Puratos, a century-old company founded in Belgium in 1919, established its strategy for health-oriented solutions almost a decade ago. Frozen baking technology stands out as a major highlight of Puratos, playing a crucial role in the development of the baking market. Consumers pursue freshness in taste, aroma, and texture, while producers face challenges in improving production efficiency and extending product shelf life. Frozen baking technology perfectly balances these two demands, ensuring product freshness while enhancing production efficiency and reducing food waste.

In terms of health concepts, Puratos combines scientific evidence with consumer demands. On the one hand, it actively promotes healthy baking concepts such as reduced sugar, salt, and oil, which have been widely recognized by the scientific community. On the other hand, keeping abreast of consumer trends, such as the demand for clean-label and plant-based products, Puratos offers corresponding solutions while ensuring that the taste and texture of baked goods remain unaffected—core aspects of baking.

Looking ahead, the global baking market is expected to continue growing. By 2027, the market size will exceed 400 billion RMB, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5%-6%. European and American countries lead the development of the global frozen baking market, with significant market capacity. Although China's penetration rate of frozen baking technology is relatively low, it has enormous growth potential, with a growth rate as high as 26%. Baking Exhibition keeps you updated with the latest baking market data.

In the European market, high labor costs and a declining number of bakers have driven the rapid emergence of the retail sector as the main driver of baking technology. The demand for just-bake technology is increasing, with modern retail becoming the largest source of customers. In the American market, in addition to modern retail, the catering industry—especially fast-moving catering—is also showing rapid growth, and frozen baking technology similarly meets market demands perfectly.

In the Chinese market, frozen baking technology faces both opportunities and challenges. Although there is still a gap in the penetration rate of frozen baking technology compared to Europe and America, 70%-80% of bakeries in first- and second-tier cities have adopted this technology in recent years. From the consumer perspective, the prices of frozen baked goods remain attractive, and the future market growth rate is very promising.

However, the frozen baking market also faces a series of technical challenges. From material selection, product formulation, and production to freezing methods, storage, and various influencing factors during transportation, all need to be strictly controlled. In particular, if moisture migration is not properly controlled, it can lead to products drying out, molding, cracking, or developing crystals, severely affecting product quality.

In response to these challenges, Puratos provides comprehensive frozen baking solutions. Based on consumers' interest in clean-label solutions, its modifier solutions are inspired by natural sources. Meanwhile, according to different production scenarios, Puratos categorizes frozen solutions into four types: unfermented frozen dough, pre-fermented frozen dough, partially baked frozen dough, and fully baked frozen dough, to meet the needs of various clients.

For unfermented frozen dough, the biggest challenge is yeast vitality. Puratos recommends adding more yeast and quickly freezing to protect the gluten structure. For pre-fermented frozen dough, since the dough has partially fermented, there is no yeast vitality issue, but the freezing process can affect the gluten structure. Therefore, it is recommended not to over-proof the dough and to quickly freeze it. For partially baked frozen dough, the biggest challenge is to prevent the bread from cracking and the crust from falling off. Puratos suggests using enzyme modifiers for optimal results. As for fully baked frozen dough, attention should be paid to controlling the baking degree and freezing speed.

In summary, Puratos, with its century-old history and deep technical accumulation, is leading innovations in frozen baking technology in the global baking market. In the future, as consumer demand for healthy, fresh, and convenient baked goods continues to increase, Puratos will continue to focus on technological innovation and product development, bringing more surprises and opportunities to the global baking market.

Bakery China 2025 will continue to share more industry professional content with you, so please stay tuned!

Bakery China, organized by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd. was launched since 1997. Bakery China is the Asia Pacific‘s leading event serving the entire value chain for the bakery and confectionery market. The event presents all range of ingredient, equipment, packaging and services, and enables global leading professionals and buyer delegates to meet and share the latest innovations and thinking on manufacturing & distribution, R&D, applications and related services for bakery industry.

The 27th Bakery China would be held on May 19-22, 2025 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Shanghai, covering 330,000 sqm show space. Over 2,200 exhibitors and 400,000 visits are expected.

（source：FoodTalk）