For bakers looking to clean up their ingredient labels, Lesaffre offers a line of natural mold inhibitors for their bread products. The XtendLife line of mold inhibitors is available in three ingredients: XtendLife 15, XtendLife 20 and XtendLife 40. The number relates to the strength of the natural mold inhibitor. As the number increases, the usage level decreases and shelf life extends.
“Bakers are looking to eliminate chemicals from their products in response to changing consumer demand,” said Arnaud Deniaud, director of technical services and new product development, Lesaffre. “Consumers want fresh, natural ingredients in the foods they eat. They want to understand ingredients and where they come from.”
The XtendLife ingredients are formulated from fermented flour and an acidity regulator and enable the removal of artificial preservatives. Lesaffre leaned on its wealth of fermentation experience to develop these three natural mold inhibitors. Lactic bacteria feeds on natural wheat starch through fermentation, which leads to the generation of organic acids, Mr. Deniaud explained. Citric acid is added after drying to lower the pH and improve the efficiency of mold inhibition.
“Because natural mold inhibitors are produced from fermentation, their concentration in organic acids is lower than pure calcium propionate,” he said. “The level of use is higher than calcium propionate, but you get the same functionality without using chemicals.”
