GoodMills Innovation is set to introduce its new product 2ab Wheat, an ancient grain that is very well tolerated. This grain innovation is easy to process and allows both artisan and industrial bakers to produce wholesome bakery products with a convincing texture and taste. Therefore, 2ab Wheat is a real alternative to modern bread wheat as well as to well-known ancient grains such as einkorn or emmer, which score neither with their sensory properties nor technologically when processed on their own.

Given its excellent baking properties, 2ab Wheat flour is ideal for artisan bakers as well as for industrial production. Baked goods are well tolerated, even by food-sensitive eaters, and offer a full-bodied taste and a soft, lush golden crumb. 

Michael Gusko, Managing Director at GoodMills Innovation claims that 2ab Wheat is: “the wheat of the future.” “Bakers now have a tasty solution for customers who react sensitive to wheat or who prefer original grain varieties. We are in the process of introducing 2ab Wheat into the market and initial feedback from bakers has been consistently positive. Having discovered an easy to digest, delectable bread for themselves, customers are staying loyal to their bakers,” he notes.

Gusko spoke with journalist: “2ab Wheat is the result of many years of research, working together with scientists, nutritionists and crop cultivators. Our target was to deliver a well-tolerated grain with convincing baking and processing properties. We started looking at ancient grains more than 20 years ago. Not all of our development projects have found their way onto the market – but 2ab Wheat has. It is the result of a long-term global search for better-tolerated wheat.”

“We’re continuously working on developing further application possibilities for 2ab Wheat,” notes Gusko. “We’re currently running several studies on this ancient grain and the results so far look promising.”

“An increasing number of consumers want to pursue healthier and more natural lifestyles, and “back to the roots” nutrition is playing a key role here,” he explains. “As a result, bakery products based on ancient grains are increasingly becoming part of the portfolio for both artisan and industrial bakeries. However, well-known ancient grain varieties such as einkorn and emmer suffer from poor sensory and technological properties when it comes to baking bread.” 

“They need to be processed with additional (modern) wheat flour or gluten and, as such, are not a viable alternative for wheat-sensitive consumers. These end users still have to choose gluten – and wheat-free products and accept their lack of indulgence,” says Gusko. “2ab Wheat is the perfect solution: It is very well tolerated and does not cause any digestive problems. 2ab wheat is easy to process and delivers delicious bakery products with a full-bodied taste profile and a soft, lush crumb.”

How does GoodMills Innovation address continuously changing consumer needs? “For all food and ingredients manufacturers, the future will be personalized nutrition concepts for different life stages and personal needs and preferences, including allergies, intolerances and eating habits,” he claims. “This will be reflected in much broader product portfolios. The main challenge will be to offer individualized products of the highest quality and purity, with optimized nutritional profiles and the best possible sensory properties – and all this at an acceptable price. Our goal is to support industrial and artisan bakers with ingredients that meet all of these needs, with formulations and services that help them to offer the right products, and to help them communicate the benefits of their products to consumers – because this is a major challenge.” 

With increasing numbers of consumers turning away from modern bread wheat either for health reasons or because they prefer traditional products of well-known origin, GoodMills Innovation collaborated with scientists, grain breeders, and nutritionists and seleced the ancient 2ab wheat variety from hundreds of alternatives. Wheat-sensitive consumers and modern wheat critics had previously avoided wheat-containing baked goods or chose gluten-free options – often with significant drawbacks in terms of taste and texture.

At FiE 2017 later this year in Frankfurt, GoodMills Innovation will explain all about the properties and nutritional background of 2ab Wheat. In addition, trade fair visitors will be able to taste a broad variety of baked goods made from 2ab Wheat.