Bakeries face millions of dollars in losses annually due to various factors, including equipment malfunctions, fluctuating temperatures, grain and flour quality issues, manpower inefficiencies, and, most notably, flour inconsistencies.

While bakers strive for precision, they often operate in the dark. When a product doesn’t meet quality standards, it’s rarely straightforward whether the issue stems from the flour, the production process, the machinery, or even human error. To cope, bakeries have developed highly consistent workflows and often rely heavily on various additives to maintain product uniformity. Yet, these are frequently used intuitively without accurate data on the flour’s real-time behavior.

Tracking and analyzing every potential inconsistency is considered complex and offers little actionable insight. As a result, they tend to focus on reactive adjustments rather than proactive problem-solving.

Flour inconsistency is widely accepted as a “fact of life” in baking. Bakers have learned to work around it, but few can quantify its actual impact on production losses. This invisibility of apparent cause and effect means that flour variability continues to be a significant yet hidden contributor to inefficiencies in the bakery.

The Black Box Problem: Why Bakers Can’t See the Whole Picture

Every baker agrees that flour is inherently inconsistent. It varies between seasons, within batches, and even within the same delivery. Yet, bakers are often forced to adapt in real-time without knowing exactly why the dough isn’t behaving as expected.

The standard approach is to apply additives, adjust mixing times, tweak baking temperatures—anything to stabilize the outcome. However, these quick fixes rarely address the root problem and often increase costs through unnecessary ingredient use and additional labor. Moreover, these solutions are often applied only after issues have already arisen, leading to inefficiencies and losses in the process.

Despite the extensive data bakeries collect on dough performance, product quality, and flour specs, much of this information remains underutilized. Valuable insights lie hidden within these datasets, waiting to be leveraged.  

Flours with identical protein content won’t necessarily perform similarly.
Source: Equinom

Using Data Analysis to Improve Flour Consistency

Equinom’s technology cracks open the “black box” of baking, tackling one of its biggest mysteries—flour consistency. Through its Manna for Bakers platform, Equinom applies AI, machine learning and advanced data analysis to evaluate the entire flour profile, not just surface-level metrics like protein or moisture content.

This allows bakers to identify inconsistencies in flour before it reaches production, uncovering hidden variations caused by seasonal changes, supplier differences, or milling processes. By addressing flour variability early, they can minimize reliance on additives, ensuring dough stability without unnecessary ingredient adjustments. Additionally, bakers can make more informed purchasing decisions by evaluating flour not only based on price but also on its predicted performance, leading to greater consistency and cost efficiency in production.

By using data that bakeries already collect—but don’t yet utilize—Equinom enables bakers to reduce waste, lower ingredient costs, and streamline production. We lead bakers into a new era of AI by providing simple and accurate outcomes using the data they already have. By embracing AI now, bakers can position themselves at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry, securing long-term competitive advantages before AI becomes the standard.

Source: Equinom

When baking meets science.
Source: Equinom

From Reactive to Predictive: The Future of Flour Consistency

Equinom technology empowers bakers to flag problematic flour batches in real time, preventing costly production hiccups. But the future goes even further—using AI to predict how a specific batch of flour will behave in the baking process before it’s ever mixed into dough.

This level of predictability would revolutionize baking operations by allowing bakers to make proactive adjustments to recipes based on flour performance, ensuring greater consistency and efficiency. It would also reduce the need for additives by enabling the selection of flour that naturally meets functional requirements, cutting costs, and improving product quality. Additionally, bakers could collaborate more effectively with millers, using quantifiable data on flour consistency to drive better sourcing decisions and maintain stable production outcomes.

A Major Piece of the Loss Puzzle—Solved

Flour inconsistencies may seem unavoidable, but they contribute significantly to production losses. Equinom’s technology doesn’t just identify the problem—it offers a tangible solution.

By making flour performance visible, measurable, and predictable, Equinom allows bakeries to improve product consistency, optimize ingredient use, increase customer satisfaction and enhance overall operations. 

Equinom's Mana for Bakers software is distributed to bakers as SAAS product that can be implemented into the customer's operation system quickly, generating insights from day one. 

Learn more here: https://www.equi-nom.com/