Novozymes says new ingredient can increase shelf life, cut sugar in ...

Dive Brief: Danish biotechnology company Novozymes has debuted a new enzymatic baking ingredient, Novamyl BestBite, that is designed to increase freshness and improve shelf life in baked foods. The company said the ingredient helps food, such as bread, maintain softness and moistness and can cut added sugar by 25 to 75% without impacting the sweetness level or taste. The ingredients company also is pitching the ingredient as a way to reduce food waste. It said by increasing the shelf life of bread, it reduces the impact of “crop production, processing of grains, baking process, packaging, and transportation.” In focus groups, consumers enjoyed bread that was 15 days old just as much as they did freshly baked bread, the company said. Novozymes is the latest company to launch an ingredient that aims to increase shelf stability and prevent spoilage, as the industry works to solve its food waste issue through processes, such as upcycling ingredients. Dive Insight:

Novamyl BestBite has the potential to allow formulators to increase the shelf life of baked goods like bread and crackers. It also promises to deliver a soft texture while cutting levels of sugar and preventing food waste.

Bread typically lasts three to seven days in a room temperature environment, which can be longer if it contains preservatives, such as proponiate or potassium sorbate. Novozymes told Food Dive in an emailed statement that the shelf life of bread made with Novamyl BestBite depends on certain factors, such as the type of bread and what region it was produced in.

“In terms of texture this means a perfectly balanced bite that is soft yet resilient, which perfectly matches what consumers prefer,” Adam Diggle, Novozymes’ business unit director for baking, said in a statement. “Until now, obtaining a superior softness and moistness without compromising on resilient bread crumb has been a challenge.”

The ingredient’s launch comes after last year’s $12.3 billion merger of Novozymes with fellow ingredients giant Chr. Hansen. The two companies announced that they would focus on producing healthier foods in sectors, such as baked goods.

Other food and beverage producers have invested in different ways to increase the shelf life of foods. In 2017, cereal and snacks giant General Mills patented a flour milling process that it said can extend the refrigerated shelf life of raw dough to 120 days, a 30 day increase to its conventional storage time.

Increasingly consumers are looking for better-for-you attributes in their baked goods. During the pandemic baking boom in 2020, flour alternatives producers, such as Bob’s Red Mill — which produces varieties made from ingredients like almonds and coconuts — saw a sales boost from consumers who wanted the foods they baked to contain higher nutritional value.