Who Wants "Long Shelf Life" to be the Most Important Characteristic of Western Flour>?

[parsley]

From Food Navigator:


"LCI offers “clean label” role in meeting bakery challenges
By Sarah Hills, 27-Apr-2010

Related topics: Financial & Industry, Cereals and bakery preparations

Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI) is highlighting the clean label credentials of its functional flours that can be used to help address some of the challenges faced by cake and pastry manufacturers.

LCI’s range of products provides clean label alternatives to achieving what it describes as “three important cake making objectives”. They are controlling the dough rheology, keeping the cake soft, and suspending added ingredients, according to Anne Lionnet, marketing manager for bakery at LCI.

Clean label demand

The products, farigel wheat H1, 7418 and TM80, are not new to market but Lionnet said the company is always looking for new applications.

She told Foodnavigator.com: “These products have been in our range for some time, but we have specifically fine turned them to respond to clean label demands in pastry applications.”

Lionnet added: “Food manufacturers want to answer to the pressure of the press and also consumers who have some suspicions around E numbers.

“The recommendation is to reduce or really suppress all the E numbers on the labels using ingredients less processed, authentic and well known by the consumer.”

LCI makes functional ingredients by combining different varieties of cereals with a patented hydrothermal treatment process called farigel. This naturally modifies the intrinsic properties of natural cereals.

Functional flours

Lionnet said these functional ingredients, called functional flours, can be used in a lot of applications such as ready meals, snacks and bakery, including pastry applications.

The functionality of the flours depends on the variety and the process but ultimately they can be labelled “wheat flour”.


One recent application for Farigel wheat TM80 is to help improve softness and also substitute fat in pastry.

LCI said manufacturers want to increase both the initial softness and shelf life of, for example, sponge cakes and muffins. It claims TM80’s controlled rheology and binding with water before and during baking means the product stays soft throughout its shelf life.

Controlling the dough rheology and viscosity is also “critical” as dough that is too liquid will prevent the product from developing properly and the desired volume from being obtained. But dough that is too thick will curb pumping on the production lines.

LCI claims that farigel wheat H1 and farigel wheat 7418 address these challenges and offer clean label alternatives to the hydrocolloids often used.

Farigel wheat 7418 can also be used to help suspend added ingredients, such as fruit pieces chocolate chips, in products. This requires even distribution and, LCI said, must therefore have highly effective viscosifying and suspensoid properties.

LCI is a subsidiary of the Limagrain Group, a breeder and producer of plant varieties. It claims this gives it a “unique” understanding of the functionalities of each ingredient and raw material, along with their interactions in the various processes used. And this enables it to develop “authentic and functional ingredients as solutions to improve clients’ products and margins”.


Clinets. Yes, well.

I'm an eater, and somehow, these buns don't call me. How's about you? Pars

[charliep]

Perhaps we need to differentiate the customer and the consumer.

The customer wants good taste, nice texture/good feel, safe and other factors including perhaps organic.

The customer (baker, brewer, etc.) wants a product that meets the customers needs.

I might highlight the ideas around using barley flour in doughnuts. Going this route meets the consumers needs. It also can extend shelf life of the doughnut while still being a very acceptable, moist, tasty product. Satisfied customer equals repeat business for your customer (doughnut shop). Extended shelf life equals less waste/better profits. Food safety is something that can be monitored. Don't know if any consumer cares why this works.

[charliep]

Already a mistake - second paragraph should start with consumer.

[jensend]

we're already eating enough preservatives that it takes less embalming fluid than it used to to preserve a corpse. that's a fact. i think consumers are starting to be aware that they're being fed crap that serves the purposes of the people selling it. remember how quickly milk used to sour.

[hlg]

Price and profit still rule. How many teenagers or young families know or care where their food comes from. Disposable income is more important.

[charliep]

Just curious as to what in the article indicated the process was unhealthy or
unnatural.

Similar question barley flour.

One of the opportunities in the future will be in identifying health properties in
foods. Just back from the grocery store and note the terms fiber, probiotics, omega
3, low transfat, etc. Health trends are important to understand.

[charliep]

Interesting the reference to E numbers. You can look to European labeling guidelines to understand.

[URL="http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels/understandingenumbers/"][/URL]

[charliep]

[URL="http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels/understandingenumbers/"]e numbers[/URL]

[charliep]

More stuff.

[URL="http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/anstopics/topic/additives.htm"]efsa[/URL]

Off the topic but interesting to see the following in food navigator yesterday.

<a href="http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/anstopics/topic/additives.htm">New pea protein process aims to grow market</a>

[charliep]

Try this.

[URL="http://www.dairyreporter.com/Product-Categories/Ingredients-and-additives/New-pea-protein-process-aims-to-grow-market"]New pea protein process aims to grow market[/URL]

[furrowtickler]

Pars - right or wrong, families today need meals within 20-30 min max. And eat out 90% more than your generation B/C of time restaints. I know , I know this is horrible , but, is what it is. No time for garden and "fresh" food. Little johny has to be at soccer or hockey within 1/2 hr and Jenny had to be at dance by 5. On top of it Mom has to work until 5 and has a meeting and Dad has to meet a client to solidify a deal by 5:30 or has a semi that has to be loadedin the yard before the rain comin in at supper time. Demands "seem" to e so extremm now, IMO.
And the only way to feed that demand is with long self life products b/c they only are able to cook 2 too three days a week max. I may be totaly off beat here, but it's my take - and my reality.

[Hopperbin]

Just curious as to what in the article indicated the process was unhealthy or
unnatural.

Like Charlie says, it sounds to me like the wheat qualities itself give better baking and shelf life, better than adding something with an E name, did I read it wrong?

[hobbyfrmr]

Furrow, I agree with your description of the new young families. It is very different from our parents. When I am getting all rammy on the kids so we can get to Karate and dance on time, I often think, my parent never behaved like this on me! Another thought popped into mind is, in our small town, I walked to the hockey rink, ball diamonds etc. Rural depopulation has ended this. Now, it takes kids from 4 towns to make one rink viable, and the parents are driving 40 minutes to a practice! Anyway, my other observation is that we can still be conscience of what we eat. Fruits, veggies etc. quick cook may not be the best, but its still fruits and veggies. Just watch a grocery store check out, I know this is biased, but the heavy folks have the cart loaded with chocolate covered chewy bars and eight cases of Pepsi/Coke. Now that I think of it, I look at the items in the cart first, then look at the people. So, yeah, its biased. There is a little room left for some white bread and jam to finish the kids' lunch. We do a lot of quick cooking and microwaving instead of a garden, but thankfully my wife pays attention and she introduced the babies to fruits and salads instead of cookies and pop. So far, it helps. The neighbors put their kids to bed with those fake fruit chewy things and a kool aid jammer. Then his wife cant figure out why her little fuzzy's baby teeth are rotten and he still wets the bed! This is not a joke, its the way we live.

[Hopperbin]

Hobby your words are right, although we don't want to believe it. Most of us, but not everyone and not my family are junkies, I tell everyone look at the bodies of people going to Subway, and then look at the difference of the people going into the Burger King, or MacDonalds. We need to correct the chips and soft drink meal for something wholesome, well some lot of people do anyways.

[wmoebis]

My grain does not grow with a "best before date". If I keep it in good storage it is good to eat fore ever. There has been grain found in ancient tombs that is still good. It has the best shelf life.

It is only after others process it and add other chemicals and additives that it goes bad. Our grain quality control system is supose to see to it that it remains that way.

IMHO I think that it is the end user and the customer that should be worried about the shelf life. I can supply good grain all year round year after year if others want to spoil that I will gladly supply more but it is going to cost them. Forebid if I could sell all my crop for 'a good price' year after year so others can eat healthy fresh food.

How can you extend the shelf life of something that will keep forever?