Puratos has opened a new Flour Competence Centre, aimed at helping bakers tackle the challenges of flour variability.
Based at the ingredients supplier’s headquarters in Groot-Bijgaarden, Belgium, the new facility is dedicated exclusively to flour analysis, the interpretation of variations, and application guidance. It brings together advanced analytical equipment and R&D expertise to help translate complex flour variability into practical insights, noted Puratos.
A series of targeted research initiatives are to be undertaken at the centre, including studying the evolution of crops and their impact on bakery and patisserie products. This will help identify new ingredients to stabilise flour quality, whilst researchers will also evaluate the performance of regenerative flour in finished products.
Flour variability is caused by inconsistencies in crops resulting from changing climate conditions, agricultural practices and global supply dynamics. Inconsistency and quality fluctuations can directly impact flour’s process stability and final product quality – even small variations in key parameters such as protein content, enzyme activity, water absorption or moisture levels can significantly affect dough behaviour, fermentation and finished product characteristics.
With no two wheat harvests the same, there is a growing need for deeper flour understanding and more predictive, data-driven solutions, Puratos said.
The new Flour Competence Centre is digitally connected to a network of flour laboratories around the world, allowing them to combine global data with local expertise and thus build a comprehensive understanding of flour behaviour while delivering solutions tailored to regional crop conditions and customer needs. A “glocal” approach ensures insights remain both scalable and relevant across different markets and production environments, the company added.
“Flour forms the base of most bakery recipes, yet it is one of the most complex and variable raw materials in the industry,” commented Paul Baisier, chief R&D officer at Puratos. “With our new Flour Competence Centre, we leverage global data, advanced analytics, and GenAI-driven predictive modelling to better understand and anticipate flour variability, translating insights into practical solutions for our customers.”
This capability is critical, stressed Baisier, as the shift toward regenerative agriculture increases raw material variability. “It enables us to support customers more proactively in adapting processes, maintaining consistent quality, and translating variability into new sources of value,” he said.
Back in March, Belgian-based Puratos revealed it had entered into a definitive agreement with US-headquartered Dawn Foods on a deal that brings together the two titans of the bakery ingredients sector.
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