Unifine launches filling expander for puff pastry products

Dutch bakery ingredients firm Unifine used the recent FiE exhibition in Paris as a platform to launch the latest additions to its portfolio, including a new concept to eliminate gaps between filling and dough in puffed pastry products.

Plusfil, which will hit the European market in January, is a powder mix for bake stable fillings that allows the filling to 'grow' while baking.

According to Unifine Food and Bake Ingredients, which claims its product is the only one of its kind on the market, Plusfil eliminates the hollow space that is commonly found around fillings in products such as puffed pastry and Danish pastry, without compromising taste or mouthfeel.

"It solves the problem manufacturers face with filled aerated products, which have a layered structure and often create air pockets," Unifine's Eelco Swierstra told BakeryAndSnacks.com.

The product, which can be adapted to a variety of sweet and savoury flavours, is bake stable, freeze-thaw stable and stable during fermentation, said the company.

Another product launched at the show was a Wrapable Icing, that "clings to the cake and not the packaging."

Free from fat and colouring, the new quick-drying icing comes ready to use, applied to sweet baked goods by dipping, pouring or spinning.

The icing, which exists in a vanilla and a chocolate version, can be adapted for use with a variety of flavours, and claims to withstand freezing without cracking.

Unifine also used the FiE to launch its new Deco-Shapes decoration products, designed for use in a variety of applications, including pastries, cookies, muffins and muesli.

The tiny decorations, which will be available in June 2006, come in a variety of shapes and colours and claim to be bake stable and freeze-thaw stable.

Another major focus for Unifine at the show was its Flavours Library Service, "a selection of flavours that are carefully chosen to reflect country specific market trends and flavour profiles."

"The flavours, nuances of flavours and blends we have already in stock give us a versatility which is unrivalled in the marketplace," said the company.

The flavour production facility is based in Budapest, and the company claims that lower production costs often result in cheaper prices for customers.

"We are able to copy a wide variety of flavours and often produce them at a lower cost," said flavourist Hans Kuiper.

"Another big advantage is that we serve customers who are often rejected by big flavour houses because of their relatively low volume requirements," he added.