baking+biscuit international 2021 issue 03

KAAK 175th anniversary

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In the spotlight

Production

Bakeries

KAAK: “There is an ambition for growth”

Donut, muffin and cupcake systems

Baker & Baker, now full-time baker

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EDITORIAL

Playing to our strengths

Media to the global baking industry

The first months of COVID-19 were a live boot camp learning process for bakeries, which had to be resourceful to find solutions to everything from staff safety, preventative measures, supply chain continuity, to switching to entirely new business models and sales channels. Some struggled, many thrived, and all are learning what the changes are that work, and how.

Food2Multimedia is a publishing house operating at an international level and specializing in researching and editing technical information for the baking sector.

One year on, and issues related to travel restrictions continue to raise questions. For the most part, we have adjusted to meeting and Catalina Mihu, Editor-in-chief conducting business through video calls. On a Your commments or suggestions personal note, I am enjoying seeing people are always appreciated: virtually for interviews, rather than the plain e-mail: mihu@foodmultimedia.de phone calls of the ‘old days’, when we would mostly meet for trade fairs and other events. However, when doing business, the decision to make substantial investments, for example, might not always be as clear a path when carried out online as it had been when meeting in person.

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However, some companies already had the logistics in place to handle working remotely, use local specialists, and perform complex tasks online, when COVID-19 hit. They simply reached a workflow ‘destination’ faster, on a path they had already taken. KAAK is one of the companies working with this mindset, as I have recently learned in an interview on the occasion of the Group’s 175th anniversary. Its strength relies in its view of the business and is reflected in the way it works. You can read about how the company has been playing to its strengths to overcome challenges and develop for almost two centuries, in the pages of this magazine.

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How are you defining the strengths you rely on, in 2021?

Catalina Mihu

Sustainability

Set-up for continuous processes

Steel belts bring efficiency results

02 21

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Dictionary of bakery terms

It’s also why we will not be entirely going back to many of the pre-pandemic work habits. We will rely on working from our new office spaces, growing our newlyfound channels, wherever possible, as they are precisely defined to suit our needs.

And we will still travel when it’s important to meet. Anticipation continues to be the rule, either in crisis preparation, predictive maintenance, or consumer trends.

Mixing & kneading

Industrial-scale challenges, new solutions

THE EUROPEAN BAKERY MARKET

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We are all channeling our efforts to excel in our specialty, to adapt and always be prepared, even more so after the experience of 2020. Operating during a pandemic has been a survival skill, but it is also a learning opportunity. AIB International recently commissioned a study, which found that 78% of food and beverage executives say they are actively preparing for a future global pandemic, with 30% expecting another one within the next four years and 50% expecting one within the next decade. Because of the impact many companies experienced, “improved preparedness will help offset some of the costs and disruption that so many operations have realized over the past year,” Steve Robert, global VP of Product Innovation, AIB International, commented on the study.

Rolls, bagels & buns

Dictionary of bakery terms English

ENG

German

DEU

French

FRA

Glosario de términos sobre tecnologías de panificación

Spanish

SPA

Термины хлебопекарной индустрии

Russian

RUS

Ordbog over bageriudtryk

Danish

DAN

Japanese

JPN

Dictionary of bakery terms

Wörterbuch der Bäckereitechnik Dictionnaire des termes techniques pour la boulangerie

baking+biscuit international Our specialist journal concentrating on production professionals in large companies in the industrial and chain-store sectors.

Published six times a year in the English language.

Our Review series provides in-depth analysis of clearly defined issues. This involves market analyses and is a comprehensive, informative presentation of the state of the art in process engineering.

The f2m dictionary translates bakery terms into a mulitude of different languages.

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EDITOR EMERITUS Hildegard M. Keil hildegard_keil@t-online.de © Baker&Baker

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06 Lodewijk van der Borg (CEO) and Theo Lammers (COO):

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KAAK celebrates 175 years

Ovens

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10 Tunnel oven specialists: Innovation in improving the process efficiency 50 DEBAG: Oven market in Thailand – case study

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Production

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14 Donuts, muffins, cupcakes: Flexibility for product diversity 18 Spiral technology: Proofing, cooling, freezing, or baking

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32 VMI: Continuous kneading and mixing everything 34 Buns, rolls, bagels: Tradition and innovation (part II)

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Hygiene 22 Case studies: Alternative technologies for sliced bread and loaf production

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Raw materials 28 Dawn Foods: Baking opportunities with plant-based ingredients

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Automation 38 AutomationX: Effectiveness and quality measurements

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In the spotlight

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Ambition for growth This year, KAAK celebrates its 175th anniversary. Lodewijk van der Borg (CEO) and Theo Lammers (COO) granted us an interview with this occasion at the forefront and shared how the Group was shaped around the silo to truck’ concept, the defining moments in its impressive timeline, changes old and new, and how its member companies build on each other’s expertise to advance in their field and provide comprehensive solutions.

© K AAK

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From left to right: Lodewijk van der Borg, CEO, Koos Frowein, CFO, Aart-Jan Hartman, CCO, and Theo Lammers, COO.

Mihu: The year marking the Group’s 175th anniversary is also when Silowacht further enhances KAAK’s ‘from silo to truck’ know-how. What does this motto represent for the company?

Lodewijk van der Borg: Over the past 50 years, if there was an opportunity to add a company that filled a gap within our portfolio, we took it. With Silowacht we now provide a complete project, starting from the silo up to the crate, and fully commit to our ‘silo to truck’ slogan that has represented us for the past 20 years. We have been building on this concept by acquisitions and incorporating areas of specialization into our offers so that we could be a one-stop-shop for our customers.

As supermarkets started baking their own bread, especially in the West European markets, they welcomed our approach; they were not originally bakers and were very receptive to finding solutions to all burdens of such projects with the KAAK Group and automating their processes.

Mihu: Going back to KAAK’s beginnings, how has it developed from a single company to the comprehensive Group with all the related services it is now?

Lodewijk van der Borg: The company started in 1846 as a roofing business. Jan Hendrik Weenink then passed it on to his son Jan, who changed its focus to metalwork. Bernard Kaak took over the company next (1881) when he married Weenink’s widow, Bernadina, and the business went on to produce sheet metal bakeware. He was the great-grandfather of today’s owner, Mr. Jan Kaak. Sometime around WW2,

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KAAK started building the first straps for local bakeries. At the time it was one of the few who was able to produce them, so more bakers became customers. In the 1960s, the company started to automate its equipment and became a supplier for a large company called Benier.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Benier found itself in rough waters and went bankrupt and consequently became the first addition to the company turned Group. In 1997, Daub (part of Krupp) was acquired into the Group. Dough preparation was covered by Benier, the proofers and handling systems were provided by KAAK, and the ovens by Daub. This is how the motto ‘from silo to crate’ began. MCS joined next, in 2005, specializing in ovens, proofers, and pizza lines. In 2007, we bought Lhotellier – which meant adding coating expertise to our bakeware. In 2009, we launched DrieM, a start-up for sheeted production lines, and in 2016 JAWS (the English word for ‘KAAK’) followed, our recruitment firm to help us find the right employees in the Netherlands and abroad.

In 2019, we started K3D and went into 3D printing. This brings us to this year when Silowacht was added to the Group.

Theo Lammers: Going forward, we have ambition for growth and the possibiltites are also there, we believe. When the right train comes along, we get on board.

Mihu: The company has grown a good deal recently despite the challenges. How did KAAK overcome such hardships?

Lodewijk van der Borg: The company was relatively small until the 1960s; and up until that time, there were at most 25 people working at KAAK. During WW2, the company

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

was closed. The financial crisis in 2008 was a more difficult period than the current COVID situation, because we were already very well prepared to work remotely before the travel bans. All our lines and equipment were able to cope with people not working on-site so we could very easily shift to everyone working from home. We started making working cells (‘bubbles’) as soon as March 2020. The bread market was not affected by COVID-19 dramatically; there was a shift in convenience food, but production for supermarkets and packaged bread is performing well. This helped to balance our turnover a bit; it was slightly less in 2020, but profitability was good and we were mostly unaffected by COVID. On the other hand, production was never halted over the past year and a half for projects in Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium as we were able to arrange complete, isolated working bubbles together with the customers. We proved that this works, as we have had almost no cases of COVID within these groups.

Theo Lammers: When COVID started, we reacted quite fast.

Our engineering department started working from home, with only about 20% of our engineers left on-site. We invested in home workplaces and we still have about 75% of our staff working from home at present. Within our production, we instated distinct cells of team members with largely isolated facilities, which were not allowed to overlap. This workflow helped us adjust to working with customers without visiting them, to sell and support lines from a distance.

Mihu: After the steep learning curve brought on by COVID-19, how is 2021 shaping up to be?

Theo Lammers: This year, government measures will still be in effect in several countries. We are expanding our workforce with local specialists to perform installations at the customer’s sites.

Lodewijk van der Borg: Five years ago, when we were anticipating what the future would be like for the next 1015 years, we agreed that environmental issues will drive business. We then took some steps in this direction – the first one was commissioning at a distance. We were already on this path when COVID hit, which gave us an advantage.

COVID is, in a way, the first test for how the world should behave to comply with measures for environmental issues.

We feel that, in the next 10 years, taxes on the carbon footprint and similar environmental markers, will influence businesses and will drive us in the direction in which COVID has already brought us. In a way, this has been a prelude to how we should keep working in the future - to favor video calls over travels unless it’s absolutely necessary, and to support local production. We will otherwise be channeled in this direction by various taxes.

Mihu: How do your customers perceive working remotely, one year in?

Theo Lammers: Working this way is progressing very smoothly because they could not do anything else. Before

COVID, maybe 20% of people used video calls, and now everybody is doing it. The upside? The sky has never been this clean.

Mihu: Because such a landmark anniversary is an opportunity to look not only into the past but also towards the future, what are the next steps for KAAK? Theo Lammers: What we learned from our experience with COVID is that we can do more from a distance than before.

In the past, when an issue occurred, we would get a team of four-five people to travel and work on solving the issue on-site.

Now, we send in cameras instead and try to solve everything at a distance. Our last smoking room was repurposed into a ‘cockpit’ from where we support lines remotely. Last year, we even started a line in Kenya from Terborg, with just a small team physically on location. The entire process was safe and the operational costs were significantly lower. This will continue in the future, with more software, more electronics, more IoT, and data know-how to help. We developed a platform, I-Bakecare, that gets data from our lines to analyze the mechanical and electrical performance and the process at the same time. This is also how our R&D is supporting our customer base with process improvements on anything from energy to product quality.

We are also focusing on servitization to answer requests from our customers so they can focus on their core business instead of managing the technology on the line for maintenance.

This will be a driver for KAAK in the future.

Bakeware is still part of our core business, in addition to developments in coatings in France, based on new technologies.

Lodewijk van der Borg: We try to approach our business in terms of SDGs (sustainable development goals). We adopted six to contribute in a positive way to our world: feeding the world is among them, which we try to do with our products, and diversity inclusion – our goal is to provide all our employees worldwide with a safe environment. Sustainability is high on our priority list, managing carbon footprints, as we try to make our lines as energy-efficient as possible utilizing IoT, but also ‘greener’ logistics. For example, we try to get local specialists involved in projects to minimize traveling.

One of the main items we are developing to fulfill these goals are electrical ovens; we have invested heavily in this area over the past few years. In the past, a baker and a windmill were one – to mill the grains and start baking. We emphasize that we would like to return to using a windmill again – this time, for electricity instead of milling for sustainability.

Dough preparation is another area we are focusing on and provide to the market.

Mihu: What are the criteria guiding R&D at KAAK, when developing new solutions?

Theo Lammers: Energy efficiency for our proofers and our ovens is an important aspect. And sustainability of the materials we use is a priority. Looking at our bakeware, for

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

and service departments, but we have also organized ourselves in a matrix – all our facilities have their service departments, for example, but we oversee all these service organizations, to combine these teams, learn from best practices, and set a standard. We do that for service, for operations, for sales, engineering, for product management, and also for development. R&D is centralized: we work on new developments with a dedicated R&D team. © K AAK

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example, we are always looking for new coating possibilities to minimize wear and tear and their impact on the environment. Of course, our developments have to always benefit our customers to lower production costs.

Lodewijk van der Borg: Hygiene is also an important issue, and this is where automatization helps greatly. In the context of sustainability, for example, we developed a 3D-printed knife blade that doesn’t get dirty while cutting dough. This saves a significant amount of production time and prevents product loss.

Mihu: How is the Group combining the joint efforts of its companies?

Lodewijk van der Borg: Every company has its own profit and loss records, but also its unique role in the products we market. Between the two, they each need to get a percentage of standalone sales. For example, if our bakeware is not able to sell standalone products anymore, we know the product is not competitive enough – and this is valid for all our equipment ranges.

Theo Lammers: We combine all the know-how within the Group. Every company has its sales, engineering, production

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Mihu: Looking at turnkey solutions beyond their installations, how are these projects coordinated between the Group’s companies?

Theo Lammers: Good question. We centralized turnkey projects here, in Terborg, where KAAK is based. KAAK is the biggest company in the group, and it specializes in spirals and proofers, robots and vision systems – but it also has the role of the integrator. Here, we have the project managers handling integrated projects, engineers who make the concept of the whole line and gather the information from the companies. The customers see the benefits in this way of working, as they eliminate any risks they would meet in putting lines together themselves. We have several interesting lines in Germany, for example, for which Benier provided the dough preparation components; proofers, robots, and handling solutions are coming from Terborg, the ovens come from Italy, trays and carriers are supplied by KAAK Bakeware, knives

by K3D, and the electrical integration is done by Terborg’s team. This is presented to the customers as one quote from one big company with all its members supplying parts of it. We take responsibility for all the connections between various parts, which brings added value to customers.

Mihu: How is KAAK celebrating this important milestone this year?

Lodewijk van der Borg: On June 24, we will introduce our new logo and our new names to the world. We have all kinds of local activities planned within the companies, and, on November 5, assuming that COVID is no longer an issue, we are organizing a festivity here in Terborg.

Mihu: What will the future bring? And what will drive innovation?

Lodewijk van der Borg: Quality, safety and price will drive innovation. Bread will continue to sell. Wheat is the most sustainable choice in the long run, compared with rice, for example, which needs 10 times more water for cultivation.

What’s more, global warming has made it impossible to grow rice anymore, in some areas. Industrialized production will increase by necessity. COVID has proven that, even when things go dramatically wrong in this world, the baking industry is quite vivid and needed – a very sound feeling for all of us, towards the future.

Mihu: Thank you very much for our dialogue, and congratulations on the anniversary! +++

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PRODUCTION

Efficiency at the end of the tunnel In the industrial baking of any type of bread, and a multitude of other product ranges, tunnel ovens are the giants of large-volume, continuous baking, for which efficiency is a must.

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Innovation in improving the process efficiency of tunnel ovens is the result of a comprehensive investigation of every equipment part, product requirement and manufacturer needs. Savings can amount to values that are specific to every facility and its methods; however, every parameter optimization can translate into significant gains.

Energy efficiency: the THERMADOR The efficiency of the THERMADOR oven by WP Bakerygroup is given by the length configuration of the heating gas zones, up to four, and their respective channels transferring the heat to the baking chamber. It requires lower heating gas temperatures for baking compared to its predecessors, which is made possible by increasing the mass-flow throughout the oven by 20-25%. This helps obtain a lower temperature difference between the entrance and the outlet of the radiators, independent of the length of the heating gas channels. It also enables a very good distribution of the temperature and of the heat transfer itself, with minimal energy loss released into the environment.

gaining ground, other oven variants incorporate either active solutions, in which heat is transferred into the baking chamber, or with revolving air. In the latter version, an agitating unit revolves the air, with a Duo or a Quattro fan setup.

The calculation of the airflow is done based on the 3D design of the oven and a mathematical flow simulation software that determines the correct gaps for optimal airflow in the oven, over the full width of the oven. In the simulation, this program also includes temperature losses and differences in the baking chamber, based on real-life readings. WP Bakerygroup will select and input the data to obtain accurate simulations that take into consideration all relevant parameters.

The lower temperature difference achieved is also combined with improved isolation: the entire oven is isolated manually with mineral wool. “Our specialists are able to insulate the THERMADOR ovens without compressing the mineral wool too much, to preserve heat in the oven. The goal is to keep the best isolation material in it: air,” explains Siegfried Lauer – head of overall project planning, WP Industrial Bakery Technology (WP IB). The isolation is done manually, so people can fill up spaces that are not normally easily accessible.

“This is the traditional and, still, the best way to do this,” adds Ulrich Speck – head of oven design department at WP IB.

In the length of a zone, which can be 4.5m, 6m, or 7.5m, the Duo unit has two fans, placed diagonally to achieve airflow and circulation internally in its baking chamber. “Air can also go through a channel system over the fan and return into the baking chamber, for a convection effect,” Lauer details. The Quatro system doubles the internal convection air capacity with four such fans, each placed in opposition to the others, 2-2.5m apart. Every fan is revolving air on half of the oven’s width, which is why for wider ovens, WP Bakerygroup recommends the Quattro setup. The result is an optimized temperature transfer to the product, which reduces baking time, as the Quattro System gives more turbulence in the oven. This is a particularly useful technology concept, given that the trend is for ovens to become even wider in the future. This air revolution in the baking chamber gives a better heat transfer as well.

Airflow control The traditional setup of the THERMADOR comprises a closed cyclotherm heating gas circulation system, heating products indirectly, by radiation. With convection systems

“Duo and Quattro are particularly efficient when there is a lot of mass material (i.e., steel) involved in production, for example for toast bread, thanks to the very efficient heat transfer to the material supporting the dough,” Lauer

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© WP Bakerygroup

PRODUCTION

THE Peelboard Suitable for all industrial baking lines.

highlights. The latest developments in these models are new air guides that improve air distribution and movement.

“These helped achieve very good vertical convection in the THERMADOR,” Speck also says.

Case-by-case process efficiency Each tunnel oven Sveba Dahlen makes is built specifically based on the type of products and process the bakery needs. “An advantage of this is that the oven goes into operation with the right capacity and adjusts the power outlet continuously,” Henrik Tillander, Industrial Sales manager tells us. This is achieved by optimizing the heat transfer in the oven chamber, by how Sveba Dahlen places the heating elements/power for the electrical oven, and by using several burners for the gas oven in each zone instead of a single burner for the entire oven.

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Excellent non-stick effect

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One way to look at optimizing energy efficiency is to only supply the system with the amount of energy needed. By working with the right energy supply in production and insulation, Sveba Dahlen reduces the amount of waste heat to recycle. “We can also supply equipment to keep energy loss down as much as possible from the exhaust using a system for continuous under pressure/flow regulation,” Tillander explains.

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By designing the oven according to the capacity requirement, the energy consumption is optimized from the start. Electric ovens can have elements working only when and where they are needed; Sveba Dahlen’s patented solution for the gas oven with several burners also only adds heat to the part of the oven when and where it is needed. To control the heat supply in exactly the right place in the oven room, there are different types of control equipment such as sensors. The electric ovens can use even more advanced technology to control each element in the oven, with sensors and software. The gas ovens use several small

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PRODUCTION

energy efficiency. Some of the latest innovations include zonal heat control, product tracking, and exhaust control to optimize the heat into the oven as well as the extracted air based on product requirements and real-time production variables. “The 960 LTD tunnel ovens offer high-level controls to minimize fuel usage to only what is required to precisely and reliably produce desired products for their customers,” explains Charles Borders, mechanical engineer, Bakery Thermal Solutions. © Sv eb a

D ah le n

burners in each oven chamber to be able to fine-tune the heat supply. “Together with a very good insulation and regulated exhaust, the savings are optimal,” the specialist highlights.

Almost every Sveba Dahlen oven is tailor-made following specific customer requests. The oven is customized in terms of width and length. The company delivers ovens with a bandwidth of 4.2m and an oven length of 75m. In some cases, stainless-steel belts are needed; other customizations are needed when the production includes heavy loads, for example, which require a reinforced drive train. “The most common accessory that our customers choose is to supplement convection in the zones with turbo air,” Tillander notes. The advantage of ‘Turbo’ is increased efficiency in production, as it provides additional opportunities to fine-tune the heat distribution in the zone. This option increases the flexibility of production in a very cost-effective way, he adds. Steam is another popular request.

Efficiency level: 960 The 960 LTD Tunnel Oven manufactured by Bakery Thermal Solutions also incorporates several features increasing its

To preserve heat, all exposed sides of the oven use high-R value insulations to keep as much heat as possible in the oven. Openings in the oven are minimized and exhaust is optimized for minimal required heat extraction, the specialist outlines. To preserve fuel and optimize baking, burners are regularly turned up or down based on product tracking, product requirements, and sensor feedback in the oven.

The continuous control of the burners helps to save fuel and provide a consistent bake, even with production interruptions.

A variety of additional features are available to customize this oven as needed. It can be equipped with varying numbers of top burners, steam systems, variable coloraiders, oven bottom cleanout systems, belt and grid cleaning, redundant drives, automated dampers, upgraded burners, and advanced controls among other visual, sanitary, and safety features. “Features are recommended to customers based on the products going through the oven, control preferences, or safety standards in the bakery,” Borders adds.

Oven zones are used as multiple control points to optimize temperatures and air flows in a given section of the oven.

Fuel use is minimized when the baking process closely matches the conditions required by each product throughout the process. +++

© Bakery Thermal Systems

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NEWS

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pladis has proposed closing its factory in Tollcross, Glasgow, and moving the production to other pladis sites within the UK; the Tollcross factory would cease operations in the second half of 2022. The decision is subject to thorough consultation with employees, the snacking specialist announced. The closure would put 468 jobs at risk. Pladis identified this facility for potential closure, “based on a comprehensive business analysis which considered several factors including utilization, volume and product mix,” according to the company’s statement.

The reason for the proposal is to address excess capacity across pladis’ UK sites and ensure pladis can continue to invest in the future success of the business.

David Murray, pladis UK & Ireland managing director who announced the consultation to employees, said: “We know this news will be difficult for our colleagues at Tollcross. Our

© Panya Studio – stock.adobe.com

AAK makes strong sustainability progress

AAK AB reports progress in its raw material sourcing and environmental-friendly solutions, while also reducing its environmental impact by decreasing energy consumption, water consumption and waste per processed unit raw material, as highlighted in its recently released Sustainability Report for 2020. The document outlines the three focus areas of the company's sustainability framework: Better Sourcing, Better Operations and Better Solutions.

“It's a great pleasure for me to announce that we continue to see strong development within our sustainability activities and our contributions towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said Johan Westman, president and CEO, AAK Group, in a statement. “There has been significant progress made within the sourcing of our raw materials and with regards to resource efficiency in our operations. Furthermore, we have strengthened our portfolio of solutions that are good for both people and planet.”

The significant increase of women involved in Kolo Nafaso, AAK’s direct shea sourcing program in West Africa, has also been an important achievement for AAK in 2020. The program, which has a very positive impact on the women and their families, now involves more than 320,000 women, a 39% increase compared to 2019. AAK has also taken important steps on the journey towards sustainable palm, adopting a sourcing plan aiming for a palm oil supply chain that is 100% traceable to plantation and 100% verified deforestation-free by 2025. +++

© pladis

pladis evaluates closing Tollcross factory

priority now is to provide them with the support they need during the consultation process. […] We must take steps to address excess capacity in the UK. This overcapacity limits our ability to make the right investments in future capabilities to meet the very big changes in our industry.” +++

Bimbo Canada to offset 100% of its electricity consumption

Bimbo Canada signed two virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) with Renewable Energy Systems (RES) to procure renewable electricity that will offset 100% of the company’s electricity consumption in Canada.

The projects are expected to be fully operational by December 2022.

Canada is the second market, alongside the United States, to enter into VPPAs. These agreements, together with additional sustainability initiatives conducted around the world by the parent company Grupo Bimbo, will help the company offset 90% of its global electricity consumption.

The 15-year agreements with RES will support the commercial development of two renewable energy projects in southern Alberta, consisting of wind and solar projects, totaling 170MW of installed capacity. Under these two agreements, Bimbo Canada will procure the benefit of approximately 50MW of renewable electricity to offset electricity consumption for its 16 bakeries, 14 distribution centers and 191 depots.

Commercial development for the wind and solar farms will be finalized later this year by RES Canada and the projects are expected to be fully operational by the end of next year.

In 2018, Grupo Bimbo joined RE100, a global initiative led

by The Climate Group and in partnership with Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and committed to operating with 100% renewable electricity by 2025.

“Bimbo Canada is committed to nourishing a better world through productive sustainability practices,” said Joe McCarthy, president of Bimbo Canada. “These agreements are the next big step in reducing our environmental footprint and becoming leaders in responsible stewardship of the environment.” +++ www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

PRODUCTION

All styles are in

© FRITSCH

14

Manufacturing donuts with less fat and sugar is a must. However, this is just the starting point as unusual shapes, new flavor experiences, creative textures and hybrid formulations are on the rise.

What do they have in common with muffins and cupcakes? Aside from striving for unique creations, or rather because of it, there is a flexibility push on the equipment supporting their manufacturing.

+

A multitude of options Depending on the size and desired capacity of the operation, there are several systems that best support the environment and production needs. FRITSCH, for instance, recommends the IMPRESSA donut for industrial production, and the MULTITWIST line for industrial as well as mid-sized bakeries. For bigger businesses in the mid-sized range, it can also provide a combination of its FRITSCH MULTILINE, which is used for the dough sheet production with the MULTICUT system for dough sheet processing. Mid-sized to small bakeries can also find their fit in lining up a sheeting line, the FRITSCH ROLLFIX with a transfer table and an Artisan Make Up Table (AMT) with a cutting roller for the processing of donuts.

A typical setup of a FRITSCH donut line starts with the sheeting section, followed by calibrating the dough sheet. The punching tool is next, shaping the donut and simultaneously collecting the scrap dough, which is subsequently returned via a scrap return system. The last production step on the line is loading the proofer.

its soft dough technology. Such innovations can also be retrofitted: existing sheeting systems can be replaced by the gentle soft dough handling system. One of its new updates is the double guillotine that punches and removes the inner dough circle, and can also replace a previously installed cutting system. A FRITSCH line can be fully automated, requiring operators in mixing and packaging. All working parameters of each module are automatically monitored on an operator screen, including setpoints and live readings, for necessary changes. The only manual adjustment required is the tool swap when switching to a different product.

Among the production needs that influence the make-up of the FRITSCH donut equipment, the company notes: + Fast tool interchange when changing the product on the line, to minimize downtimes;

+ High flexibility regarding the dough characteristics, the donut shapes, the production capacity and product variation; + Easy to operate equipment.

The latest innovations prioritize gentle dough handling for sheeting and calibrating. For FRITSCH, this is provided by

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

©F

RIT

SC

H

© RONDO

PRODUCTION

Smart features particularly useful in donut manufacturing should include those providing flexibility and high performance, ensuring consistent product quality and a controlled process. FRITSCH also prioritizes process reliability in this respect, hygienic production and user-friendliness of the commands.

Concerns traditionally associated with donuts include fat absorption during frying, trans fats, and the sugar in the recipe and the glazing. The impact of hygienic considerations on the design of a FRITSCH line is high: “Due to the frying process that is at the core of donut manufacturing, the demand for cleanliness is high. Furthermore, avoiding fat mist all over the production area is mandatory,” the Uwe Benz, sales director Line Solutions, recommends. The management of the frying oil is also important, to avoid impact on taste, odor and acrylamide content.

For long-term improvements, FRITSCH sees a definite focus on preventive maintenance, integrated quality management, the traceability of line parameters and their impact on product quality, as well as smart, self-learning machinery.

All possible variations FRITSCH equipment is designed for product variety: the gentle handling technology allows the handling of dough with inclusions such as dried fruits, whole grains, or chocolate.

Softer doughs and doughs requiring long fermentation times are also suitable for processing, all products having the flexibility to vary in shapes, sizes and weights. To introduce new shapes into production on a FRITSCH line, new punching tools with different shapes are installed, to prepare anything from heart-shaped, hexagonal to rectangular donuts.

“Another great variety of shapes can be made with our MULTITWIST. It can easily produce twisted donuts in the shape of pretzels, rings, knots as well as plaited products,” Magdalena Bauer, Marketing team leader, notes. The tool exchange to switch in between these product shapes can be performed easily, without the need for any special equipment.

In addition, “Selling glazed donut holes with various flavors is also becoming a bigger business, we’ve learned,” Bauer highlights.

Smart donut lines RONDO‘s fully automated donut lines allow output rates from 6,000 to 30,000 units per hour. They are equipped with IIoT solutions which allows them to be monitored remotely, parameters including line capacity, actual machine status and line settings. “Furthermore, the logged data can be used to optimize the production and the process reliability of the line,” the specialist points out. These donut lines are specialized to suit two manufacturing styles. + The direct dough band method uses a dough band former to form a thick and narrow dough band out of the bulk dough. This process helps to preserve the structure of the dough. Several forming units are used afterward (i.e., a satellite head, a cross roller and a calibrator) to bring the dough band to the desired thickness and to increase its width on the band. Gentle sheeting and forming is important in this step, stresses Alexander Weissbach, head of Technology and Product Management, and head of the Dough-how Center at RONDO Burgdorf AG. The dough band former used at the beginning of the process is the key to success, he explains, as it is within this first step that the final quality and weight accuracy are defined. The dough band former must be accurately balanced to process dough gently while forming a compact dough band. The dough band formers Smartfeeder and MIDOS were designed for such delicate doughs. The satellite head, the first station where the rough band is thinned, also plays an important part in dough quality.

“Reducing the dough band thickness too aggressively will break the dough structure and the volume of the final product will be lowered. The satellite head of the Smartline can be adjusted in three ways to reduce the force during this step: the roller gap, the speed difference between the bottom roller and satellite head, and the tilt angle between the bottom roller and satellite head. The last feature is unique and patented. Changing the tilting angle will reduce the force during the reduction step. Therefore, the dough structure will not be destroyed. Furthermore, the weight accuracy can be improved,“ Weissbach tells us.

By + comparison, a line using the laminating method is equipped with one or two laminating stations (the final section remains unchanged). The additional lamination sections will influence the structure of the dough by

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15

16

PRODUCTION

creating additional cross-linkages in the gluten network. Therefore, the dough band gains more stability and the volume of the donut will be bigger.

©R

ON

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Both methods will result in a consistent dough band for further processing – cutting the donuts into the desired shapes. “A very important side effect of the dough sheeting process is that the donuts absorb less fat during the frying process. This is due to the gentle sheeting process, which results in a dough band with a smooth surface and an intact gluten structure, ensuring that the surface of the dough band is not porous,” RONDO’s expert explains.

Answering requests RONDO observes special donut shapes are increasingly in demand, and so is the flexibility to produce them all on one line, which also makes fast changeovers a necessity. Switching between different product shapes, sizes and weights can be done within minutes on RONDO lines, which are designed for tool-less changeovers. All line settings are stored in the PLC. Selecting a new recipe will automatically adjust the line according to the recipe details.

Manufacturers also tend to prefer working with softer doughs and pre-proofed dough for more flavorful products.

The dough band method has several benefits concerning all these requests: softer and pre-proofed dough can be gently processed without sticking on the line and damaging its structure. RONDO’s guillotines can also be equipped with different stamping dies, to cut donuts into various shapes.

Another requirement is automation, as RONDO sees an increasing number of manufacturers increasing their capacity and automation level. This means synchronizing with suppliers of up- and downstream equipment, setting up common interfaces to optimize workflow. For example, RONDO’s make-up lines end with the panning of the donuts onto the proofer flights. In the absence of design guidelines for the proofers and the proofer flights, the company designs a modular panning machine that can be used to feed every proofer on the market.

©R

ON

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In the long term, RONDO anticipates that IIoT systems that control and optimize line performance are the key figures. “Improving and optimizing changeovers and the production sequences will help maximize the efficiency of the line,” Weissbach anticipates.

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

Cupcakes and muffins, automated Flexibility is the top priority when manufacturing cupcakes and muffins as well, as highlighted by the Unifiller Europe Flexline, one of the favorites among the Linxis Group specialist’s customers. This line can first be used for depositing muffin and cupcake batters, and (after baking) for the injection of fillings or cupcake decorations. Bakers and confectioners can also use this line to deposit batters for sponge/cakes, brownies and cheesecakes into various baking forms. After baking and slicing the cake layers, the Flexline can be used to apply the fillings (creams or jams with inclusions as big as whole strawberries) or for the automated applying of syrup onto the sponge layers.

Flexibility tops frequent requests Unifiller is receiving, shares Martin Hornsteiner, Senior Process Advisor at Unifiller Europe. Bakers can use this line not only for cupcakes and muffins but for many other products as well. “This is why we recommend our Flexline, with the Multi Station at its core.

Thanks to the great flexibility of the Multi Station, customers can use this line for the production of a wide range of different products, including round and rectangular cakes, desserts, eclairs, macarons, or muffins,“ he details, adding that, “Our Multi Station is a working horse. It is 2.5 times faster than any gearwheel depositor and it can produce up to 16,000 muffins/h.”

Moreover, the Flexiline can easily be modified with additional components, for the exact customization needed. Along the conveyor, additional depositors like the iSpot can be included to apply decorations. Adding another Multi Station to the line (i.e., for injecting fillings into the cupcakes) will help increase production capacity.

The Unifiller accessories were developed for a wide range of products and applications. In general, spreader nozzles are used for cake production; injection nozzles are used for fillings; drip-free nozzles can be used for depositing any liquid products; the 360° twisting nozzles are used for twisted decorations on the cupcakes.

The standard Unifiller solution for cupcake and muffin production comprises a Multi Station and a Hopper Topper transfer pump. These machines are operated by one person who picks and places the trays from the racks to the Multi Station, and back to the racks. Capacities for such a solution are around 13,000 cupcakes per hour. Together with APEX Motion Controls, Unifiller now offers the Baker-Bot to take over picking and placing trays onto the Multi Station’s conveyor. “In this way, we have a fully automated ‘production island’ that can be used not only for the cupcakes and muffins but also for many other items produced on trays,” Hornsteiner tells us. The operator is only required for changing the fully loaded racks against the racks with empty trays to that autonomous production system. When the ‘production island’ is used, the line can be monitored

via the Baker-Bot; with the standard Unifiller solution, monitoring works via statistics in the PLC. “Live adjustments are easy to do with our Operator Guidance via icons on the touchscreen of the PLC control,” the specialist from Unifiller adds.

For quick changeovers, Flexiline operators use a second set of machine parts that come into contact with the product.

The clean parts are ready to be used on the cleaning and storage trolley, while the dirty parts go onto a second trolley

17

© Unfiller

© Unfiller

PRODUCTION

for washing. By working like this the complete changeover takes less than 10 minutes, the specialist recommends.

The handling of the trays with the Baker-Bot from Apex Motion will be the next automation step. An additional cobot can be used to handle decoration tasks along the conveyor of the muffin and cupcake line. Automated product detection and depositing with a handheld nozzle using a cobot is just an example of how a cobot can help to automate production lines in a bakery. The result? Endless flexibility. +++

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PRODUCTION

What goes around The shortest way to efficiency in proofing, cooling, freezing, or baking is sometimes a spiral.

+

Spiral technology is by design a minimum footprint construction. It has developed to support core processes in baking facilities, from cooling to deep-freezing, product handling to baking. The compact design is only one of the benefits it brings, as it is both an efficient and reliable solution for fully continuous production systems.

Today’s technology from Tecnopool allows an industrial bakery line to be designed and to operate completely based on spiral technology for all essential thermal processes, from final proofing to deep freezing. There are numerous advantages to this; Paolo Gonella, industrial lines business developer at Tecnopool, prioritizes the reduction of automation applied on the line, the linearity of the process and energy efficiency.

Flexible at its core While it might not be immediately apparent, spirals interestingly have the flexibility for virtually infinite layout configurations. “Tailor-made configurations are essential when referring to a system integration/overhaul, with belt widths ranging from 250mm to 1,500mm,” Gonella explains.

Among the latest improvements featured on Tecnopool’s spiral technology, he points out the external drive system, operating via a driveshaft on the outside of the tower, with a separate drive wheel on each stage. The interior of the tower itself is empty, which allows better airflow. This layout “also

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© Tecnopool

18

makes an outstanding level of hygiene possible,” he underlines.

Since the entire area is completely accessible, it can be cleaned in its entirety, either manually or automatically.

Spirals are also a great choice in terms of processing times and energy use. Thanks to tier-to-tier drive technology incorporated in Tecnopool spirals, without a cage-like drum spiral, a small motor is located together with the drive shaft either at floor level or at the top, on the uppermost stage.

This system does not need a tensioning device at the entry or exit, which not only enables gains in energy efficiency but also extends the lifetime of the belt and lowers maintenance requirements.

For proofing, climate flexible and precise conditions can be reached by fine-tuning temperature and humidity. Tecnopool’s solution achieves this thanks to the dedicated design of its Air Treatment Unit. “The challenge is to achieve such a result with uniform conditions, avoiding air stratification (different air conditions) inside the proofing room; this allows a gentle process for the product, just as correct proofing should be,” Gonella tells us. The proofer, too, can flexibly be customized, considering multi-level parameters: “3D humidity and temperature controls grant an optimal climate inside the cabinet and help the customer to handle even the most sensitive product,” he adds. Tecnopool offers a choice of two different Air Treatment Logic solutions: a Centralized Air

Treatment Unit or a precise Zone Management System that assures full control on every area of the proofing cabinet.

For spiral coolers and freezers, Tecnopool aims to reduce the product’s dehydration to a minimum and optimize the temperature and dwell time of the process for each product, all calculated with internal software backed by 40 years of experience. Maintaining consistent parameters throughout extended production cycles is not without challenges, especially for deep freezing, which requires a precise airflow inside the unit, to limit the formation of frost inside the freezing room; sequential defrosting is performed to allow a single evaporator to remove the frost in a single unit while the freezer is working, Tecnopool’s specialist explains.

For baking in a spiral oven, Tecnopool outlines multiple benefits: + Temperature regulation in individual temperature zones is very precise, with a+/-2 °C variation;

+ Higher production capacities can be reached on the same bakery footprint; + Equal baking conditions in the baking chamber both length- and width-wise (thanks to special counterflow heat exchangers); + More accurate and flexible baking temperature regulation, eventually in every single baking deck, both by deck length and height, allowing the baker to completely adapt the baking regime to the product being baked, be it bread, pastry or tin bread.

Thermal oil is used as a heating source. The enhanced baking performance of this layout led Tecnopool to conclude the future of food is in a spiral oven. The heat radiation system allows manufacturers to work at lower temperatures compared to other traditional systems, which considerably lowers consumption, when baking either on a belt or in a pan.

Entirely continuous, efficient systems Recent improvements brought to the Alco-food-machines’ Proofer ASG and Spiral Freezer ASK include main drive monitoring, and direct-drive conveying systems for even smoother running and lower belt tensioning. Optionally, all spiral systems can be equipped with 4.0 IoT systems, meeting the market's long-term demand. In addition, “Proofing systems now available with several different humidification/ moistening systems, including: steam humidification, ultrasonic humidification, and compressed air humidification with osmosis,” Marco Alteweier, specialist in spiral systems at alco, tells us. Two major factors contribute to the efficiency of this technology, alco highlights: 1. Enhanced heat exchanger surfaces and 2. Continuously monitoring and optimizing energy consumption To optimize operations with these spirals, energy savings can be achieved through their efficient drives (IE4 and IE5), which are ideally adjusted to each process by individually setting up the engine speed, the specialist explains.

To ensure process consistency, alco systems have a selfmonitoring system. If one parameter (e.g. temperature or

© alco

PRODUCTION

moisture) drops below or exceeds the given parameter range, due to high fluctuations during production, the system immediately reacts to these changes and keeps everything in balance. “If, due to very extreme conditions, this ‘balancing act’ cannot be achieved during a very specific time frame, the system sends out an alert to all connected devices,” the specialist explains.

The Proofer ASG can be customized for different process timings, temperatures and heating methods, and humidification methods including water purification. Different diameters of the drum, different belt widths and belt lengths can be provided in all alco spiral systems. Double-spiral systems for same-height infeed and outlet are a requested configuration. Several climate channels around the spiral tower/s ensure homogenous, gentle ventilation and humidification of the proofer. Every climate channel is continuously adjusted. Several sensors inside the climate channel give readings continuously, to ensure the desired climate. “That way, you can create different climate zones (temperature, humidity, etc.), if requested, and control them individually, as needed,” illustrates Alteweier.

The Spiral Freezer ASK is also equipped with a recipe management system and can be used with a specific energyoptimized setting for parameters including timings, air temperature and speed. Humidity is preserved by horizontal airflow on every level of the spiral system and energy-optimized with speed-regulated ventilators. Moreover, the air is led through a wide heat exchanger to minimize temperature differences.

Sustainability is reflected in the design of alco’s spirals: the company recommends using warm water or brine systems, which can sustainably heat the proofer via waste heat from refrigeration cycles or the oven heat exchanger. The specialist recommends humidifying air using ultrasound, which is a very efficient option for saving energy. +++ www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

19

+1 972.422.5808 www.auto-bake.com www.hinds-bock.com

HEAR US OUT

1 MILLION MINI-PRODUCTS EVERY SINGLE DAY IN ONE CONTINUOUS OPERATION SOUNDS GOOD?

20P-08 Multi-piston portable batter depositor

AUTOMATIC MULTIPISTON SYSTEM

Knowing the importance of valuable facility floor space, Hinds-Bock specifically manufactures depositors for use with all sizes of the Auto-Bake oven formats. These depositors are heavy duty and designed for 3 shifts a day production. They are designed to either roll over the line (as shown) or roll off onto a portable heavy-duty cart for cleaning and maintenance. It accurately handles smooth or heavy particulate batters at high rates of speed.

LET'S BAKE IT HAPPEN Auto-Bake and Hinds-Bock have partnered to create complete bakery production systems.

— Single point operation with product on and out on the same end — Fully automated with built-in flexibility to run multiple products — Minimal maintenance & compact footprint

Piece by piece or end to end modular continuous baking system

UNIVERSAL LINE

Whether you’re baking large format celebration cakes, or single-serve mini’s, muffins, and cupcakes, the Auto-Bake convection oven offers recipe driven moisture control and temperature zoning across each level. Gently and evenly insuring Auto-Bake’s legendary quality, appearance, and perfect bake all the way through.

H YG I E N E

Case studies from bakeries How alternative technologies can ensure hygiene in sliced bread and whole loaf production and

+

improve shelf life.

For sliced bread and whole bread production, especially after baking (cooling, slicing/packaging) up until the product is packaged/sealed, the requirements for reliable hygiene are extremely high.

For hygiene protection (disinfection), alternative hygiene processes are increasingly used in the baked goods industry today. These are based on ingredients that form naturally in food. Functional plant extracts also provide a large number of bioactive substances, which also play an important role in the effectiveness of sustainable hygiene processes. The ingredients are therefore predominantly nature-identical and come from renewable raw materials.

Due to the composition and the physically supported mode of action of sustainable hygiene technologies, all microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, molds) and viruses are eliminated. The formation of resistance is thus excluded.

Confirmed efficacy food protect® according to VAH and EN standards Extract of the most important inactivated germs / viruses (+) Aspergillus brasiliensis

+

Candida albicans

+

Bacillus subtilis

+

Enterococcus hirae

+

Escherichia coli K12

+

Campylobacter jejuni

+

Cronobacter sakazakii

+

Legionella pneumophila

+

Listeria monocytogenes

+

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica

+

Staphylococcus aureus

+

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

+

Corona Virus (according to EN 14476)

+

Vaccina Virus (according to EN 14476)

+

Further advantages of sustainable hygiene technologies are the declaration-free application, human-toxicological harmlessness and good material compatibility. Sustainable hygiene technologies therefore represent not only an ecological alternative to chemical disinfectants, but also alcohol.

In addition to food law and occupational health requirements, the method must be designed strictly according to physicalmicrobiological aspects. This allows targeted use (as cold aseptic on equipment) to also be carried out during the ongoing pro-duction process and with personnel present, if

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

Case studies in sliced bread To demonstrate the sustainable assurance of hygienic food safety and safe reduction of mold failure in sliced bread, application studies were conducted in several bakeries under practical conditions.

The sustainable active ingredient food-protect® is converted into a microfine mist by means of simple two-substance nozzle technology (dry) and released into the environment without thermal impact, thus reaching all surfaces in the room (conveyor belts, machines, but also room fixtures such as cable ducts, pipelines, cir- Fig. 1: Technical design of the culating air coolers, etc.). cover nozzle – detailed view Sanitization: It can be performed in two steps, either individually or consecutively: 1) Application as a substitute for classical disinfection with chemical disinfectants or alcohol, without permanently present personnel. Shock disinfection: Application quantity of approx. 10 ml/m³ air/enclosed space. A fogging time and a subsequent decay time must be taken into account.

2) Targeted application for continuous hygiene protection of equipment and room fixtures.

Maintenance sanitization: + Targeted application on equipment, room fixtures for sustainable hygiene protection of e.g. hygiene-sensitive surfaces. An application rate of approx. 0.3 ml/m³ air/h performed continuously (e.g. cold aseptic) during production with open product and personnel present. + As a linear process description and result representation, some production lines in the bakery industry were processanalyzed.

In the practical study, the room to be treated in each case is sanitized after cleaning (shock disinfection) and the hygiene status is then maintained by means of a continuously targeted application (maintenance sanitization) to ensure the hygiene of surfaces (e.g. cutting machine, conveyor belts, ventilation

©Ohlmann

necessary, while complying with the applicable MAK/BAT values.

The requirements listed above add up to the properties of sustainable active ingredients such as food-protect® from the German supplier ProPure-Protect.

Source: Ohlmann

22

H YG I E N E

01 Decapsulate

02 Transportation

03 Cooling down

04

05

Transportation

Packing

06 Transportation

07 Shipping

systems) and room air throughout the entire production period (Room III).

Room II was disinfected for permanent sanitization with personnel occupancy and product in the room in the form of maintenance sanitization in a low application rate (approx.

0.2- 0.5ml/m³/h), e.g., via the ventilation system's air volume.

1 Installations 1.1 Shock sterilization: cooling area/spiral cooler (toast) [Room I] A total of 4 lid nozzles were installed in the spiral cooler for disinfection after basic cleaning. The room and the fixtures were roughly pre-cleaned, but not disinfected.

Volume flow of supply air: approx. 3,600m³ Number of nozzles: 2 Pressure: approx. 3 bar Consumption: 0.2 ml/m³/h food-protect®

An application in compliance with the applicable MAK/BAT values can also be car-ried out via the mobile lid nozzles and specifically on the surface of the respective plant (cold aseptic on cutting plants).

©Ohlmann

Room size: approx. 2,250m³ Pressure: approx. 4.5 bar Nebulization time: approx.

40min. total duration Sedimentation time: approx.

30min. total duration Consumption: approx. 22kg food-protect®

Fig. 2: Treated cooling area [Room I]

Source: Ohlmann

Hygiene critical area

1.2 Shock sterilization: cutting/packing (toast) [Room II] A total of 3 lid nozzles were installed in the cutting/packaging area [Room II] for disinfection after basic cleaning.

2 Results In Rooms I and II, surface germ measurements were carried out before and after the application of the sustainable hygiene technology in the form of swab samples, namely on the surfaces in contact with the product (Room II) as well as on the built-in periphery (Rooms I & II; cable duct, lamp, conveyor belts, etc.). Airborne germ measurements were also carried out.

Due to the fine, uniform application of food-protect ® as a ‘dry’ fog in the room, the air in the room as well as all surfaces were reached/disinfected after a short time during the shock disinfection with only very low humidity.

1.3 Maintenance sanitization: slicing/packaging [Room II] A cover nozzle was installed in the ventilation system of

©Ohlmann

Fig. 3: Treated cooling area [Room II]

©Ohlmann

Room size: approx. 1,370m³ Pressure: approx. 4.5 bar Nebulization time: approx.

4min. total duration Sedimentation time: approx.

30min. total duration Consumption: approx. 14kg food-protect® Fig. 4: Uniform distribution of the active ingredient during shock sterilization

It is not necessary to rinse or clean food-protect ® after application.

In the slicing/packaging area [Room II], after shock sterilization, permanent maintenance sanitization with food-protect ®

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H YG I E N E

© Ohlmann

was carried out as a targeted application within the ventilation system and also directly at the bread slicer during production with product and personnel. Through this hygiene measure, the surfaces as well as the room air and thus the products were continuously further hygienically secured.

With linear continuous sustainable hygiene technology, the process of pasteurization may be eliminated while maintaining the given shelf life, which offers a distinct advantage.

When used as a maintenance hygiene solution, compliance with the MAK/BAT values was monitored by measurement.

Positive hygiene protection (air and surfaces) was also measurable in the adjacent areas (hygiene airlock, material airlock) due to the air overflow.

Fig. 5: Sampling of the surface in contact with product inlet packaging of whole loaves in Room II

2.1 Results of shock sterilization [Rooms I and II] The results show a significant reduction to complete elimination of the status of bacteria as well as yeasts and molds on the sampled product-contacting surfaces.

Another hygienic effect of fogging is the simultaneous hygienic protection of room fixtures such as cable ducts, pipelines, strip lighting, control cabinets, etc.

The results show a significant reduction in the presence of bacteria as well as yeasts and molds on all sampled hardto-reach (uncleaned) surfaces of the fixture periphery. These measurement positions were not cleaned and in some cases had heavy dust deposits.

Table 1: Surface germination measurements shock sterilization – Surfaces coming into contact with product Yeasts and molds

Before treatment

After treatment with food-protect ®

Before treatment

After treatment with food-protect®

[cfu/25cm2]

[cfu/25cm 2]

[cfu/25cm 2]

[cfu/25cm 2]

1

Packing/slicing Room II – transfer belt

27

0

12

0

2

Packaging/slicing Room II – product infeed slicer 1

32

0

14

0

3

Packaging/slicing Room II – product infeed slicer 2

30

0

12

0

4

Packing/slicing Room II – guiding slats slicing machine 1

43

0

19

1

5

Packaging/slicing Room II – outfeed conveyor slicer 2

38

0

14

0

6

Packaging/slicing Room II – product infeed packaging

23

0

17

0

Source: Ohlmann

Total germ count Measure- Measuring point ment

Table 2: Surface germination measurements shock sterilization – peripheral fixtures Total germ count Measure- Measuring point ment

1

Cooling area Room I – On drive motor

Yeasts and molds

Before treatment

After treatment with food-protect ®

Before treatment

After treatment with food-protect®

[cfu/25cm2]

[cfu/25cm 2]

[cfu/25cm 2]

[cfu/25cm 2]

109

0

32

0

2

Cooling area Room I – On cable tray

115

8

62

6

3

Cooling area Room I – On pipe strut

133

2

75

3

4

Cooling area Room I – On door frame

91

4

35

0

5

Cooling area Room I – On the floor

195

0

97

7

6

Slicing/Packing Room II – On the machine 1

46

0

29

0

7

Slicing/Packing Room II – On the lamp

114

1

23

0

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

Source: Ohlmann

24

H YG I E N E

Table 3: Airborne germ measurements shock disinfection rooms I and II

cfu/m3

Yeasts and molds

cfu/m3

Cooling area [Room I]

Total germ count

Room entrance

Room center

Room end

Room center

Room entrance

Measuring points

Room end

Measuring points Before shock disinfection

After shock disinfection

cfu/m3

After shock disinfection

cfu/m3

Slicing/Packing [Room II]

Before shock disinfection

Room entrance

Room center

Room center

Room entrance

Room end

Room end

Measuring points

Measuring points Before shock disinfection

Before shock disinfection

After shock disinfection

After shock disinfection

Table 4: Airborne germ measurements maintenance sanitation room II and adjacent areas

cfu/m3

Yeasts and molds

cfu/m3

Room entrance

Slicing area

Room entrance

End of room

Slicing area

Measuring points

Before shock disinfection

After sanitation

cfu/m3

After sanitation

cfu/m3

Before sanitation

End of room

Measuring points

Transport route, product infeed in front of room II

Transport route, product exit in front of room II

Measuring points

Before sanitation

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

After sanitation

Transport route, product infeed in front of room II

Transport route, product infeed in front of room II

Measuring points Before sanitation

After sanitation

Source: Ohlmann

Slicing/Packing [RoomII]

Total germ count

Adjacent rooms

26

H YG I E N E

Airborne germ measurements – Shock Disinfection Rooms I and II The results show a immediate significant reduction in the status of bacteria as well as yeasts and molds in the indoor air in both rooms after shock disinfection with the alternative ProPure-Protect hygiene technology.

2.2 Results maintenance sanitization [Room II] Over the entire production period, airborne microbial counts were determined in the cutting/packaging room for toast [Room II] and in the adjacent rooms (hygienic air-lock/ transport aisle for product infeed, material airlock/transport aisle for product out-feed) before the ProPure-Protect technology was used and during its use. The results are shown in Table 4.

The results show a significant reduction as well as constant maintenance of the status of mold as well as bacteria in the slicer specifically treated with food-protect ® on the surfaces and packing materials as well as in the indoor air pollution.

2.3 MAK/BAT values for maintenance hygiene The H2O2 [ppm] content in the air is below the occupational exposure limit when food-protect® is used properly and professionally after shock disinfection as well as when it is used

27

© Ohlmann

Figs. 6 and 7: Peripheral fixtures after baking/cooling/confectioning

specifically for equipment and room fixtures as maintenance sanitization. The workplace limit value H2O2 [ppm] applicable in Germany can be seen in the MAK and BAT values list 2020. +++

About the author Ralf Ohlmann is scientific research director of the Just in Air Luft- & Hygienefachinstitut in Bremen/Germany and Chairman of the German commission food safety & retail, Berlin.

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© Dawn Foods

R AW M AT E R I A L S

The plant-based life The plant-based trend is growing from a flavor-of-the-moment favorite into a sustainable, long-term trend, with a market growth of over 50% for the past five years and no signs of stopping even when faced with disruptions including COVID-19. Opportunities in baking are ripe for the picking, as long as technical formulation challenges are weeded out.

+

The plant-baked market is flourishing, and it’s not just people who opt for meat-free diets who are driving it: 90% of plant-based consumers are not vegetarian or vegan, NPD highlights in its report, “The Future of Plant-Based Snapshot.” Vegetarians, vegans, and flexitarians together are welcoming foodstuffs free of animal-origin ingredients – for reasons not just health-related, but also factoring in their care for the climate and sustainability concerns, aside from general wellbeing. Research shows that 15% of millennials are already meat-free1 and the industry is changing its menu to provide: new product launches with a plant-based claim increased by a CAGR of 57% globally between 2015-2019 2.

Europe alone accounts for 43.1% of the global launches in this category3.

prebiotic fiber, fruits, and healthy fats that fuel the brain, support gut health, and overall well-being.

Plant-based baking For the ingredient list, it means replacing all animal-based ingredients, from meat, dairy, to egg, honey, to gelatin, or butter. These reformulations from animal-based ingredients to plant-based alternatives are not without challenges, as ingredients with different process requirements join the mix instead. Additionally, “Achieving the same taste as traditional baked goods presents an exciting challenge for bakers and there are several substitutions available to help them overcome these challenges,” explains Sarah Hite, food scientist at Dawn Foods North America.

This trend only accelerated as the pandemic took hold, with a report by Nielsen showing that alternative meat sales increased 454% in the third week of March 2020 compared to the same week in 2019. The plant-based food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2020 to 2027 to reach USD74.2 billion by 20274.

What does this mean for the bakery industry? An interesting launch is Mmmly, for example, a plant-based reimagined cookie that was relaunched by its manufacturer in March this year. The company introduced these cookies as featuring clean and innovative ingredients such as root vegetables, 1

UK Diet Trends 2020, Finder (quoted by ‘Planting Possibilities: Insights’,

a report by Ingredion) 2

Innova Database, 2019

3

Ingredion 2019 Global Consumer Insights Program: Atlas, 2019

4

Plant Based Food Market by Product Type (Dairy Alternatives,

Meat Substitute, Plant-Based Eggs, Confectionery), Source (Soy Protein, Wheat Protein), and Distribution Channel (Business to Business and Business to Customers) – Global Forecast to 2027, by Meticulous Research

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

© Dawn Foods

28

R AW M AT E R I A L S

and hydration to baked goods. Starches and natural flavors can help substitute for a creamy texture. Flavorings, starches, and hydrocolloids all help replace milk as a protein source in baked goods. + Eggs are the ultimate emulsifier, so to remove these, bakers would need to rely on other emulsifiers and starches to achieve a similar result. The functionality can be built back through several plant-based ingredients, such as flax meal mixed with water. + Honey serves as a natural sweetener in baked goods and is particularly important in products that contain no artificial ingredients, for clean label claims. It’s not suitable for vegans, however, so maple syrup would be a good alternative. + Gelatin helps to set baked goods, especially those that contain jam or jelly. A popular plant-based substitution is AgarAgar, which is derived from seaweed and is often used in vegan jams. Pectin would be another alternative, but bakers need to ensure the correct dosage is used. © Mmmly

In bakery, animal-origin ingredients make a long to-do list when searching viable (functional and without compromising taste and texture) plant-based counterparts, including the ‘obvious’ ones such as dairy, eggs, honey, or gelatin. There are also less obvious entries: in this category, Richard Mundy, R&D manager at Dawn Foods Europe lists Carmine (Cochineal) and Shellac – which is typically used to give baked goods a ‘shiny’ look, for example. Various plant-based ingredients and combinations will help mimic the functionalities of the animal-based materials. Here are some examples shared by Dawn’s specialists, for the materials most commonly swapped out: + Dairy is one of the most difficult ingredients to substitute because non-dairy milk – such as soy and coconut – often brings unwanted flavors into the products. Dairy helps to provide flavor, texture, ADVERTISEMENT

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29

R AW M AT E R I A L S

dairy is less challenging for cookies than it is for other products,” explains Hite. Moreover, adding vegan butter as well as dark chocolate will significantly improve the finished cookie flavor, as milk and white chocolate cannot be used.

Another difficulty she highlights is avoiding any crosscontamination. Cleaning the line to manufacture plant-based goods is very time-consuming and costly, so investing in a dedicated vegan line or ideally, a dedicated factory unit, will deliver big cost savings against a baker’s competitors, Mundy observes.

© Dawn Foods

30

What to bake and how to bake it?

For sweet bakery items, consumers most often request plantbased substitutes for muffins, cookies, donuts and brownies, Mundy observes. “For muffins, eggs provide emulsification, strength and structure, so bakers need to add wheat gluten to boost the strength of the batter. For cookies, egg and dairy are less important functionally, but they still need alternative ingredients to improve mouthfeel and richness,” he points out.

When switching to plant-based ingredients, taste is often the last on the product developer’s agenda, as they need to first match the functionality. Some plant-based replacements can deliver an off-taste or bitter note in the finished bakery product, but this can easily be masked with flavors that are now readily available.

Flavor is also particularly impacted in baked goods that are formulated with high levels of soy or pea-based ingredients.

“To preserve taste, bakers can include additional flavors – such as chocolate to mask for the higher levels of plant-based protein,” Hite adds.

Baking vegan Vegans are a relatively small (yet visible on the shelf) segment in the plant-based world. Launches with vegan claims rose by 22% and vegetarian by 8% between 2015 and 20195. Vegan baked goods will not automatically taste, appear and feel identical to conventional baked goods. “When baking vegan, it helps to keep the baked goods in the oven for a few extra minutes to reduce the risk of them collapsing when cooling,” Hite recommends. They also come with their own set of considerations for perfecting recipes. “Removing eggs and 5

Innova Database, 2019

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

Dawn’s vegan portfolio includes a variety of products that work well for all bakers – including donut mixes, crème cake mixes, brownie mixes, cookie mixes and fillings, icings and glazes. Some of Dawn’s fillings have always been suitable for a vegan diet, such as fruit fillings. Each of these products is available on both an artisanal and industrial level. Several of the ingredients in Dawn Europe’s portfolio were already vegan before the diet became popular, including fruit fillings, glazes, frostings, icings, fondants and compounds. “At the same time, we developed and launched a range of vegan-certified bakery mixes, such as cakes,” adds Mundy.

Claiming the label & going with it To achieve plant-based label claims, extensive testing and monitoring are required. “For example, at Dawn, we underwent several tests to give us and our customers the confidence that our vegan portfolio is completely free of animal-based products – especially eggs and dairy. We take great care in processing to avoid any cross-contamination between vegan and non-vegan manufacturing lines,” Mundy details. Before formulating each product, Dawn certifies with its suppliers as well that the ingredients they use are also vegan.

Additionally, there is now a greater emphasis and desire to know where food comes from and reduce its environmental impact. Hite anticipates growing environmental concern will cause the plant-based trend to continue gaining momentum in the bakery space in 2021 and beyond.

Despite product shortages and temporary trade restrictions that altered the entire supply chain in 2020, Dawn continues to see growing interest in plant-based ingredients and formulations. “We can also expect the formulations to improve in flavor and functionality as suppliers continue to develop, improve and expand on plant-based offerings,” says Hite.

She highlights that there have already been significant strides in creating plant-based baked goods, such as Dawn’s new line of vegan donuts that have a very similar flavor profile as standard donuts – formulated by Dawn North America in 2020. And there will be even more opportunities to better improve ingredient formulation without sacrificing taste in the years to come; R&D is on the way. +++

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PRODUCTION

In the (continuous) mix: Verymix VMI’s VERYMIX kneader is recommended for the continuous production of raw frozen, parbaked and/or preproofed and frozen doughs, including baguettes, ciabattas, pizzas, Viennese pastry, puff pastry and flour & water mixtures. Here is how this equipment is built for such an extended range of products.

© VMI

32

+

All types of dough can be processed with the Verymix system, as all the essential parameters are under tight control and optimally combined according to the specific application. Everything can be customized to meet specific production needs thanks to a combination of process parameters or geometry: shape of the tank, design of the mixing tool, premixing, temperature, speed, up to the atmosphere in the bowl and the energy used. This allows VMI installations the flexibility to cover with this system anything from bread to pastries, and soft products such as sandwich breads and buns. By adapting the tool to increase shearing, the Verymix also becomes very good at kneading crakers too.

and over-fermentation. The Verymix system can measure the temperature using a probe and display the dough’s temperature before, during, and after mixing on the control panel. “Controlling the temperature makes it possible to manage product development. Enzymes are activated or neutralized depending on the exact temperature level you choose,” she says. This temperature can be automatically regulated by using a double-jacket bowl, in which a cold liquid will circulate. “The traceability and control of the energy transmitted to the dough are part of the developments that control temperature variations. All of our automated kneading systems are equipped with it,” the specialist adds.

When processing colder doughs, a cooling system is necessary.

The surface of the dough in contact with the tank needs to be larger, hence the importance of the tool and tank geometry parameters. This also means more energy will be required.

“Our Verymix continuous kneader makes it possible to monitor and control energy. From premixing to the end of the mixing process, the viscosity and the formation of the gluten network is monitored thanks to the energy tracking.

The cooling system needs, therefore, to be very flexible and very reactive to meet the temperature target, even with a short mixing time,” explains Claire Auffrédou, Marketing and Digital Development at VMI.

Flexibility and consistent results The Verymix also features weight feeders, an independent pre-mixer, and a rotor-fitted kneader, optimized for continuous workflow throughout the process. It can support a wide range of mixing parameters, thanks to its mixing rotor adapted to the dough, the bowl specifically shaped for continuous mixing operations, adjustable mixing times and intensities. Controlling these parameters supports flexibility for doughs with different characteristics, which is usually not associated with continuous mixing principles. It can control extensive combinations of parameters that enable the bakers to analyze their production: the Verymix provides graphs and visual metering of motor intensity, dough temperature, glycol valve openings, and mixing energy, ensuring stability in production.

Consistent results in dough characteristics begin with accurate

Frozen products (and not only) require low manufacturing temperatures, to avoid an ensuing complex cooling process

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PRODUCTION

material dosing; anything from solid or liquid fats, scrap, specialty flours, to eggs, dried fruits, and particulates can be dosed at any time during the mixing process. Pre-mixing is then essential to producing a homogeneous and smooth dough, which is also continuously measured and verified.

The Horizontal PreMixer (HPM) from VMI works directly above the Verymix and always transfers hydrated raw materials into the continuous mixer underneath, where the dough is mixed to the required consistency.

a mobile Cleaning in Place (CIP) system. “This minimizes production downtime because of the maximum uniformity of dough consistency and limited intermediate cleaning. The least possible frequency of product change is, of course, a parameter that improves production efficiency,” the specialist tells us. Certain sequences in the workflow contribute to the efficiency of the manufacturing: supplying dough directly to the dough sheeter, for example, or producing the same type of dough for extended periods results in more accurate recipe control, requires less workforce, and provides a better quality of the finished product.

Consistency in production also means that operations are streamlined to avoid losses, variations in output, and to follow exact specifications, all of this at a volume of up to several tons per hour. “This mixing system guarantees a considerable increase in production efficiency.

Optimizing cycle times allows machines to run longer and faster, increasing production rates and flexibility for varied recipes,” VMI’s specialist details.

For traceability needs, the Verymix system displays control parameters dynamically and stores them for later consultation. It is possible to view, store, consolidate, export, and analyze the mixer’s consumption. Whether it is the ingredients consumed or the amount of dough produced, it is possible to access information in real-time or in historical form, by timings or by shifts.

© VMI

Adjustments and automation Many adjustments can be made while the mixer is operating. One notable example in continuous optimization is the preventive adjustment of the process, according to the use and data it can collect and analyze. The dosing flow rate can be automatically finetuned, based on experience feedback from previous cycles, for instance.

VMI’s continuous mixer allows 24/7 production.

The liquid dosing stations can be connected to

33

The ‘Product Learning’ function enables a single dosing station to manage several ingredients.

In this way, recipe parameters can be changed automatically, depending on the ingredient.

Automated management also removes the risk of errors and their consequent downtimes. The only action to be performed is changing the ingredient itself, contributing to a faster and more efficient process. +++

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PRODUCTION

Tradition meets innovation (part II)

Traditional techniques and products shape specialized equipment for the industrial production of buns, rolls, and bagels.

These production lines are designed with the flexibility to provide answers to manufacturing challenges old and new. At the same time, they pay respect to tradition and reliably support up-and-coming trends and new product innovation.

+

Bagels: challenges and answers In industrial bagel manufacturing, the biggest challenge is fitting the production line in the available space while meeting individual recipe and process demands. Due to space constraints, certain modules can be considered optional, while others are highly recommended when customizing a line to specific requirements.

François Retailleau, product manager at Mecatherm, points out some variations in production lines: “Retarding is a typical process step in bagel production (after proofing), in which the dough gains its aromas and consistency. It also allows a better fixing of the humidity for the boiling and steaming steps. However, every manufacturer has its own recipe and process and some of them don’t retard the products at all”.

Another example comes after the fermentation step: “To bring the products to room temperature, some manufacturers use a warming unit before boiling and baking,” Retailleau adds.

One of the process challenges for bagels is that they tend to stick in the oven after boiling, which is why the surface of the product is dried just before baking. Artisan bakers typically place a row of bagels at the oven’s infeed to dry them on one side, then they would flip them upside down so the dry side stands on the oven hearth during baking.

When converted into industrial-scale production, dryers are sometimes compared to the use of release agents inside the oven. “We prefer drying because it replicates the authentic process,” Alex Kuperman, CEO of ABI LTD., explains.

The MECABAGEL line addresses several challenges inherent to the baking process (detailed in part I). Generally, bagels will bake best using conduction heat from the bottom of the product at the beginning of the process. Radiation is the most frequently used technology for bagels; however, if convection is added, the baking process may typically be faster, depending on the product, due to a more efficient heat transfer to the product. Humidity control in the oven chamber is also very important, so the bagel gets and keeps its shiny look, which is made possible by the boiling process.

© König

34

PRODUCTION

Freezing Depending on the distribution circuit and the manufacturer’s requirements, the MECABAGEL line can also be equipped with a cooling and freezing solution. Typical market solutions are spiral coolers and spiral freezers. Retailleau highlights, “For the design of the MECABAGEL, we wanted to go a step further and included a solution for cooling on grills, which are placed in a modular cooler.” The handling systems used are similar to those used in the proofer. There are two benefits of this solution; one is efficiency-related as it provides additional capacity (‘buffer’) that, under normal conditions, is not utilized. The extra space, a small circuit for the cooling trays, is designed to be equivalent to the oven’s contents. In the case of issues down the line (i.e., in the packaging stage), the products will not be wasted. Secondly, it is designed to help control hygiene easily. This is critical for the cooling phase, as any bacteria coming in contact with the surface of the products during this phase can be a potential risk of mold development. The modular cooling system has a dedicated conveying circuit so that it can be easily enclosed into a clean air area. Moreover, cooling grills are retention-free and easy to wash in a washing machine after every production cycle.

For safety reasons, operators are required to be on-site when working with the line. However, remote work and monitoring are under development wherever possible.

Automation Smart ingredient systems can help dispense ingredients accurately. Mixing bowl changes can also be automated and the divider is completely self-sufficient. Operator intervention is required for changeovers to ensure the line’s product

flexibility. Software solutions are also continuously improved to help manage the different SKUs and automate processes that can benefit from automation. Tracking products along the line and having the ability to adjust settings automatically as much as possible are among the newest innovations. At the same time, R&D will improve the OEE and provide operators with additional tools. Helping production planners find the best manufacturing sequence is also a priority for further improvements and a big step towards efficiency efforts.

Efficiency is a large factor in packing automation. Here is where MECBAGEL’S robotic systems provide the tools to solving several problems industrial bakeries face. ABI has been developing these solutions in recent years. The packaging process is mostly automated, but product flow distribution can be optimized. Each product is correctly assigned to its packaging line and distributed there in the correct configuration so it can be processed. “This is where vision equipment and robotics will play a big part, as well as automated quality control,” Kuperman explains. This will also vastly contribute to packaging flexibility, especially when packaging a mix of different types of bagels.

Buns: scaling up Consistency is a defining challenge when manufacturers step up from artisan to automated production, consistency in dough quality and texture, processing, and bun quality.

For bakeries scaling up, process organization is paramount to achieve high-quality buns consistently, Koenig recommends - from mixing to dough make-up, proofing, forming, baking, up to cooling, freezing and packaging.

Space limitations are often a downside in such a project.

High-performance, flexible lines normally need a certain amount of space. However, customization can help make the most out of the available space. They also allow bakeries to produce most of their buns on just one line. “Koenig has reacted to customer requests by making a highly flexible building block system for the proofers. Customers give their building specifications to the Koenig design department and they build the proofers around their space requirements,” Wolfgang Staufer, Koenig’s CEO highlights. In recent years, Koenig has built proofers with small footprints into the next building floors, above the bread line, under a roof, and even

© Minipan

The equipment is designed for efficiency in the MECABAGEL line, from labor efficiency to that of the various components.

For example, the oven follows the correct baking curve while providing efficient heat exchange and the airflow in the proofers is optimized to avoid stagnation. One of the challenges of designing this line to replace conventional methods is ensuring that the equipment is simple, consistent, and robust. More importantly, it needs to work automatically and to be able to adjust to a production environment with a variable production capacity and workflow.

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

35

PRODUCTION

© ABI-Mecatherm

36

downwards into basements. The newly-launched KGV EC line can also come in various working widths and can deliver up to 46,800 pieces per hour in a 1,200mm working width and 12-row operation (additional details are available in the first part of this article, featured in the second issue of baking+biscuit international).

To minimize waste, dough dividing and rounding machines, such as the Industrie Rex AW dough divider and rounder included in the KGV EC roll line, feature high weight accuracy and gentle dough handling while precisely forming the dough pieces. “We have customers who save tons of flour every week because the dough divider and rounders are so weight-accurate that there are almost no over- or underweight dough pieces and hardly any dough is wasted,” Koenig’s CEO shares.

Supporting trends Production line flexibility is increasingly in demand, to fit as many different products as possible on one line. Variety has recently been bringing artisan-style products into the spotlight.

Millennials and Gen Z are shaping all consumer trends, including in bakery. For buns and rolls, they seek the high quality associated with artisan-made products. “Our customers are telling us more and more that they want to work with yeast less and more with sourdough,” Staufer shares Koenig’s experience. Bakeries are also leaning toward ancient grains, which give the bread a great natural flavor. “This also means high-nutrient, fresh-baked breads and rolls, glazed brioche hamburger buns or slider rolls, pretzel rolls are also very popular at the moment,” he details.

The modular KGV system, including the Easy Clean, makes product combination possibilities almost unlimited. KGV lines with stamping stations for Kaiser rolls, cut rolls, and

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

similar products are among the frequent requests Koenig receives. The industrial construction kit includes modules such as a stamping station, a rounding drum (for second rounding after proofing, e.g. for German ‘rose’ rolls), a forming station, a convoluting station for pretzels, a donut station, a seeding unit, or a setting unit for batch setting (e.g. pull-apart buns).

The MECABAGEL line can support many types of doughs that industrial bakeries may work with. From the very dense Montreal bagel, which has less than 45% water absorption, to hybrid products that have similar characteristics to pastries, bakeries can manufacture a variety of products.

Different flavors and toppings (sesame and poppy being the popular choices) also add to the possible variety of products that can be made.

“What we see appearing are hybrid products, like baguette bagels, or brioche bagels – products that are made with doughs that are normally associated with completely different products, but are shaped into bagels. New products are entering the market in this way, by combining two different types for unusual pairings,” Retailleau details.

Rolls: respect for tradition Historically, industrial bread production has required traditional production methods and recipes to be simplified, with volume manufacturing being the main goal. Quality is beginning to reign over quantity as consumers’ tastes shift to healthier products, with the right flavor and an artisan look and feel. “For producers to follow these mindset changes, respect for ancient and traditional recipes is required, for the methods and the baking culture itself,” underlines Franco Fusari, Minipan co-owner and sales director. To meet these requirements, each Minipan line is designed around customer needs and requests, their recipes, and desired processes.

Based on the baker’s product portfolio, Minipan defines the specifications and the features that the line needs, which can be anything from its length and width to the specifications of the molding, and rounding tools. “Minipan has reestablished the focus on the recipes, with a deep understanding of the artisan methods and the value brought to the bread,” Fusari explains.

Efficiency is also designed into the company’s line. Its proprietary Scrap Free technology helps maintain waste to a minimum, for example. It helps generate the sheet of dough in the desired thickness and width, removing the need for cutting any lateral dough surplus and any ensuing waste.

The cost of managing the scrap and the scrap itself is also effectively eliminated.

Minipan observes growing interest for organic, high-end products, similar in shape but very different in quality from old-school commodity bread rolls. “Certainly, these changing habits drive big players to develop appealing, artisan products that are industrially made. Here, at Minipan, we are continuously striving to push the limits of what can be made with an automated line,” Fusari concludes. +++

PERFECT ASSEMBLY

SOLLCOCAP® www.sollich.com

U N I Q U E FO R YO U R N EEDS

AU TOM AT I O N

How effective is your production?

Effectiveness and quality measurements in piece goods production have been commonplace in the automotive industry for decades. In the bakery industry, the demand for corresponding software

+

© AutomationX

solutions is increasing for more efficient production and with higher quality corresponding products.

MES, OEE, BDE ... terms, terms, terms Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are ‘software solutions that guide, direct, control, and monitor a production process.’1 An MES system can map the entire production process from planning to quality assurance as well as giving an effectiveness measurement and much more – from goods receipt to goods issue. Alternatively, individual modules of an MES software package can also be used as stand-alone solutions for monitoring sub-processes.

How does data get from the machine to the software?

Modern machine controls offer the possibility of exchanging data via a standardized interface (OPC UA). Attention! A standard interface is a means to an end. The content of the interface must be defined. Not every machine can transmit the same data. For example, in the case of a spiral freezer, the temperature setpoint and actual value are primarily relevant; in the case of a dough divider, it is the number of pieces. The data to be exchanged must be provided by the equipment manufacturer. In the case of older systems, it is sometimes necessary to install additional sensors if it is not possible to tap the data automatically. In particular, if spare parts are no longer available for the existing control system, consideration should be given to upgrading the system to collect additional data when the control system is replaced (Data acquisition is mainly an interaction of automatically acquired data, which is then fed manually).

Essentially, the following information is important: Performance data: How many pieces are currently being produced on the machine? If more pieces are produced than specified, the performance factor can also be over 100%. If the machine does not supply this data, it can be realized by installing additional sensors.

Quality data: On some machines, temperature, relative humidity, or other measured parameters influence product quality. In any case, such data should also be transmitted and recorded. This data is displayed in trends related to a product and allows conclusions to be drawn about quality deviations simply.

Fault messages: Ideally, all faults are transmitted to the MES system. Their priority can be defined in the MES system.

Many small disruptions do not affect production and are therefore not interesting for an effectiveness analysis.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a module of an MES system for measuring and evaluating effectiveness.

Real-time display of production progress with deviations

Is it possible to record staff time?

Yes, and it's very simple. The employee logs on to an order that is displayed on a touch panel, e.g. via RFID or barcode.

The personnel times are calculated for an order according to its current status. If the status ‘Setup’ is selected, the personnel times are booked to ‘Setup’.

Production Data Acquisition (PDA) is necessary to automatically transfer data from the machines to the system, e.g. the number of pieces, malfunctions, set recipe, and also to record information by manual input. The recorded operating data is linked to production data in the MES system.

Does data acquisition function fully automatically?

No. Machines provide only partial information. As an example, information as to whether a machine is ‘ready for operation’, ‘switched off ’ or ‘in operation’ is usually supplied by the machine. Information about rejects or whether maintenance

© AutomationX

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AU TOM AT I O N

AutomationX GmbH With its 90 employees, the company specializes in the development and implementation of production software, especially in the baked goods industry.

Recipe management, silo control, or the conversion of old control systems are just as much a part of the daily bread as the introduction of MES systems for mapping the entire manufacturing process from goods receipt through warehouse management, production planning, and production data acquisition to shipping.

is currently being carried out is very important for evaluations but must be entered manually or recorded semi-automatically. Above all, scrap recording must happen simply.

After all, no one counts the individual pieces that are selected from a conveyor. Usually, the best way to do this is to collect the scraps in bins and weigh them. If the scrap is added back to a batch of dough (rework), the batch traceability can also be mapped in the system.

Isn't manual input too complicated for a line operator?

Ease of operation is a key requirement in bakery operations.

Here, suppliers of MES systems differ significantly, as different industries also have different requirements.

Experience has shown that in the food industry, less is more. The input screen must be clearly designed and easy to use. The screens on the line can also be used for multiple purposes, such as quality data collection or weighing.

The evaluations can be easily adapted to the needs of the respective company. Not everyone needs the same information. By assigning rights, the respective user sees only the information that is important to them. +++ 1

Source: Wikipedia

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Who benefits from the software?

The data is useful for the user on the line, right up to the company manager. They are shown the progress of the order and its effectiveness via a large display. For example, they can see whether the planned order will be completed earlier or later than scheduled. The technician can see via an evaluation summary which faults have occurred and how often, and the duration of the interruptions to the operation that they have caused. The analysis facilitates prioritization in the elimination of defects. All events, including their causes, are documented. A shift book can also be used to record all the activities of the respective technicians in their shifts.

The production manager receives an overall view of the manufacturing process. In the event of changes to machine settings or the production process, it can be very clearly displayed whether this has resulted in an improvement in performance or quality.

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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

Flexible flow-wrapping covers biscuits An Alsatian manufacturer with over a hundred years of heritage relies on a modern flow-wrapping machine from Schubert to package its baked goods. The flexibility of the robot-assisted flowpacker ensures that the producer will be able to switch to more sustainable packaging in the future.

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© Gerhard Schubert GmbH

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The flowpacker can also process mono films and, as shown here, paper-based films

Today, the variations in material and shape of packaging are practically endless – coming in handy for providers to satisfy an increasing variety of customer requirements and preferences. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for consumers and manufacturers alike. The share of paperbased packaging elements is steadily increasing, for example, the sweet baked goods segment (especially so in the B2Cdominated food sector). It is not only industry giants that are driving this change; small and medium-sized confectionery manufacturers are also closely examining alternative possibilities of packaging their popular products sustainably.

Among them is a producer of traditional baked goods from Alsace that required a new packaging machine to meet the customers’ changing values regarding packaging.

This small bakery has been making biscuits for over 100 years.

As a traditional operation, it values the diversity in its products.

A wide range of fine pastries is produced here, including many organic offerings. There is something for every biscuit lover in the portfolio of this manufacturer: wafers and biscuits with and without chocolate, in layers or fully coated, and all in a wide variety of sizes. To properly sustain this multitude of products, production managers placed great importance on the flexibility of a new packaging machine. For medium-sized companies, in particular, the switch to new types of packaging cannot be made overnight, and their needs can evolve differently depending on the sales market. A multitasking machine was needed, one that could keep up with the wide range of products and packaging, including sustainable solutions.

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Packaging as diverse as the contents The bakery wanted to be able to handle plastic and paperbased films, trays made of cardboard and plastic, and U-boards – all of this in a process involving fragile products that needed delicate handling after production, for quality control and packaging into flowpacks bags, both with and without trays. The changeover of packaging forms and products had to be carried out quickly and efficiently. And finally, there was another requirement: the packaging machine would have to be as compact as possible.

Schubert’s flow-wrapping machine met all its requirements.

It was especially the necessity of a compact design that favored the flowpacker: “Our integrated system, which includes de-stackers, pick & place robots and the Flowmodul flowwrapping unit, was the ideal solution from our point of view,” explains Dominique Spitz, area sales manager at Schubert.

In a small space, the flow-wrapping machine in Alsace has been handling all the steps of the packaging process since its installation in June 2020. Flexibility is required right from

Facts & figures

+ Compact machine layout + 9 different product formats + Efficiency of 98% + Output of up to 100 flowpacks per minute + Sustainable packaging materials

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© Gerhard Schubert GmbH

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

The flow-wrapping machine combines de-stackers, pick & place robots, quality control and the Flowmodul in the smallest of footprints

© Gerhard Schubert GmbH

sealing unit adjusts itself fully automatically to the speed of the upstream pick & place robots for each flowpack. This ensures a high sealing quality with constant sealing times.

In less than 30 minutes, the flow-wrapping machine switches between different formats. Paper-based trays, U-boards and film are also supported

the beginning of the process because the biscuits come directly from the oven to the packaging line without a buffer. This is how the robot-assisted flowpacker plays out its strengths, without the need of a conveyor belt: three F4 robots pick up the product flexibly and gently and place it into the trays or directly onto the flowpacker infeed belt. Technology is key to the efficient use of available space: when needed, a fourth F4 robot is used variably. If packing into trays, it removes them from the magazine and places them into the tray chain for filling. For batches where the products go directly into flowpacks, it picks biscuits from the product belt and places them onto the flowpacker infeed belt.

“By using robots in our flow-wrapping machine, we can minimize breakage, damage and waste,” Spitz points out. To entirely rule out damaged goods, each product must also pass through an incident-light scanner. Schubert’s image processing system only passes on the data of flawless products to the robots’ control system and rejects defective goods.

Only the high-quality baked goods are then either packed directly into a flowpack or stacked into trays or cardboard U-boards, which are in turn packed into flowpacks.

To ensure the efficiency of this last step of the packaging process, the Schubert line uses a specially developed sealing technology: “First, the flowpack’s longitudinal seam is closed using ultrasonic sealing. Then, a heat-sealing system with a flying cross-sealing unit is used,” Spitz explains. The flying

Fast format changes If a format change is required, only a few manual operations are necessary, which can be completed in less than 30 minutes.

All format parts are easy to exchange and immediately ready for use without requiring subsequent adjustment. The machine then restarts and immediately packs into the new formats.

The change of the flowpack film during operation is also supported by a corresponding automatic mechanism.

Flexible robot technology and fast format changes are advantages that are paying off today for the traditional Alsatian bakery, while equipping the company for the future. The flowpacker not only processes the usual laminated films, but also mono films, which are being used more and more frequently in the market, especially because they are recyclingfriendly. “It is already foreseeable that the development in packaging technology will continue, particularly in the direction of paper-based films,” Spitz confirms. Schubert’s packaging line is prepared for this: if the Alsatian biscuit maker decides to use recyclable paper-based packaging materials or new developments such as compostable films, the flow-wrapping machine can support these options. The sealing unit is also ready for such changes, as it can process paper-based packaging as well as plastic films. Innovation awaits. +++ KOENIG Motiv4 NTS 91x53.qxd

12.02.2007

11:10 Uhr

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MARKET

Omnichannel, accelerated How eCommerce, click-and-collect, and brick-and-mortar are rapidly changing baked goods purchases.

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Think about how the grocery shopping experience has evolved over the past 12 years: Instacart was founded in 2012, and Amazon acquired Whole Foods in 2017. Now compare that with how the grocery shopping experience has evolved over the past 12 months.

In early 2020 — prior to the pandemic — online spending accounted for 14.5% of grocery sales according to the Food Industry Association’s annual US Grocery Shopper Trends report, a significant increase from the previous year of 3 to 4%. In March and April 2020, however, that number spiked to 27.9%.

Constrained consumers are becoming more active and astute online users, tapping into these resources to source products, pricing and promotion to match their reduced spending ability.”

Ailsa Wingfield, Nielsen Intelligence Unit, Global Connect

As Gary Hawkins, founder and CEO of the Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART) stated on a May 2020 episode of the American Bakers Association Bake to the Future podcast, “The pandemic has accelerated nearly everything that’s been happening across retail over the last several years.”

There are considerable advantages to omnichannel grocery shopping. Online and click-and-collect streams allow consumers to do their research by comparing prices and finding the best product to fit their needs — especially for those whose income or spending has been upended by the pandemic.

According to Nielsen data, in September 2020, 56% of online shoppers put careful consideration into every purchase at the point of sale, compared with 51% of brick-and-mortar shoppers.

“Constrained consumers are becoming more active and astute online users, tapping into these resources to source products, pricing and promotion to match their reduced spending ability,” said Ailsa Wingfield, executive director, Nielsen Intelligence Unit, Global Connect. “They are searching and shopping more regularly online to obtain the best deals, without having to incur travel costs.”

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© Serge Touch – adobestock.com

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MARKET

And for many consumers, shifting to delivery or click-andcollect for center-aisle purchases, in which standardization and brand loyalty are major driving factors, was an easy switch at the outset of Covid-19’s impact. “Online shoppers initially buy products they’re familiar with and use routinely; that applies to both branded and private label,” said Bill Bishop, chief architect and co-founder, Brick Meets Click.

“Omnichannel has the biggest initial impact on non-edible groceries and other center-store products. Frozen and refrigerated products also sell well online as long as the retailer can maintain the coal chain over the last mile.”

And although commercial baked goods like bread typically tend to fall in the center-aisle category, Bishop said consumer reports indicate that many stopped buying bread online because items they didn’t want were being substituted for the items they’d ordered.

Although retailers have made progress in adapting to the changing omnichannel shopping environment over the past year, there is still room to innovate and grow consumer loyalty across channels.

“It’s clear from the data that retailers will face a challenge in holding onto a lot of online shoppers as experience is not meeting expectations,” said Sylvain Perrier, president and CEO, Mercatus. “To remain competitive with mass merchandisers, regional grocers need to enhance the digital shopping experience so as not to give consumers a reason to spend their money elsewhere. Grocers have to look at where they can improve operationally, how they can efficiently scale to meet online demand, and which services will be most effective at revenue protection going forward.”

© Serge Touch – adobestock.com

In a presentation during the American Baking Society’s BakingTECH 2021, Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive VP and practice leader, client insights at IRI cited data that

highlighted some of these fulfillment gaps. In an IRI Weekly Survey in April 2020, 62% stated that some of the items they wanted were not available to order online, and 48% said that items ordered were not delivered due to changes in availability.

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MARKET

133% Source: IRI; © Tierney – adobestock.com

44

increase from — 2019 to 2020 — consumers who considered themselves exclusive or heavy online shoppers

For bakery, Hawkins suggested packaging is just one such area that needs to innovate and adapt to omnichannel shopping.

“Think about packaging of baked goods such as cookies, breads, other things. Their package was designed to sit on a shelf. That may no longer be the best design if the product now has to go in a tote for pickup at the store parking lot, for delivery to a home or into a box to be shipped somewhere,” Hawkins said.

of appearance. But there’s a discovery aspect to shopping in-person that consumers continue to crave, and retailers have an opportunity to educate and help them find something new.”

But even as data suggests that the increase in online and click-and-collect grocery shopping has staying power post-pandemic (according to a Nielsen survey, the number of shoppers who considered themselves exclusive or heavy online shoppers for everyday items increased by 133% from September 2019 to September 2020), Bishop said it is unlikely grocery would ever lean fully into an online-only model.

“Consumers don’t want to let someone else pick out their fresh items such as fruits and vegetables, meat, seafood, and deli products for them.”

Bill Bishop, Brick Meets Click

That is why many retailers are increasingly considering hybrid facilities: part fulfillment center for packing non-perishables like canned goods, and part in-person retail space where consumers can hand-select fresh products including produce and bakery. The fulfillment centers would rely heavily on automation such as robots in a back room, picking product like boxes of Cheerios and a bag of sugar, while the front of the store would be a more sensory experience, touting avocados, donuts, and fresh flowers.

“I see a lot of opportunity for both in-store and commercial bakery as the traditional grocery store model evolves,” Bishop said. He suggested that experiential factors could have a significant impact on driving people to visit in person and make impulse bakery purchases, whether it’s smelling fresh-baked cookies or connecting with the person behind the counter.

“A lot of other bakery products, both on the commercial rack and from the in-store bakery, are typically bought on the basis

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

I see a lot of opportunity for both in-store and commercial bakery as the traditional grocery store model evolves.”

Technological advancements can also give baking commercial bakery brands new communication and marketing streams to partner with retailers and connect with customers more effectively, according to Watkins. “Let’s say in the in-store bakery they’ve just had a batch of fresh baked bread come out of the oven, or cookies, or whatever,” he said. “The retailer can message every shopper within a mile of that store about a new batch of product. It’s really marketing in real time.”

And technologies like augmented and virtual reality offer new avenues for engagement with consumers as well. Products can now “come alive” via video to tell the story behind the product or offer recipe ideas for a particular ingredient. In a culture that values transparency and authenticity, this could be a valuable avenue for investment.

But the main takeaway is that consumer behaviors are changing faster than ever, and the time to act is now. “Things that people thought were going to be years off may now happen in months,” Watkins said. “I would encourage everyone to really be aggressive in looking at new ways to communicate with shoppers and new ways to work with your retailers around marketing, messaging and all these types of things.” +++

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BAKERIES

Full-time baking Baker & Baker, a specialist European bakery products manufacturer headquartered in the UK, has recently emerged as a standalone business following the separation of CSM Bakery Solutions. John Lindsay, the company’s CEO, reveals what this ‘next exciting chapter’ means for the company.

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A European leader in the bakery convenience market, Baker & Baker has recorded a turnover well in excess of EUR400m operating across 12 sites in seven countries, with more than 2,500 employees.

The bakery ingredients part of the CSM business had been long established, with many local brands in its continental European markets existing for many decades – over 100 years in some cases. By contrast, the bakery products part of the business was fairly ‘youthful’, rapidly gaining scale since the early 2000s to become around half of the combined business. The separation of CSM Bakery Solutions into the ingredients and bakery products as standalone businesses was a complex and lengthy process.

It was formally announced in October 2020, with the formation of Baker & Baker in April 2021. Most of the manufacturing facilities were already dedicated to either bakery products or ingredients, which somewhat simplified the separation. “Staff and works councils had significant involvement in the process which has run smoothly with no disruption to the business and was completed to schedule,” the company’s CEO details. The process involved the creation of independent IT and business process systems, new legal entities as well as new branding for the Baker & Baker and CSM Ingredients businesses.

Plans for a fresh start Baker & Baker now dedicates 100% of its time to bakery products and already enjoys the benefit of this focus, as it can review how it operates. “The creation of Baker & Baker provides an opportunity to review how the newly separate organization operates, with a drive to make processes simpler, reduce complexity and grow further,” he explains how the new company has set off operations. The largest part of the Baker & Baker business is within the retail channel, with an additional, strong market share within the traditional/artisan channel. Expansion is in the works, in addition to supporting the recovery of the foodservice segments, to also consolidate its growth in the countries where it is already present and enter new European markets. In the UK, the company aims

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to build its employer brand as it is focusing on recruiting the right people who seek a career in the business.

Baker & Baker will continue to build on its strong market share in the American sweet bakery segment: donuts, cookies and specialty muffins. It has also been working with Mondelez to manufacture and distribute a variety of products under the Cadbury, Oreo, Milka and Daim brands, while also supporting Mondelez with activations and marketing initiatives. “We are extremely proud of our exclusive licensing partnership with Mondelez.

They are fantastic commercial partners, and we have only just scratched the surface in terms of the opportunities throughout continental Europe. Over the next 12 months, we expect to deliver new product innovation under our Mondelez portfolio,” Lindsay anticipates, and to grow the business to re-establish its pre-COVID growth momentum as a leading supplier of fresh convenient bakery products across Europe, in the next three years.

The COVID-19 factor As with many manufacturers in the sector, the business felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, recovery can be very fast, in Baker & Baker’s experience. This was the case in China, for instance, which was the first to be affected and where now demand has not only returned, but it is substantially higher than in pre-COVID times, Lindsay illustrates. As many European countries and regions prepare to loosen COVID-19 restrictions in the coming months, foodservice/out of home is increasingly important, and Baker & Baker is well placed to see growth return in the hospitality sector. “Clearly, hospitality and foodservice have borne the brunt of the challenges associated with COVID-19, and we’ve been working closely with our customers and partners to ensure they can rebound once the economies of continental Europe fully open up,” he shares.

BAKERIES

Over the next 12 months, we expect to deliver new product innovation under our Mondelez portfolio.

all pics © Baker&Baker

John Lindsay, Baker & Baker CEO

Its partners throughout the supply chain worked hard through the COVID crisis, Lindsey highlights, including erratic demand month-to-month. However, throughout lockdowns and various restrictions, service remained uninterrupted.

“The fact that we are now a dedicated and focused business on bakery products with the resurgence in eating out of home puts the business in a very strong position to benefit from this rapidly increasing demand post-pandemic,” he stresses. The company also sees very positive signs announcing a quick recovery of the tourism industry in Iberia, so it expects the second half of the year to see a rapid ‘bounce back’ in terms of consumer demand right across Europe.

Opportunities ahead Baker & Baker bets on “significant, untapped growth in American-style bakery products” including muffins, cookies, brownies and doughnuts, driven by the relatively young demographic across Europe. However, the company does not pursue a one-size-fits-all approach to its markets, as it understands the need to represent specific local markets. “We will be exploring European markets where we have a more limited sales footprint, particularly in Eastern Europe, and we will

drive growth in international markets which previously have been largely focused on ingredients,” he anticipates. Baker & Baker has the benefit of strong local business-to-business trade brands. It also actively promotes local specialties such as Bolo Rei in Portugal and Palmiers in Spain, various specialty breads and laminated products.

Germany is the company’s second-largest market. To support it, there are 450 employees based at its German facilities in Bremen, Delmenhorst and Wurzbach. Baker & Baker’s sites in Delmenhorst and Wurzbach are a considerable part of its manufacturing footprint, providing the opportunity to deliver at scale in the case of Delmenhorst, and with high flexibility in the case of the smaller site in Wurzbach. He evaluates that the state-of-the-art production facility in Delmenhorst, the workplace of half of its German workforce, provides an excellent platform for future growth. The sites produce a range of bakery products that are sold across continental Europe, including cakes, cookies and doughnuts. It can also produce variations and bespoke products, depending on the demand from its partners. “For example, in Delmenhorst, we produce both Simpsons and Oreo branded donuts, and our Wurzbach site makes private-label cookies for large retailers,” Lindsay illustrates.

Alongside its German operation, the company already enjoys an established footprint in Benelux, France, Italy, Iberia, and

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BAKERIES

© Baker&Baker

48

the UK. It will prioritize the expansion of its customer base and explore new opportunities, in step with the easing of COVID restrictions across continental Europe and selected rapidly emerging international markets.

Trends Sustainability is an increasing focus for Baker & Baker as well. In light of this priority, it is now rolling out new, innovative packaging such as flow-pack wrapping, in line with customer requirements. As a response to the COVID-19 precautions, the company has also introduced ranges of pre-packed products to answer increased concerns for hygiene.

Like other businesses, keeping pace with, and anticipating changes in consumer behavior and demand is one of the challenges the business is facing going forward. The company has dedicated innovation centers in several markets to ensure it stays ahead of the curve with R&D for new products dedicated to and inspired by specific, local consumer profiles. “This also means that we understand the need to appeal to rapidly changing consumer preferences,” details the company’s CEO. As a result of market research, Baker & Baker has developed a range of gluten-free, vegan and mini-sized products, and

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has undertaken projects to reduce sugar and portion size.

“However, we also understand that consumers still have the wish to enjoy a moment of indulgence, and one doesn’t necessarily preclude the other! Our mission is to create moments of pleasure and we must ensure that if a customer decides to indulge, then our products must really deliver for them,” Lindsay highlights. Baker & Baker is also “Working in step with customers and legislators in ensuring we help and assist with any requirement to reformulate or change packaging in the spirit of collaboration and partnership.”

The company seeks development opportunities within international markets where the demand for Western-style bakery products is growing rapidly. Its American bakery range is still on a strong growth curve, aside from the enormous benefit of its Mondelez-licensed range of products, with Milka and Oreo featuring most prominently, we learn. “It is Baker & Baker’s ambition to be the ‘number 1’ partner of choice; our key customers have a deep understanding of the market and have absolute clarity in the direction they wish to take their businesses. Our approach is to work alongside them, providing data and insights – and ultimately developing great-tasting products that will help them succeed in the marketplace, concludes Baker & Baker’s Lindsay. +++

NEWS

AMF appoints new sales director

AMF named Ross Sandlin director of sales for Americas. He will work alongside Guillaume Joly, both as sales leaders, to support sales of AMF’s portfolio of bakery solutions. Sandlin will be responsible for providing automation solutions to

bakery customers in the Americas across all AMF product group technologies, including dough systems, makeup systems, proofing, baking, cooling and freezing solutions, product and pan conveyors, as well as packaging and post-packaging automation. +++

Amazon launched Aplenty, its latest private-label food brand that includes items such as twice-baked parmesan, garlic and herbs pita chips, slow-baked cornbread crackers, and salted caramel chip mini cookies.

Aplenty will gradually include hundreds of new branded products, ranging from sweets and salty snacks to frozen foods, condiments, sauces, seasonings, and baking mixes over the next year, Amazon said in an email. Products under the Aplenty brand will not have artificial flavors, synthetic colors or high fructose corn syrup, GroceryDive reports, citing the announcement. Products available for delivery in Germany include products such as White Cheddar Pita Mini Crackers, and Cheese Pita Mini Crackers.

The new brand joins Amazon’s other private labels, which include baked goods under the Amazon Fresh name.

© Sundry Photography – stock.adobe.com

Amazon launches private label food brand Aplenty

Private labels have been gaining significant ground over the last years. The UK is the leading European market for private labels for bakery goods and biscuits, followed by the Netherlands and Spain (by values), according to data from PLMA’s 2021 International Private Label Yearbook. By volumes, the biggest sales in this category were also recorded in the UK in 2020; Spain comes second and the Netherlands ranks third.

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THIS IS

moreBREAD. BAKED IN AN INDUSTRIAL HEUFT THERMAL OIL OVEN.

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OVENS

Thailand takes on HELIOS The HELIOS oven is Thailand’s favorite solution for in-store ovens made by DEBAG, providing traditional stone-slab baking with static baking atmosphere. Grainbaker, the company’s sales partner in the country, observes the sought after process characteristics in the market, to achieve high-quality products.

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For Grainbaker, the main features and reasons why they recommend DEBAG ovens are baking consistency, their user-friendly interface, and the technology they pack, Kullanan Wilaiwan explained on behalf of the Thai company that partnered with DEBAG at the beginning of 2020, just before the start of the pandemic. Sales figures show Thailand’s in-store bakery market mainly chooses the HELIOS oven, versatile equipment that can be adapted to various requirements. This oven can stack up to five stoves of different heights, widths and depths, to ensure the greatest product variety can be achieved.

It features single-stove steaming heat from above and below, providing evenly radiated heat via the static baking atmosphere. Each unit can be controlled individually, providing the required flexibility for baking baked goods with different requirements in temperatures, humidity, and baking curves.

The size of the baking surface in the HELIOS can also be a choice between 0.24m², 0.48m², and 0.96m². The loading side can also be chosen; according to the available floor space and preference, and baking trays can be inserted lengthways or crossways in the new HELIOS 6080. Optionally, it can be equipped with a proofing chamber, placed underneath the oven, and pull-out supports. In addition, its design has considered visible placement and offers options to suit various in-store concepts, modern or retro-inspired.

Baking parameters can be set manually and can be readjusted during baking. Controls do not require extensive baking expertise to operate this range of ovens. For automated operations, program control provides access to all processes at any time: up to 99 program settings can be used. In addition, data monitoring the baking process can be evaluated to optimize parameters, via an integrated even memory database.

GRAINBAKER also observes a rise in demand for the DILA oven (which can also be combined with HELIOS ovens), as it anticipates the launch of the DECON (DEBAG CONvection Oven) in the near future. The DECON in-store oven is designed for branches that rely on a diverse range of snacks and need to bake, cook or reheat products. This oven uses 8.5% less energy than an average in-store oven and also comes with a flexible, modular design that allows it to adapt to different store concepts, including space requirements, baking quantities, breadth and depth of the range. Moreover, it comes in a wide range of variants to meet specific needs.

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© DEBAG

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The new one-touch control with a split-screen graphic display ensures significantly greater ease of use.

Care for products Consistent results weigh in when selecting an oven. “We are very serious about quality, regarding the product and the baking process,” Wilaiwan underlines. She founded Grainbaker out of her passion for baking, at first as a baking school, and brought her experience in baking, ingredients and technology into the partnership with the oven manufacturer.

In her observations, the most important product that should be mastered in Thailand is the croissant – in contrast, the continent’s popular choice, Asian sweet buns. Thailand, however, sees viennoiserie products trending, building on the love for croissants. Health concerns are also reflected in this market, where whole-grain flour, lower sugar and fat levels are prone to a rise in popularity. These baking profiles are in sync with the capabilities of the HELIOS oven, which is why it is poised for further growth here, Wilaiwan anticipates. “The first year, despite COVID-19, exceeded my expectations. The trend seems to be our friend,” Grainbaker’s head concludes.

+++

© carl-heyerdahl-unsplash.com

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MARKETS

Hypermarkets remain at the top The VDB Association of Baking Technology Austria commissioned market researchers GfK AT to conduct a survey on how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the baked goods market. It

© caftor – stock.adobe.com

presented the first results at the beginning of March.

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It should be said at the outset that GfK evaluates household shopping diaries (or its market observations and that the Austrian retail trade and bakery market have national characteristics that cannot necessarily be transferred to other countries. For example, Austria has a long tradition of supplying fresh baked goods to food retailers, which is increasingly being replaced by industrial and retailer-owned production structures.

COVID-19 and especially the restaurant lockdown have left a clear mark on in-home consumption. This also applies to baked goods consumption. Overall, baked goods consumed at home increased by 4.4% to 69kg per household. In total, an Austrian household spent EUR339 on baked goods in 2020. The strongest volume increases took place during the

Volume growth in baked goods sales 2020 second half March

7.6%

April

11.6%

first half May

10.9%

December

8.8%

first hard shutdown. By the second shutdown at the end of the year, panic or frustration had already faded somewhat.

Bread and pastries are part of the daily diet in almost all households, regardless of whether the hot meals are consumed inside or outside. Meanwhile, the fact that the lockdowns triggered increased cooking is reflected in a comparison of sales. Sales of vegetables, pasta, milk, etc. increased

Auch bei Backware gewinnen am stärksten die Hypermärkte. Bäckereinen steigen im Corona-Jahr Hypermarkets make the most gains from baked goods. Bakeries have a below-average unterdurchschnittlich für den In-Home-Konsum. increase in in-home consumption during the COVID year.

Total volume Total baked bakerygoods products

Total baked goods sales Supermarkets Hypermarkets 39.0%

38.0%

38.6%

38.0%

Discounters

37.6%

36.1%

37.0%

36.6%

Bakeries Rest 15.9%

17.6%

18.1%

18.9%

15.4%

16.6%

17.0%

18.0%

18.5%

21.2%

21.8%

21.4%

26.3%

30.3%

30.3%

30.3%

22.1%

17.2%

16.%

15.7%

16.9%

12.3%

11.4%

10.%

4.5%

6.0%

5.4%

6.0%

3.8%

4.7%

4.2%

4.4%

2010

2018

2019

2020

2010

2018

2019

2020 © GfK

52

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021verändert 10-Mar-21 ▪ Wie Corona-Pandemie den Backwarenmarkt

© GfK

46

MARKETS

Who is affected and to what extent?

The proportions also differ significantly within the EU, shown in % of consumers surveyed Austria

Crisis Types is what market researchers call the classification of the population according to perceived uncertainty caused by the pandemic. In a survey recurring over 12 months until September 2020, consumers were asked how they assess their financial situation and the security of their jobs or income.

According to the answers, the market researchers divided consumers into: a) Those who are directly affected because they are unemployed or are very afraid of becoming unemployed b) Worried people who have a secure job but a tight financial situation, or pensioners in such a situation c) Resistant people, who have both a secure job and secure finances, or are retirees with secure finances.

60 25 16 53 29 18

Italy

a) The Affected

Germany

63 25 13

Poland

17 b) The Concerned

51 32

c) The Resistant

COVID-19 changes consumer behavior Austrian consumers declared that, more often than before, they …

32 %

36 % … visited as few stores as possible

… shopped on days and at times when there were as few other customers as possible

31 % … bought everything they needed in one store

Hypermarkets on the rise

9% buy baked goods online

In 2020, Austrian household spending on in-home consumption of fast-moving consumer goods (food, beverages, cleaning agents, cosmetics, soaps, paper goods, over-thecounter medicines, disposable items) increased by around 12%. In return, the number of shopping trips for this category fell from 231 in the year to 225. In the group of stationary shopping locations, hypermarkets were the clear winners. Their share of shopping trips increased from 16.8% to 17.1% in 2020 compared to the previous year.

Their sales increased by 14.5%, while supermarkets ‘only’ turned over 12% more with the same share of shopping trips.

Online retail in the Corona year 2020 also shows growth in FMCGs in Austria. Shopper reach (percentage of consumers who purchased FMCGs online at least once within the year) increased by 3.8% from 2019 to 2020 to now 31.5%.

Spending per shopping trip increased from EUR43.2 to EUR45.3. Nevertheless, the share of online sales in the overall market remains low at 2%, with just under 9% of consumers surveyed buying baked goods online in 2020, generally as part of larger purchases.

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53

MARKETS

Quality orientation increases

Even if it is more expensive: Austrians are paying more attention to quality, according to a GfK study. Three years ago, the ratio was significantly different.

When buying food, I always pay attention to quality, even if it is much more expensive. (Data in %) 2017

52 59 agreed

© GfK

54

undecided

16 13 no

The focus here is on healthy products, organic products and low sugar content in products. 49% of consumers think organic products are healthier, 37% think they taste better. Many consumers are also willing to spend more money on environmentally friendly packaging and social responsibility.

significantly more than sales of baked goods over the entire year. The need to stay at home also gave the market for baking and preserving ingredients a significant boost.

Winners and losers More shoppers, more frequent purchases, and more quantity per purchase – this unbeatable formula only fulfilled the dreams of toast makers among bread suppliers in 2020, and when combined, resulted in a year-on-year increase in toast and sandwich consumption per household of more than 10%.

White bread gained shoppers and purchase frequency, but stagnated in the amount purchased per shopping occasion.

Alternatively, brown bread lost shoppers and purchase frequency, but gained in quantity per purchase. Ultimately, this meant a plus in consumption per household for both types of bread.

Specialty breads lost shoppers and the number of purchases, so, despite a slight increase in the quantity purchased per trip, the end result was a minus per household. Wholemeal bread fared even worse, attracting more shoppers with specialties such as wholemeal baguettes, but the number of purchases and the quantity per purchase ensured that the quantity per household fell by more than 5% compared to 2019.

Looking at the development of small baked goods, it is noticeable that almost all varieties increased because either more buyers made more purchases or bought more each time. Only multigrain bread rolls, pretzel-dough products, Kornspitz, pumpkin seed bread rolls and ‘other brown baked goods’ sat on the loser's bench. Among the winners, the hamburger bun stands out with significantly more buyer households, although this is put into perspective by a rather small total quantity. However, Semmel, which is the main product among Austria's bread rolls, did not gain any new customers, but

www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021

31 29

2020

it did gain in volume per purchase and thus also in volume per household.

The year also went well for pastries. Rouladen, teacakes, (seasonal) Stollen, striezel and brioche, muffin and small cakes, strudel, and even cakes performed well. The typical out-of-home baked goods such as doughnuts, donuts, croissants, etc. naturally suffered from a decline in purchasing frequency due to the lockdown, and also to a small extent from the quantities purchased in each case.

Falling sales of unpackaged fresh produce Across all three product ranges – bread, bread rolls and pastries – it became apparent that the supply of fresh, unpackaged goods was unable to benefit from increases in the product range. Their share of sales fell from 65.2% to 63.2% for bread, from 89.8% to 88.8% for bread rolls and from 34.7% to 33.8% for pastries. In contrast, demand for frozen bakery products in Austria increased by 20.4% in 2020, with the total market at a volume of 2,000 tons per year.

The question remains as to who collected the increases. It certainly was not the artisan bakers. As in previous years, their market share fell in terms of both volume and sales. Both have migrated to hypermarkets in recent years. Supermarkets and discounters, however, have largely been able to stabilize their market shares.

A small ray of hope: the 2020 COVID year put the brakes on the longstanding decline in shoppers at artisan bakeries.

Around 35.6% of all households purchased from artisan bakeries overall in 2020, compared with over 55% in 2010.

Looking at the group of bakery customers by age, it is noticeable that 66% are older than 50 and just 11% are younger than 34. Millennials have yet to be won over by artisans. +++

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