The ingredients firm announced the European launch of Panamore two weeks ago, flagging its potential to reduce emulsifier costs by as much as 70 per cent.
DSM says that the US market is just as high potential for the enzyme as Europe in its DATEM (diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono/diglyceride) replacement potential. DATEM is commonly used by bakers to strengthen and soften dough and makes up about 0.3 per cent of the total flour weight in a standard loaf.
But derived from raw materials such as palm oil, prices for this emulsifier have spiralled upwards in recent times, adding to the woes of manufacturers who have also had to cope with high wheat prices this year.
"Depending on the amount of DATEM replaced in the application, our enzyme can lead to a 50 to 70 per cent reduction in costs," Phil Latham, new business development manager at DSM Food Specialities, told BakeryandSnacks.com. It can reduce or completely replace the use of chemical emulsifiers in products.
A desire to reduce costs is one of the factors, along with quality improvement, that are expected to drive baker take-up of the new enzyme across the US, as well as holding true for Europe; however other priorities, like issues over wheat quality, are region-specific.
The company says it eliminates the impact of seasonal flour variation and adapts to different bread fermentation requirements. It claims that, until now, there was no on-step solution to these challenges.
Latham said the enzyme will “particularly appeal to bakery manufacturers who suffer losses and challenges due to seasonal variations”.
While there are some differences in formulation terms between bread products for the US and European markets, “Panamore has been validated in all types of formulations and is just as effective in its DATEM replacement potential.”
DSM will produce the enzyme for the US market at its facility in Seclin, France. It did not need to obtain specific approval for Panamore, which is derived by microbial fermentation from Aspergillus, for the US market.
Emulsification unlocked
Panamore took about three years to develop, and is said to be the next generation of DSM's BakeZyme PH 300 and PH 800; its predecessors remain in DSM's bakery enzyme portfolio.
Panamore is said to acts on polar lipids already present naturally in the wheat flour to "unlock and maximise their emulsification properties."
With regards to functionalities, DSM claims its latest bakery enzyme improves dough tolerance, conditions the dough and softens the crumb in situ, providing "optimal volume and crumb structure in the finished product."
In addition, the Panamore preparation, produced by Aspergillus, can "increase bread volume, crust appearance and oven spring."
The global bakery enzymes market has been estimated to be worth around €161m by Leatherhead Food International – around a quarter of the food enzymes market.
The global enzyme market is estimated to be worth about €1.7bn, although food use accounts for only around a third of this.