EXPERT VIEW


FINE-TUNING FUNCTIONALITY I


t is not news to state that flour is ubiquitous in the world of baking. Bakers curse it, worry about it, manipulate it and worship it. Flour is surrounded in folklore, mystery and wonder! However, above all else, it remains as the single largest


ingredient in any baked product and its functionality and quality parameters always characterise the finished product. So, should we enhance flour with other ingredients and/or


enzymes or leave it as it is for the baker or his ingredient supplier to manage? That is the key question and is not easy to answer except in


general terms. The answer to this apparent contradiction lies in the evolution


and development in sophistication of the bakery market. This is particularly related to the change to more mechanised


industrial baking couple with the growth of high volume production. This, in itself, has caused an insistent demand by the baking companies for and, the delivery of, a considerably more consistent wheat supply when compared to emerging markets with smaller, more craft orientated operations with a less well developed local wheat supply. Let us first consider the industrialised bakery market. The larger


milling groups source and procure from equally large farming groups. In essence the number of wheat suppliers is lower and it is here that the flour millers wish to buy wheat out into the future for the longer term. Their desire to do this is due to their wish to be in a better


position to predict future costs and other variables. Knowing the likely analysis of the key baking performance


7 Colin Simmonds Group Development Director, AB Mauri


characteristics of the wheat allows the miller to be thoroughly prepared with the best possible mill settings to achieve the most consistent flour at the best possible cost. In these industrialised baking markets, large milling groups


predominate and they seek differentiation on price, consistency and customer service. Their customers, the industrial bakers require consistent flour, a lot of it and to be well serviced. These industrial bakers differentiate their products through the


use of technical ingredients and maximising the synergy between their process and often their own unique formulation. Enabling this vital search for differentiation is the very essence


of the Mauri Business Model. This model is a unique and different approach pioneered by AB Mauri for its customers. It all starts with understanding the baker’s requirements as well


as his product expectations and fully understanding his process and market environment. It is where technology and business support go hand in hand


in creating, designing and reproducing the quality characteristics of any given bakery product that is required at the ‘best’ cost possible. From this perspective therefore, having the bulk of the


European Baker Magazine - Digital Digest • www.worldbakers.com 7


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