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Expert insights into bakery industry trends – nutritional awareness, natural ingredients and premium taste

People eating outside.

Valio’s Senior Research Scientist Terhi Aaltonen and Bakery Consultant Mika Parviainen discuss how current trends in the bakery industry are present in their work. Their hands-on approach includes working closely with clients and tailoring solutions to their specific needs.

Embracing the clean label trend – natural ingredients, superior taste

One of the biggest current trends in bakery is the clean label approach. The customer demand for short and simple ingredient lists is often tied to an interest in natural ingredients. According to Bakery Consultant Mika Parviainen, Valio’s specialty powders and butters are an excellent option for bakeries who are looking into developing products or recipes to cater to this need.

Valio’s specialty powders offer good water-binding properties to improve self-life and increase the volume of bakery products. Valio butter’s plasticity guarantees easy rolling and flaky texture, which are needed in baked goods such as croissants and short breads. These technical qualities are achieved without any e-numbers or additives.

“When developing recipes with our powders and butters, we not only maintain great taste but make it even better”, Parviainen adds.

Enhancing bake color with milk powders

“A lesser-known benefit of Valio’s specialty powders is their performance during baking. Using milk powders in recipes can achieve a desirable golden-brown color more quickly, allowing for reduced baking times and lower temperatures. This method also helps the product retain moisture and remain tender and flavorful, potentially leading to cost savings”, Parviainen continues.

Croissants

Health and well-being call for nutritious solutions

In addition to the improved taste, bakery products can also address the growing awareness of wellness and digestive health.

Valio’s solutions allow for a healthier balance between ingredients, such as using functional powders to reduce butter, incorporating lactose free ingredients with naturally sweet flavours to reduce sugar, or achieving extra sweetness without increasing carbohydrate levels. Through recipe testing, Aaltonen and Parviainen have been able to create prototype bakery products like cookies, bars, and muffins that enable, for example, a high-protein claim.

“We help our customers develop products with nutritional benefits – less sugar, less carbs or fat, and more protein – without compromising the taste”, says Senior Research Scientist Terhi Aaltonen.

Lactose free ingredients answer growing dietary requirements

Beyond these benefits, the ability to create lactose free or low lactose products for digestive wellness and for those with dietary restrictions is crucial. Lactose free butter and milk powders have long been a staple in Valio’s offerings. The demand for such ingredients is now rapidly growing across the company’s global customer base as lactose has been recognized as a cause of some of these gut health issues.

“Developing lactose free Valio Eila® milk powders and butters has long been a point of pride for us. Now, we are delighted to provide these solutions, such as the new lactose free MPC 65, to our customers worldwide”, adds Parviainen.

Mika Parviainen.
Mika Parviainen
Terhi Aaltonen
Terhi Aaltonen

Sustainable solutions redefine baking industry practices

Valio’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond product performance. Their range has expanded to include Valio Carbo® milk powders and butter with reduced carbon footprints. “We’re committed to investing in sustainable solutions, ingredients, and processes, enabling us to increasingly offer these benefits to our customers”, notes Aaltonen.

Valio’s know-how and experts drive customer success

Aaltonen and Parviainen are both often hands-on help, working closely with clients to tailor solutions to their specific needs in applications and recipe development, addressing production challenges with their extensive know-how, and providing support in recipe optimization.

“Our customers approach us with a vision, and we bring our expertise to the table”, says Aaltonen.

Valio is committed to supporting customers’ processes and sharing its knowledge to achieve excellent quality, consistency, and taste results. The team’s comprehensive know-how enables it to pioneer innovative applications of specialty powders and butters and sustainable solutions that align with current consumer trends.

“I believe Terhi and I are both driven by passion! It’s a pleasure to work with our quality ingredients and explore emerging trends and techniques alongside our clients”, Parviainen remarks.

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