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A growing problem for all industries, including bakery, is energy efficiency and the battle to be sustainable.

Sustainability can be a rather tricky issue for those in the baking industry. From a purely commercial perspective, sustainability is perhaps seen as less of a driver for bakers when compared with other key consumer drivers, such as: health and fitness, convenience or clean labels.

Sustainability rests on reducing energy use, conserving water, and lowering food waste across bakery operations. These actions not only protect the planet but also reduce production costs, enhancing profitability and competitiveness. Bakeries that embrace sustainability also improve their environmental credentials, building stronger reputations with consumers and stakeholders. However, enhancing bakery sustainability often proves harder to achieve than many initially assume. Bakers excel at safeguarding economic sustainability within their businesses and managing costs effectively. Yet, reducing environmental impacts is far less defined and often extends beyond a bakery’s immediate control.

According to the Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator (IEEA) report, published by the Carbon Trust, the UK industrial bakery sector produces approximately 2.5 million tonnes (mt) of baked goods (predominately bread loaves) each year. To do so, it requires energy consumption of some 2,000 gigawatt hours (GWh), which equates to emissions of approximately 570,000 tonnes of CO2 (tCO2) per year.

In industrial bakeries, the prover, oven, cooler and steam boiler plant produce 50–60 per cent of total emissions. The oven consumes the most energy and stands as the largest single source of bakery carbon emissions. The oven drives energy use in bread making. Cutting baking times therefore delivers an immediate and measurable financial benefit. Shorter oven use saves money and reduces environmental impact, boosting overall efficiency in modern bakery operations. Bakers traditionally target a core bread temperature of 94–96C to meet microbiological, enzymic, and structural requirements. These standards protect food safety, maintain bread texture, and strengthen structure, making temperature control vital for reliable baking performance.

However, anecdotal evidence suggests this requirement may be higher than necessary. A target temperature near 90C could prove acceptable. Researchers at Campden BRI are studying this area carefully. They aim to determine if lower baking temperatures remain effective and viable.

Researchers tested white pan bread to examine how reduced bake times influence bread quality. They focused on loaf volume, texture, starch gelatinisation, and structure as the main attributes under investigation. They discovered that reducing bake time by 20 per cent still produced bread with fully gelatinised starch. The loaves showed similar texture and structure to those baked for the full duration, proving shorter baking can preserve essential qualities. This outcome matched a bread core temperature of about 85C when the loaves came out of the oven. To achieve the desired crust colour and strength, bakers raised oven temperatures from 240C to 250C.

The research project concluded that lowering the core temperature during baking reduces energy use, providing bakeries with a practical method to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. Researchers continue this work, investigating how reduced core temperatures influence other bread varieties, including wholemeal loaves and malted grain products. Additional energy savings arise in mixing and proofing when bakeries prepare dough with reduced water content but maintain slightly warmer temperatures.

The baking oven represents the largest single-site energy consumer in bakeries, making it the first priority for businesses aiming to cut costs and reduce environmental impacts. Companies should evaluate their ovens carefully to confirm whether the equipment performs effectively and achieves the highest possible carbon efficiency. A major industry opportunity for reducing carbon emissions lies in improving the combustion efficiency of bakery ovens.

However, achieving this goal proves easier said than done. The Carbon Trust’s IEEA report notes that bakeries have improved efficiency through new operating practices and technologies. Yet, progress remains limited, highlighting the challenge of implementing broad changes across plants and the persistent reliance on older, established production methods. This outcome is unsurprising because major plant equipment typically lasts decades, with some bakeries still operating machinery more than thirty years old, extending its use far beyond standard industry expectations. operation today. So major energy using plant, such as provers, ovens and coolers are often operated according to their original set-up and specification.

Of course, purchasing new equipment such as ovens or coolers demands a significant capital investment. For many smaller, independent bakeries, that cost proves prohibitive. Only the largest bakery plants, which achieve better economies of scale, can realistically afford such upgrades, making equipment replacement a strategic decision tied directly to production capacity, competitiveness, and financial resources. Many large plant bakeries rely on gas-fired baking ovens as their heating source. Electric baking can be extremely energy efficient, yet many bakers still prefer gas. Gas provides the main heat source and generates water vapour during combustion, creating a humid baking environment. This atmosphere reduces water loss at every stage of the baking process, ensuring higher product quality and consistency.

More information about Linwood Raker can be found at www.linwoodraker.co.uk

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