Crumb Softener Market

Market Overview

With the long-shelf life and prolonged preservation gaining momentum in the fresh, packed, and frozen-bread sectors, crumb softener is finding extensive application, especially in the baked food items. Moreover the highly cost-effective nature of crumb softener is positively impacting its adoption to keep wide range of bakery products stale-proof for several weeks, allowing further transport, long-lasting storage and lesser returns.

Generally available in the form of paste and powder, crumb softener is an anti-staling agent, when added to bakery products, such as breads, cakes, pastries, pizzas, and tortillas, etc., delivers long-shelf life, appealing quality, and freshness, which are the key quality indicators in the customer’s mind. Recent studies with fiber enriched breads showed positive results in terms of increase in volume and crumb texture, when diacetyl tartaric esters of mono and diglycerides (DATEM) and sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL) were used, which may lead to a spike in crumb softener adoption.

The burgeoning bakery industry coupled with the escalating clamor for substitution of chemical additives by natural sources, have been prompting the crumb softener manufacturers to follow tailor-made modular approaches to be able to produce natural crumb softener, which may also accelerate the growth in natural crumb softener market. To address the ‘clean label’ related challenges, crumb softener manufacturers are rapidly considering the removal of some chemical dough conditioners by replacing them with best suitable enzyme solution, to move ahead of the competition in crumb softener market.

Market Outlook for Crumb Softener Market

Crumb softener is used to inhibit the rate of staling or help in retrogradation of a bakery product, thereby enhancing their shelf-life stability. Hence, the term anti-staling agents are also often used for crumb softener. It is available in the form of a bacterial enzyme or derived from other sources by means of distillation. These chemicals include diacetyl tartaric esters of mono and diglycerides (DATEM). However, repercussions of the DATEM and monoglycerides crumb softener have lately been observed and overcoming these issues has been the keen focus of many producers.

For instance, agro based company Cargill, launched label friendly alternative for chemically derived crumb softener, in 2016. The alternative is a functional and cost-effective soy lecithin and is offered in liquid form. This also complements the consumer demand for authentic natural ingredients and their keen focus on the production methods of the company which manufacturer bakery ingredients and additives such as crumb softener.

Besides the demand for substitution of chemical additives by natural sources, there is increasing consumer interest regarding the effect of food additives and preservatives on human health, which is boosting the segmental growth of the natural crumb softener market.

Reasons for Covering this Title

Enzyme technology is being increasingly used to address the issues arising in the bakery industry. Crumb softener and brighteners are basically part of a complex category of bread improvers. In recent times, poor quality flour and less protein content have been known to affect the texture and the nutrient quality of the bakery products. To ensure a consistent quality in all their products, manufacturers are constantly exploring ways to improve flours, which is expected to boost the growth of the crumb softener market.

Crumb softener is used from large industrial bakeries to small artisanal bakers. Moreover, crumb softener is also a cost effective way to manufacture high quality bakery products, as they alleviate machinability problems and ensure high quality products with outstanding volume. Manufacturers like Puratos are also offering a new range of flour improvers, which also include crumb softener, with money-back-guarantee, to gain consumer trust about the high quality of the product.

Currently, Europe is leading the crumb softener market and the Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. In Europe, the demand for high quality bread is particularly high in U.K., and is aggressively expected to boost the growth in the crumb softener market.

Global Crumb Softener Market: Key Players

Some of the key players operating in the global crumb softener market are Watson Inc., AAK (UK) Limited, Corbion Caravan, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Danisco A/S), Vantage Performance Materials, Bakels Worldwide, Lallemand Inc., Cargill, Incorporated., Oleon, Silbury Foods, CSM Bakery Solutions LLC, Bako Select, Mallet & Company, The Chemelco Group, Spell Organics Limited, AB Mauri UK & Ireland, BJC Specialties Co., Ltd., Masson Group Company Limited and Estelle Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. amongst others.

Global Crumb Softener Market: Key Takeaways

The crumb softener market is mainly characterized by new and innovative product launches in the bread improvers range.

In 2013, bakery ingredient manufacturer Puratos launched a new range of bread improvers under the S500 Sense brand, which is targeted to enhance flour quality fluctuations in U.K, while maintaining the product taste profiles.

In 2016, the company Mirpain, which is a manufacturer of milling and bakery ingredients launched a new range of bread improver which is designed specifically to extend shelf-life stability and softness of the bread.

Opportunities for Crumb Softener Market Participants

Many of the crumb softener offered are not specific to the grain type used. In enzyme technology, increasing number of products are coming up which are substrate specific. The growing specialty bread market, which includes products manufactured from various sources steamrolls the development of substrate specific crumb softener. This change will also impact the versatility of crumb softener in the market.

Brief Approach to Research

A modelling-based approach and triangulation methodology will be followed to estimate data covered in this report. A detailed market understanding and assessment of the applications, types, forms and end uses of the product segments covered in the study is followed by carrying out a demand-side approach to estimate the sales of target product segments, which is then cross-referenced with a supply-side assessment of value generated over a pre-defined period. The statistics and data is collected at a regional level, consolidated and synthesized at a global level to estimate the overall market sizes.

Key Data Points Covered in the Report

Some of the key data points covered in our report include:

• An overview of the market, including background and evolution
• Macroeconomic factors affecting the market and its potential
• Market dynamics, such as drivers, challenges and trends
• Detailed value chain analysis of the market
• Cost structure of the products and segments covered in the study
• In-depth pricing analysis, by key product segments, regions and by major market participants
• Analysis of supply and demand, such as top producing and consuming geographies, imports/exports and overall trade scenario
• Analysis of the market structure, including a tier-wise categorization of key market participants
• Competitive landscape of the market, including detailed profiles of the top players in this market

Global Crumb Softener Market: Segmentation

On the basis of source, the crumb softener market is segmented as-

• Chemical
• Enzyme

On the basis of product form, the crumb softener market is segmented as-

• Powder
• Paste

On the basis of end use, the crumb softener market is segmented as-

• Cakes
• Pastries
• Breads & loaves
• Others

The other segment includes end use products such as pretzels, tortillas and pizzas.