Inside the fibre world

Trends and news

(Functional) fibres in bakery products


The term bakery products covers a wide range of products. The superordinate terms here are bread, rolls (= small bakery products) and fine bakery products.[1] In the guidelines for bread and small bakery products, these are defined as food "which is produced on the basis of cereals and/or cereal products after the addition of water or water-containing liquids as well as other foodstuffs, usually by kneading, shaping, loosening and baking or cooking-extruding the bread dough. The addition of fat(s) and sugar(s) in bread does not usually exceed 10% in total, based on the grain content.[2]

Fine bakery products, similar to bread and biscuits, are made from cereal-based doughs and masses. They differ in that their fat and/or sugar content is above 10 % in relation to the grain content. A lower sugar/fat content may also occur in exceptional cases in fine bakery products if they are noted in the Special Assessment Characteristics, such as wafers.[3]

Baked goods

BackwarenIn Germany, 1,704,630 tonnes of bread alone were consumed in private households in 2021. The most consumed bread in 2021 was toast bread with 27.9 %.[4] Classic toast bread has only about 0.4 g dietary fibre per slice and only 2.9 g per 100 g. However, the WHO and the German Nutrition Society recommend a daily intake of 30 g of dietary fibre.[5] This recommended amount should be consumed with a balance between soluble and insoluble dietary fibres. Both have a positive influence on the human organism. Dietary fibre increases the feeling of satiety and stimulates intestinal transit. A shorter transit time of the digestive end products prevents a damaging effect of carcinogenic substances on the intestinal wall. Intestinal polyps or even colon cancer can be prevented. They can also reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Dietary fibre binds bile acid and thereby stimulates the liver to produce new bile acid using cholesterol. Some dietary fibres have the ability to act as prebiotics and serve as food for the beneficial intestinal bacteria. In general, dietary fibres, especially those based on cereals, positively influence insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.[6]

CFF GmbH & Co. KG has the optimal solution for fibre enrichment of baked goods in its portfolio with its cereal-based insoluble SANACEL® wheat and SANACEL® oat products. With these products, even fine bakery products, which are usually made with flours of low type, can achieve a high dietary fibre content and thus be advertised as "high in dietary fibre" (> 6%) or "source of dietary fibre" (> 3%).

The fibre content of the insoluble SANACEL® products is between 95 and 98 %.

Other insoluble dietary fibres in the portfolio are SANACEL® cellulose and SANACEL® sugarcane. In addition to fibre enrichment, both bring further technological advantages to bread, biscuits and fine baked goods.

SANACEL® sugarcane is a Novel Food[7], which is defined in the Implementing Regulation for Novel Foods EU 2018/1023 with a maximum use level of 8% in bread and 5% in bakery products (and various other categories).

SANACEL® sugarcane is available in various fibre lengths and can therefore be used for a wide range of different applications. For example, the short fibres are often used for classic fibre enrichment. Due to their low functionality, they do not have such a strong influence on the product itself. The somewhat longer fibres are often used to keep bread and rolls fresh. Due to their higher water-binding capacity, they retain moisture in the bread, which keeps the crumb fresh and juicy for longer. The addition of dietary fibres also improves freezing and thawing stability. The fibres form a network in the product, which stabilises the product in the freezing process and can thus also improve the dimensional stability in the thawing process. Especially in the area of fine baked goods, the longer fibres can also improve the breakage and dimensional stability of biscuits and wafers by forming the network. In baking mixes, in addition to the functionalities already mentioned, SANACEL® sugarcane also has the advantage that it can prevent clumping and thus act as a natural anti-caking agent.

SANACEL® sugarcane is a food additive and is regulated by Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.

Not only insoluble fibres but also complex dietary fibres can be used for fibre fortification. Although the main component of complex dietary fibres are soluble and insoluble dietary fibres, they also contain other macronutrients such as carbohydrates, fats or proteins. Besides enriching the dietary fibre, they can also round off the taste profile and colour of a product. CFF GmbH & Co. KG has three complex dietary fibres in its portfolio: SANACEL® apple, SANACEL® potato and SANACEL® pea. The dietary fibre content of these products is between 40 and 60 %.

Other products in the portfolio of CFF GmbH & Co. KG are SANACEL® add fibre blends. These mixtures consist of various compositions of insoluble and complex dietary fibres. Some blends also contain psyllium, which is a vegetable dietary fibre with a dietary fibre content of around 80%. It is composed of 1/3 insoluble and 2/3 soluble dietary fibres. SANACEL® add mixtures also contribute to the recommended daily intake of 30 g. They are often used in low-sugar and low-fat and gluten- or allergen-free breads, biscuits and fine baked goods. This gives these products added value for their consumers.

For 40 years, CFF GmbH & Co. KG has been driven by the remarkable versatility of applications for cellulose fibres. From the past to the present, natural and biodegradable raw materials have been the basis for the development and production of its functional fibre products. The company places a special emphasis on competent technical support for its customers and creates individual solutions for customer requirements with the help of an innovatively growing product portfolio. CFF products are organic and remain anchored in the natural cycle - from nature - back to nature.

Elena Zeller

[1] https://www.bdsi.de/warenkunde/feine-backwaren/definition/, as at: 14.11.2022

[2] Guidelines for bread and biscuits

[3] Guidelines for bread and biscuits and guidelines for fine bakery products

[4] Bakery trade - Facts & figures - Bread consumption and bread basket of the Germans - Bakery trade (baeckerhandwerk.de), as at: 04.11.2022

[5] https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/ballaststoffe/, as at: 14.11.2022

[6] Background information on dietary fibres CFF GmbH & Co. KG

[7] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018R1023&from=DE, as at 14.11.2022