The Danish biotechnology company Novozymes has developed a new enzymatic baking ingredient, Novamyl BestBite, that is designed to increase freshness and improve shelf life in baked foods.
The company said Novamyl BestBite 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.
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 sugar levels 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 propionate 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.
The ingredient company is also pitching the ingredient to reduce food waste. It said that increasing the shelf life of bread 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.
Other food and beverage producers have invested in different ways to increase the shelf life of foods. In 2017, cereal and snack 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 over its conventional storage time.
Increasingly, consumers are looking for better-for-you attributes in their baked goods. During the pandemic baking boom in 2020, a boom came from consumers who wanted the foods they baked to contain higher nutritional value.