Cookies are a bakery treat that fit in many places—solo snacking sessions, birthdays, and special occasions, tucked into lunchboxes for school or work consumption, and more.
Grains are a fundamental ingredient in bakery and snack food products that can provide flavor, texture, nutrition, and functional benefits. What’s more, there exists a multitude of different grains to choose from, depending upon the product needs.
Fruits can add a pop of color, flavor, and texture to snack and bakery products, but with consumers being more mindful of health and wellness, the use of fruits has expanded beyond the traditional uses.
“Sweet” is one of the five basic tastes, which also includes salt, sour, bitter, and umami. Many people crave sweet foods, but at the same time, consumers are more mindful of sugar in their diet.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognize grains as an important part of a healthy eating pattern. Grain foods provide dietary fiber as well as essential vitamins (i.e., folate, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, and vitamin A) and minerals (i.e., iron, zinc, manganese, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, and selenium).
Processing aides are ingredients typically used in small quantities, but they can have a big impact on the functional properties in snack and bakery products. Emulsifiers and enzymes are two examples of such ingredients.