FDBusiness.com

 DuPont Nutrition & Health is helping tortilla manufacturers take advantage of a growing market with a new opportunity to raise the nutritional profile and cut the cost of their products through fat reduction. The latest statistics from Nielsen show tortilla sales continue to grow at a rate of 6.5 per cent a year in Western Europe. As more brand and private label products enter the market, added value tortillas with an improved nutritional profile offer a new unique selling proposition to health-conscious consumers.

Using solutions from its POWERFlex® range, which is part of the DuPont™ Danisco® portfolio, DuPont has developed a concept for reducing the fat in tortillas by 50 per cent or more, without compromising on the processing or eating quality.

The ability of POWERFlex® to maintain dough elasticity in lean recipes ensures a smoother process when producing tortillas with the desired size and shape. Sensory properties are also unchanged, as the characteristic soft, moist feel and good folding properties remain intact.

“Fat reduction is a way for manufacturers to differentiate their brand and reach out to a wider consumer group. And, with less fat in the recipe, ingredient costs are inevitably reduced,” says Anne Host Stenbak, Strategic Marketing Manager, DuPont Nutrition & Health.

The reduced fat concept is one of several developed using POWERFlex® solutions for tortillas. Further possibilities include a sweet coconut tortilla for desserts and snacks, and high-fibre tortillas made with rye or whole grain flour.

To meet today’s expectations for fresh-keeping quality, DuPont has optimised the options for soft, appealing and microbiologically stable tortillas with a shelf-life of up to nine months. These include solutions made with certified sustainable mass balance palm oil, or palm oil alternatives.

“Tortillas are the front-runners for industrially-produced ethnic breads, which also include naan bread, piadina and other flatbread types. The POWERFlex® range has broad application potential within this bakery segment,” Stenbak adds.