Baking & Snack - June 2017 - 74

HONEY AND MALT

Honey and malt's nutritional punch
Malt and honey bring their own nutritional
value to whatever baked goods they are added
to. Both are usually seen more as indulgent or
premium ingredients. "Many US customers
don't recognize the inherent nutrition in malt
extracts," said Jim Kappas, vice-president, sales
and marketing, Malt Products Corp. "People
tend to think of it as a flavor. It does provide flavor, but the underlying nutrition is less known."
While malt is often positioned as an indulgent
flavor, many people outside the US consume beverages containing malt extract for its nutritional
benefits - protein, amino acids, potent antioxidants, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, iron, calcium
and potassium. "It is not an empty sugar," Mr.
Kappas said. Malt extract contributes these nutrients to the finished product, elevating the nutritional profile in a way refined sweeteners cannot.
Honey works in the bar category because of
its natural binding capabilities, but its nutritional
benefit makes it a good fit as well. "Honey is also
considered a natural source of energy with the
amount of carbohydrates it has in it," said Keith
Seiz, ingredient marketing representative, National
Honey Board. This functionality has solidified
honey's use in the bar category, where growth has
been based on the healthy snacking trend.

can be a help or a hindrance, depending on
the product. "When someone is using honey,
usually it's because they want the honey flavor or they are looking for a highly sweet, label-friendly sweetener," Mr. Bodner said. "It's
usually a combination of these two things."
Before considering honey's unique flavor,
it's important to point out that it can be up
to one-and-a-half times sweeter than sugar.
Not only do bakers want this ingredient for
its flavor notes, but also it allows them to replace sugar with less honey to gain the same
level of sweetness. "If you're using a honey
that is significantly sweeter than sugar, then
you can cut down on the overall sweetener
level in your product," Mr. Seiz explained.
Both honey and malt extracts are often
employed for their flavors in the bar category and in whole wheat breads. In bars,
honey and malt extract flavors can enhance
the existing flavors, which work nicely with
their natural binder functionality that bar
manufacturers find so helpful. "A lot of
bars use honey because it goes well with the
grain and nut makeup," Mr. Bodner continued. "It's a good fit for that flavor profile."
During the past few years, whole wheat
breads have gained traction against white
breads with consumers. However, while
people want more whole grains, sometimes
the bitterness doesn't suit their palates.

"Manufacturer of Functional Ingredients"

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74 Baking & Snack June 2017 / www.bakingandsnack.com

http://www.thymlyproducts.com

Baking & Snack - June 2017

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