GoodMills Innovation cuts bakery dust and mold with “release flour” innovation

03 Apr 2024 --- German ingredient formulator GoodMills Innovation has unveiled its range of Tip-Top Ultra Clean release flours that reduce the fine dust produced in bakery facilities by 80% compared to standard wheat flour. The innovation minimizes employee risk of exposure to respiratory diseases while preventing mold formation.

The flours are “hydrothermally treated” to reduce the dust they produce, which also has safety advantages, factory hygiene and production economics.

“Tip Top Ultra Clean release flours are made of wheat or rye flour, heat treated and designed for industrial applications,” Katharina Haack, head of marketing communications at GoodMills Innovation, tells Food Ingredients First.

“The stickiness of normal flour is thermally eliminated (“denatured”), resulting in a long-lasting release effect. It also reduces flour deposits and dough residues on the equipment, leading to lower fine dust pollution/load.”

She adds that the product acts as a “separating flour” in processing lines and “sprinkling flour” for manual processing, for dusting bread baskets or as decoration for pastries.

When used for dusting, the ingredient gives a traditional and rustic ‘flour dusted’ look and used as a release flour, imparts the shiny, flaky crust consumers expect from wheat baked goods.

Tackling bakery mold
The company calls the innovation a “breakthrough” because the bakery sector has long been affected by bakery mold.

Katharina Haack, head of marketing communications at GoodMills Innovation (Image credit: GoodMills Innovation).Since the flours are thermally treated, the process inactivates the flour’s enzymes and creates a water-repellent surface structure that prevents microbiological growth.

“Inactivation of microbiology leads to lowest contamination of equipment, leading to less mold formation in the trays and reduced use of cleaning agents/cleaning effort,” explains Haack.

This leads to an improvement in the “overall equipment efficiency” of bakery equipment.

The flour’s active mold prevention action mitigates visible mold on boards, fermentation carriers, conveyor belts, cloths and proofing baskets and protects bakers from the invisible spores that present a health risk.

By eliminating the growth of microorganisms, they can maintain a clean, safe and hygienic workplace, says the company.

Cost efficiency
Replacing standard dusting flours with Tip-Top release flours, can help the bakery facilities save on costs through extended maintenance and cleaning intervals, reduced wear and tear to equipment and shorter cleaning routines. 

Dusting flour is used in bakery products to prevent dough from sticking to equipment and enhancing appearance.“Cost savings occur because of less cleaning passes and effort, lower maintenance costs, owner personnel expenses, less machine downtime/maintenance work and waste reduction,” notes Haack. 

The low dust load protects fine ball bearings and sensitive electronics, while light barriers stay cleaner for longer. 

Additionally, formulators need to use less of the ingredient due to a refining process, resulting in a particle structure that delivers good release performance. This leads to a consumption reduction of up to 70%.

Removing E-numbers
Tip-Top flours are physically treated and dried using temperature methods, such as turbo thin film drying or drum drying.  

For extrusion, the team uses “only physical pressure,” Haack tells us.

“And for the best taste and the most consistent quality, we use traditional enzyme-producing techniques like malting. This is how we make sure our ingredients perform exactly the functions they are supposed to — in a completely natural way.”

Removing E-numbers from labels requires expertise, she notes, adding that the company can help manufacturers reformulate or create new products using the flours.

Mold growth in baked items is a result of a humid working environment.“These flours are mainly used for processing and not in the dough,” she concludes.

Propelling bakery
Bakery products are popular worldwide and with consumers increasingly demanding variety and healthy options, innovators are making strides to fulfill those demands.

Last week, an Indian food company formulated a novel processing method that increases the protein in baked foods using chickpea protein. The team tapped into precision fermentation to alter the functionality of chickpea flour.

Kerry turned to enzyme technology to enhance the bread volume and crumb softness using its Biobake Fibre enzyme solution, while Kemin Food Technologies tapped into a plant-extract blend to boost flavor and preserve freshness for bakery products.

Ingredient formulators are also trying to inhibit mold growth to allow manufacturers to extend the shelf life of bakery products without having to resort to synthetic additives.

By Insha Naureen