Global bakery ingredients manufacturer Puratos has unveiled a new product formulation framework, titled Beyond Clean Label.
The approach represents a shift in how the company develops and markets its ingredient portfolio, moving from basic ingredient simplification to a value-added transparency model.
The strategy is designed to assist commercial bakeries in navigating a market where clean label has transitioned from a premium differentiator to a baseline industry standard.
Three Pillars of the Beyond Clean Label
According to Puratos, the competitive advantage for bakery brands is shifting toward the functional and ethical attributes built on top of a clean ingredient deck. This strategic shift is structured around three core pillars:
🌾 Power Ingredients – This pillar highlights sourdough, grains, and natural fermentation to combine consumer appeal with functional performance. Supported by the Puratos Sourdough Institute in Belgium, solutions such as Sapore sourdoughs and Softgrain demonstrate how fermentation and grain inclusions can enhance flavour, texture, and shelf life while aligning with clean and recognisable ingredient expectations.
🍰 Indulgence – Centring on clean-label mixes, bakery glazes, and fillings, this pillar is designed to deliver a complete sensory experience. As consumer scrutiny of ingredient lists increases, products must still meet high expectations for softness, flavour, and visual appeal. The Puratos approach focuses on maintaining this sensory performance while simplifying formulations.
🌍 Sustainability – This pillar is illustrated through sourcing programmes such as Cacao-Trace, which connects responsible cocoa sourcing with improved farmer livelihoods and better-tasting chocolate, addressing growing expectations for supply chain transparency beyond the ingredient list alone.
New Product Innovations
Alongside the launch of the strategic framework, Puratos has introduced two commercial ingredient innovations developed in alignment with the Beyond Clean Label approach:
🥯 ProteinPro Strength – A high-protein mix developed specifically for bagels and hoagies. The formulation is engineered to address the rising consumer demand for protein-enriched everyday bakery items, delivering enhanced nutritional values without compromising the elastic texture or crumb structure of the finished baked goods.
🥜 Vör Cashew Fillings – An ultra-clean, plant-forward solution developed for sweet bakery applications. The range utilises cashew nuts as a functional, creamy base to provide a rich texture and indulgent mouthfeel while allowing for simplified ingredient labelling and stable baking performance in commercial production lines.
The launch of the new strategy and product lines is supported by data from Puratos' proprietary Taste Tomorrow research, which indicates that clean-label formulations are increasingly essential for commercial success in the North American market.
According to the research, more than 60% of consumers in the US now actively avoid artificial additives when purchasing bakery products. However, the data also highlights that purchase decisions continue to be led primarily by sensory enjoyment, with taste, texture, and visual appeal remaining the primary drivers in the bakery sector.
By co-developing formulation, process, and functionality, the company aims to provide solutions that perform consistently within real-world commercial production and in-store bakery environments while meeting modern clean-label demands.
