries more consistent results. The result? Bread that stays soft, fresh, and appealing—without compromising flavor or texture. That’s why leading bakeries worldwide are turning to customized enzyme blends, combining maltogenic amylase with other amylases or lipases to optimize freshness, volume, and shelf life for specific bread types. Technical insight: Dosages, enzyme activity units, and blend composition can be tailored based on flour type, process conditions, and desired shelf life. Interested in learning how customized enzyme solutions can improve your bakery products? Let’s connect! https://lnkd.in/gKwFNZRk #BakeryInnovation #FoodTech #EnzymeSolutions #BreadFreshness #MaltogenicAmylase #StalingControl #CatalexBio #BakeryEnzymes #EnzymeManufacturer #EnzymeSupplier

‎How to Achieve a Firm Crust with Lasting Moisture in Bread Production 🍞✨ ‎ ‎One of the most common challenges I hear from bakers and bakery owners is this: “How can I bake bread with a crisp, firm crust that still stays soft and moist inside for several days?” ‎ ‎The truth is, achieving this balance isn’t about one magic ingredient — it’s about understanding timing, technique, and formulation. ‎ ‎Here’s a simple but powerful example: ‎ ‎Fats and Oils: When added too early in the mixing process, they coat flour particles and weaken gluten development. This leads to softer crusts and bread that tends to stale more quickly. ‎ ‎But when fat is added at the right stage, it works as a natural tenderizer, locking in moisture, enriching texture, and extending shelf life — all without compromising the crust. ‎ ‎Combine that with proper hydration levels, controlled fermentation, and resting techniques, and you create bread that not only looks appealing but also keeps its quality for days. ‎ ‎ ‎I’ve worked with bakeries that struggled for years with bread that dried out, scattered easily, or lost its crust appeal after just 24 hours. By adjusting their mixing strategies and ingredient sequencing, we transformed their products into premium-standard loaves that customers couldn’t resist. ‎ ‎This is what professional bakery consulting brings: ‎✅ Consistency in results (no more “sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t”) ‎✅ Recipes that meet both customer expectations and business goals ‎✅ Production systems that save time and reduce waste ‎✅ Breads that stand out on the shelf — and stay desirable longer ‎ ‎If you are a bakery owner or aspiring entrepreneur facing challenges like: ‎ ‎Bread that dries out too quickly ‎ ‎Crusts that collapse or turn rubbery after baking ‎ ‎Recipes that fail to scale into consistent production ‎ ‎ ‎…I can help you turn those frustrations into success stories. ‎ ‎I’m Alex Sampson, a Bakery & Food Business Consultant, specializing in recipe development, production systems, and quality control. My passion is helping bakeries achieve the kind of products that elevate their brand and keep customers coming back. ‎ ‎If you want to take your bakery products from ordinary to outstanding, let’s connect. ‎📩 Send me a message — I’d be happy to discuss how we can improve your recipes, processes, and overall product quality. ‎

Does more protein = better flour? 🥖🤔 Not always. Welcome to Part 1 of our three-part series on the link between grain protein, dough rheology, and baking quality. 🧪 The Extensograph Test Protein % is often treated as the ultimate predictor of flour strength. But identical protein levels can still produce very different dough behaviors: ➡️ Sample A – High resistance, low extensibility → tight, overly elastic dough ➡️ Sample B – Balanced resistance & extensibility → ideal handling ➡️ Sample C – Low resistance, high extensibility → floppy, weak dough 👉 All three have the same protein content. So why the difference? Because protein % only tells us how much protein is in the grain — not how it behaves. Real dough performance depends on protein composition and the functionality of the gluten network, plus other flour traits that aren’t captured by protein % alone. That’s why we’re building Manna™ for Wheat AI: a predictive model that integrates multi-source lab data to forecast baking results with real accuracy. It helps millers and bakers move beyond assumptions — making smarter, performance-based decisions. 🌾✨ 👉 Follow Equinom Ltd to catch Part 2 of this series and see how functional data is reshaping the way wheat is evaluated. ##Wheat #Grain #Millingindustry #Bakingindustry #Foodtech

Flowhey® – Performance Adapted to Your Needs At Lactalis Ingredients, we design our ingredients to support your performance. Flowhey® our range of high fluidity sweet whey powders are engineered to enhance both your storage management and production efficiency. ✅ Longer and safer storage, even in hot and humid climates ✅ Fast, residue-free bag emptying, for clean and controlled production environments These benefits translate directly into smoother operations and better results across key applications: 🥛 Sweetened Condensed Milks & Creamers 🍫 Chocolate Products (bars, fillings, toppings…) 🍪 Biscuits & Baked Goods 📽️ Watch the video to discover our range, applications, and benefits in action! #Flowhey #LactalisIngredients #SweetWheyPowders #HighFluidity

This mixer isn’t that good, it warms the dough too fast. When bakers say this, they mean the dough warms up before it reaches full development, and temperature management becomes difficult especially with strong flours, stiff doughs, or in hot ambient conditions. What’s really happening? Mixing = energy transfer. Part of the energy goes into useful work: stretching gluten, aligning proteins, incorporating water. The rest is lost as friction: dough rubbing against itself, the spiral, and the bowl. Why some spirals run cooler → Geometry favors stretch & fold over grinding. → Full development reached in short time. Why others run hotter → Spiral compresses and shears dough excessively. → Clearances are too tight, generating rubbing friction. → Longer mixing times waste energy as heat. Why it matters - Fermentation races ahead. - Gluten tolerance drops. - Dough becomes sticky - Fats may soften too early in laminated doughs. Dough temperature is as critical as water absorption or flour strength. Warm-up is wasted energy. The best spiral mixers direct energy into gluten development, not into heat. If you found this helpful: ♻️ Repost + 🔔 Follow for practical, science-backed insights on dough systems, protein functionality, and bakery performance. GRAINAR

Understanding Shelf Life in the Baking Industry 🍞🍪 In the baking industry, shelf life isn’t just about how long a product lasts it’s about ensuring safety, freshness, and consumer trust. What defines shelf life in bakery products? Microbial stability: Controlling mold growth and bacterial contamination. Moisture migration: Preventing staling, sogginess, or dryness. Oxidation: Slowing down fat rancidity and flavor changes. Packaging: Using the right material to protect against oxygen, light, and humidity. Why does it matter? A well-defined shelf life reduces food waste, ensures regulatory compliance, maintains quality, and strengthens customer loyalty. 📌 How bakeries can extend shelf life effectively: Use of natural preservatives (vinegar, enzymes, rosemary extract). Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP). Hygienic production practices. Controlled storage conditions. In today’s world, where consumers seek clean-label, safe, and sustainable baked goods, balancing longer shelf life with natural ingredients is a true challenge and an opportunity for innovation. 👉 What practices do you think will redefine the future of shelf life in bakery products? #BakingIndustry #ShelfLife #FoodSafety #FoodTechnology #Foodscientist #QualityAssurance #SustainableFood #FoodReseacrh #QAQC #HACCP #ISO9001 #Informative #GMP #FoodProcessing