Producers fortifying their baked goods must ensure these nutrients maintain their integrity throughout formulation and product shelf life. Failure to do so can prevent them from being absorbed by the body or cause them to react with the formulation and negatively impact product quality. 

“A primary concern for bakers when adding vitamins is stability during mixing, proofing and baking, as some vitamins are sensitive to heat and moisture,” said explained Sergio Machado, senior director, RD&A, Corbion. “Adjustments in formulation may be necessary to ensure even distribution and stability of the added nutrients.”

Vitamin D, for example, is heat and light sensitive, said said Jeff Hodges, manager, bakery, snacks and confections applications, ADM, and can lose its effectiveness if not managed properly. 

Iron and zinc may also not be absorbed when phytates in whole grains are present, Machado said.

“Therefore, understanding ingredient interactions and storage conditions is vital,” he said.

Each added nutrient may require bakers to adjust bake times and temperatures to ensure their retention in the final product, said Becky Regan, principal scientist, IFF. 

“Minerals tend to be more heat stable, and therefore, are likely to survive the baking process, whereas the heat stability of vitamins is more variable, with fat soluble vitamins like vitamins A and E being more stable,” she said. “Water-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C and B are also temperature sensitive.”

If vitamins and minerals cannot be added straight to a formulation without affecting absorption, flavor or texture, bakers may need to encapsulate them to separate these nutrients from the rest of the product environment, said Jenn Adams, director of ingredient technology & applications, IFPC. 

“The presence of other dietary components, such as fibers and fats, also should be considered, because they can influence nutrient absorption,” she said. “Enhancers like vitamin C can improve the absorption of certain minerals.”

Bakers can also add overages of vitamins and minerals to account for loss during baking. However, Wilkinson noted these overages must be carefully determined to ensure that the values stated on the nutrition panel are correct.

She added that stability problems with vitamins and minerals can be addressed by looking at the complete product. 

“Maybe a vitamin is less stable in a baked cookie but can be successfully included in the filling or frosting,” she suggested.

David Guilfoyle, design manager, bakery, fats, and oils, IFF, added that improper storage is one of the major challenges when adding nutrients at the bakery. Bakers should avoid storing these nutrients in high-temperature, high moisture areas that can damage their stability. 

“The less stable vitamins could lose their efficacy over the shelf life of the enrichment powder, so having fresh batches is important,” Guilfoyle said. 

Health conditions such as celiac’s disease, or even whether someone has undergone a gastric bypass, can also affect the absorption of these nutrients in the body, he added.  

“Other factors include the other ingredients in the formulation that may bind up the vitamin/mineral or decrease gastrointestinal transit time, and the source of the vitamin or mineral (animal origin vs other source).” Guilfoyle said. 

The quantity of vitamins and minerals added to a formulation affects their efficacy as well.

“Extremely small quantities can lead to uneven distribution of ingredients throughout the baked good,” Hodges explained. 

To ensure an even distribution of these nutrients and the appropriate dosage, he suggested bakers can opt for premixes of these nutrients in pouch form.

“Rather than incorporating ingredients one at a time, premixes help ensure nutrients are consistently dispersed throughout a baked good,” Hodges said. It can also allow for nutrient level customization.

To avoid diminished product quality, Thomas noted bakers must home in on the proper level of these nutrients for their baked goods. The use of flavor maskers can help as well. 

Hodges said that ADM’s Tastespark flavor modulation technology, for example, can mask off-notes and support mouthfeel in BFY goods fortified with vitamins and minerals.

With so many factors affecting the performance of these nutrients, bakers should work closely with ingredient suppliers to find the best solutions and maintain their efficacy. 

Yi Wu, chief innovation director, and Mike Fedak, technical sales manager, bakery division, The Wright Group, noted the company can select the right premix suitable to survive the baking process, including those that can withstand high moisture and high temperature baking conditions without impacting the final product.

“Each of the nutritional premixes will be trialed and validated with different baking processes before finalization for commercialization,” they said.

Machado added that regular testing is essential to verifying that fortified nutrients remain at desired levels through to the finished product.

Baked goods boosted with vitamins, minerals and more are poised to become increasingly popular as consumers’ BFY demands grow, and bakers that incorporate these nutrients properly can take advantage.

This article is an excerpt from the July 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Fortification and Enrichment, click here.