LAS VEGAS — AB Mauri launched ingredient systems focused on frozen dough quality and tortilla manufacturing versatility during the International Baking Industry Exposition in Las Vegas Oct. 6-9. Arctic frozen dough systems address product issues that affect artisan and industrial frozen dough and pastry production. The Supremo tortilla system gives tortilla manufacturers flexibility to adjust such traits as thickness, shelf life and toast marks.

Frozen dough issues may involve volume, tolerance, consistency, crust crispiness, crust color and crumb texture.

“Today’s baking environment is challenged with the decline in skilled labor plus consumers’ demand for greater variety in baked products that stay fresh all day long,” said Barry Clayton, senior vice-president, business development global applications at AB Mauri. “Bakers will benefit from the unique synergy Arctic provides by resolving many of the technical challenges impeding production consistency that have historically come with frozen dough.”

AB Mauri launched three advanced enzyme oxidant systems for frozen dough.

Arctic 75 C is designed for frozen bread and bun dough. Arctic CL clean label is designed for frozen dough produced without additives such as emulsifiers or chemical oxidizers. Arctic Pastry is designed for clean label frozen laminate dough such as croissants or Danish that are produced without additives such as emulsifiers or chemical oxidizers.

AB Mauri cited Euromonitor data to point out frozen dough’s popularity. The global frozen bakery market (baked goods only, not including frozen pizza) has a value of $5 billion and is forecast to grow 32% to $6.6 billion by 2018, according to Euromonitor. The global market volume is 1,795,900 tonnes and forecast to grow 18% by 2018.

Differences in the European and North American market show retail market opportunities in the frozen dough market.  According to Euromonitor, the European frozen bakery market in 2012 had sales of $1,929.7 million and volume of 1,254,400 tonnes. North America had more sales, $2,549.6 million in 2012, than the European market but less volume, 290,100 tonnes. The North American frozen dough market had more sales because it involved a higher percentage of frozen dough retail items, including toaster pastries and waffles. The European frozen dough market involves more food service sales than retail sales.

AB Mauri’s Supremo tortilla system allows manufacturers to select dosage and ingredients specific to their desired tortilla type.

“To keep up with demand some tortilla manufacturers purchase multiple ingredients, which adds complexity to operations,” said Michael Tamayo, senior business development manager of tortillas for AB Mauri North America. “Others purchase batch packs, which lock them into producing one type of tortilla. The Supremo tortilla system puts flexibility and simplicity back into the hands of the manufacturer with high performance ingredients that can be easily dialed-up or down, enabling them to produce a variety of tortilla types to meet market requirements.”

He said batch pack might be a 10-lb bag of ingredients that leads to the same outcome every time. He likened it to a yellow cake mix. However, if tortilla manufacturers wanted to take out certain preservatives, the batch pack would not let them, Mr. Tamayo said. The Supremo system would give the manufacturers the flexibility to do so.

Tortillas differ by desired market, Mr. Tamayo said. There are tortillas for food service and others for retail. Then further differences occur, such as a conventional retail market and a natural or organic retail market.

The Supremo system allows manufacturers to reach a selected tortilla market. Toast marks, which add taste, may be large or small. Shelf life may be as short as 10 to 15 days or longer than 60 days. The softness and width of tortillas may be adjusted.

Thickness may be thick, medium or thin. Thickness may vary by regional differences, Mr. Tamayo said.