CEREAL BARS


Almonds can be a good addition to cereal bars, ticking many of the boxes that consumers are demanding today”


over 6g of protein and a healthy dose of magnesium. Additionally, almonds may help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. California Almonds went on to point out that, ounce for ounce, almonds are the tree nut highest in protein, fibre, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin and niacin.


Upcycled nuts Moving on to discuss an altogether different type of nut, did you know that every year over 600,000 tons of apricot, plum and cherry stones have been going to waste? This is despite the fact that they contain highly valuable nuts which can be used for food consumption. Kern Tec is a producer of sustainable ingredients and solutions created from upcycled stone fruit pits. It sources stone fruit pits from fruit processors across Europe to turn them into useful ingredients that can offer benefits in many bakery and confectionery applications, including cereal bars. “When you look at our apricot seeds,


they look and even taste like almonds, while providing the same valuable nutritional profile. They have a high content of healthy fats, proteins, fibre and other minerals,” explains Michael Beitl, Founder at Kern Tec. “Beside their nutritional benefits, they also help meet the market demands of today’s consumer for more sustainable products. Because the raw materials do not need to be agricultured or newly grown they really are the most


sustainable nut possible!” In order to transform this raw material to a high-quality ingredient, Kern Tec has developed processes to crack and sort the kernels into seed and shell. “Using a patented process, we gently reduce any hazardous cyanide traces from apricot nuts in order to provide safe products that comply with EU requirements.


“The nuts are then roasted and can


be processed into a fine creamy and easy to process paste for use as a filling for bakery, cookies, cakes or can be used to elevate chocolates, cereals or bars.”


Fermented seaweed When it comes to novel ingredients for cereal bars, I wasn’t expecting to have to link this to the growing consumer trend for fermented ingredients! However, my research led to the Danish Technological Institute which has collaborated with Fermentation experts, EXPERGO and Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Chimie si Petrochimie to develop an ingredient based on fermentation of byproducts and macro algae. “We worked with an ingredient based


on fermented seaweed and rapeseed meal, which is a protein rich by-product obtained after oil is extracted from rapeseed,” explains Jacopo Valeri from the Danish Technological Institute. “The ingredient is rich in proteins due to the presence of rapeseed meal and has anti-inflammatory properties. Until


16 Kennedy’s Bakery Production December/January 2023/24


now, the ingredient has not been used in food. By exploiting its potential, we have demonstrated its applicability in tasty and healthy foods.” The ingredient is said to have both


antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacities which was demonstrated by a measurement of the biological effect. The anti-inflammatory properties were measured as an inhibition of the enzyme COX-2. This enzyme activity is related to the inflammatory response in the body. Therefore, it can potentially reduce chronic inflammation. “We wanted to use the new ingredient


in snack bars and fruit drinks. But first we needed to identify how to make the ingredient taste good, since fermented seaweed and rapeseed have an aftertaste of lactic acid,” continues Jacopo.


Undesired aftertaste is a challenge that is often encountered when developing novel ingredients. The goal for the Danish Technological Institute was to maintain the health properties of the ingredient while masking the slight acidic taste of fermentation. The project partners worked on different types of taste masking techniques, including microencapsulation. “We screened a range of encapsulation techniques and materials. In the end we were able to significantly reduce the flavour of the fermented ingredient. We concluded that for some products these would be relevant to apply, but for the cereal bar developed during the


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