Sixty years ago, Puratos pioneered the bakery industry by introducing T500, the first complete bread improver. It marked the beginning of a list of innovations in the field of bread improvement that continues today in line with ever-changing market requirements and consumer demands. The invention allowed Puratos to grow from a small local company in Grot-Bijgaarden, Belgium, to the worldwide company it is today.

Some 20 years after introducing T500, Puratos introduced S500, a complete bread improver in powder form. The S500 was an important step forward in operational efficiency and convenience for bakers around the world.

In 1982, Puratos introduced Kimo, a solution for frozen bakery goods, followed in 1994 by Soft’r to respond to the demand of both consumers and bread producers to keep bread fresh longer. Other innovations followed thereafter: Intens, a modular bread improvement concept that allowed bakers to address freshness, resilience and dough extensibility; and Soft’r Melting, to improve freshness and extend the shelf life of sweet bakery products like donuts, Berliners and soft sweet breads & rolls.

Since the launch of the first complete bread improver 60 years ago, Puratos continues to revolutionize the baking industry and give customers the speed and flexibility they need to tackle their daily challenges, so they can offer their customers a wide variety of high-quality products anytime of the day. “The constant development of Puratos is defined by several inventions, of which the T500 bread improver is certainly one of the most significant,” says Eddy Van Belle, chair of the board of directors. “T500, which is now known as a revolution in bakery, is actually the result of a lot of work and constant fine-tuning with bakers to know their needs. In the end, it was the success of the T500 that allowed Puratos to start to grow from a small local company in Belgium to the worldwide company it is today.”