As many bakers already know, Novamyl is a maltogenic amylase that is frequently used in bread-making. It prevents starch from crystallising, thereby extending the shelf life of bread products.
In the USA, where there is a preference for so-called pan loaves, the addition of Novamyl improves the taste and texture of bread and means that delicious, fresh bread with a shelf life extended from 10 to 14 days is widely available. The extended shelf life allows bakers to use their production facilities more efficiently, moving from one type of product to another less frequently and extending production runs.
However, a Life Cycle Assessment has shown that the benefits of Novamyl go far beyond these advantages. It also leads to considerable reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reducing the cost of getting bread to the shops.
Less waste
The new analysis compared two dosages of Novamyl: 37 and 74 mg Novamyl per kg flour. It was assumed, based on the practical experience of major US bakeries, that the higher concentration of Novamyl would lead to fewer loaves being wasted.
The results of the analysis showed that the higher concentration of Novamyl cut nearly 10% off a range of important results (see Table 1). These results included reductions in energy consumption, global warming potential and acidification of the soil.
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Table 1. Total change in impact potential per 1 kg Novamyl®. |
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Less production
Christophe Loretan, global marketing manager for Cereal Food at Novozymes, comments: "The savings seen are mainly driven by savings in agricultural production, i.e. because less bread is being wasted, less wheat needs to be produced, which means the use of less fertilisers, reducing acidification in the soil as well as the surrounding areas."
In addition, the reduction in the transportation needed to distribute the bread - because of the extended shelf life made possible by Novamyl - also makes a significant contribution due to fuller distribution trucks, fewer distribution points and an overall increase in distribution efficiency.
"Approximately 45% of the reduction in energy consumption is due to the need for less transportation," he says. "In addition, baking and packaging costs are reduced."
Lessons for Europe
Although the report mainly focuses on the baking industry in the USA, it still has some important messages for the EU industry, despite the preference of most Europeans for crispier breads with a much shorter shelf life such as baguettes.
"It would seem likely that the European Commission will be looking at all industries to see whether any savings can be made in the emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide as part of its commitment under the Kyoto Protocol. If Europeans develop a taste for extended shelf life bakery products, then the benefits of Novamyl in terms of energy consumption, global warming and more efficient distribution could be applied here too," says Christophe Loretan.
One of the benefits of enzyme technology is that, even though the use of enzymes itself can have a huge impact in terms of decreased energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, the manufacture of enzymes is very energy-efficient; it has been estimated that for every kilogram of enzyme that Novozymes ships, there is a net downstream reduction of more than 100 kg CO2 emissions. "After all, bacteria and fungi do not require much to grow," concludes Christophe Loretan.