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Beyond Bread: EFKO Seminar on Flour Products

29.03.2024
Beyond Bread: EFKO Seminar on Flour Products
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Beyond Bread: EFKO Seminar on Flour Products
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Simple croissants are no longer surprising — round and even cubic croissants are gaining in popularity — sweet, colorful, crunchy, with and without fillings. And cookies with prints on the coating are another kind of art: floral, geometric and even animalistic. Consumers not only want to eat them, they want to take pictures of them. Trends change, but the basis remains: the most important thing for a technologist is to understand how to choose the right margarine for different types of flour confectionery. After all, it determines the taste, aroma, texture and shelf life. The Oils and Fats Division of EFKO organized a seminar for partners — together we discussed how the market is developing and what solutions we can offer.

Cakes, waffles, gingerbread, cottage cheese pies and eclairs. In 2023, Russia produced 2 million tons of flour confectionery. This is one of the most popular types of treats among consumers.

Our company has been producing specialty fats and margarines for puff pastry, sweet dough and short pastry products for over 20 years. What is happening in this segment in Russia and the world today?

“One of the global trends is portion packs — many people prefer to buy products in small quantities. It is also worth mentioning the growth of private brands of flour confectionery and bakery products," says Rimma Churina, Customer Relations Director at GFK Rus. — First of all, if we compare the Russian market with the European market, we see that the share of private brands there reaches 40-65%. The domestic market is moving in this direction”.

Another trend is the development of own in-store mini-bakeries. This attracts customers, who know that there are always fresh, tasty baked goods for sale in a store near their home. Most often, manufacturers use freezing. Today it is one of the most promising market segments. Its advantages include ease of product preparation, affordable cost, ability to keep products fresh longer, and expansion of sales geography. The demand is for frozen products with the shortest possible "finish-baking" cycle, mainly yeast and yeast-free puff pastry products.

«Margarine is one of the key ingredients in the production of puff pastry," says Svetlana Babicheva, technologist at the EFKO Group. - It increases the rise of the finished products and helps to make the layers more pronounced. The wrong choice of margarine and mistakes in working with it can lead to problems: the layers do not "rise" as required, the product turns out dry and stiff, the dough can tear when rolled out. The optimal solution is hard and at the same time plastic margarine "Ecoslice" from our product range, which is evenly distributed on the surface of the dough, thanks to which it does not tear during rolling. Croissants, puffs and other puff pastry products are made with even, crispy layers and a toasted crust”.

After cooking, you may notice dark spots of char on the bread mold. This often occurs when the lower layers of the bread have had time to burn a little on the mold. When you bake cakes and pastries, the dough pushes out the oil. It flows down the walls to the bottom of the mold.

“In order to solve this problem, we recommend the use of baking fat from our company's assortment," advises Sofia Tokar, a technologist at the EFKO Group. — This product prevents the dough from sticking — a thin layer is enough — you can easily remove the product from the molds and trays”.

The most delicious part of the seminar was, of course, the tasting. Together with the participants, we tasted products made with our margarines: muffins, croissants with chocolate and orange cream, layered twists with Provencal herbs, and much more.

“As practice shows, holding seminars in a small circle, where we gather key partners, is a very effective way to discuss not only pressing issues, but also market trends," said Natalia Danshina, Deputy Director of the Margarine Department of the Oils and Fats Division. - Recently, we have expanded the range of margarines and frying oils, as well as developed a line of emulsifiers necessary for the production of flour confectionery and bakery products. Today we are ready to offer any solution to the market. The distinctive feature of our offer is that, on the basis of our R&D center, we create products with any properties required by our partners”.

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Dear partners!

In order to improve EFKO products and quality of service, as well as to better meet your needs, we ask you to answer a few questions.

In the Alekseevskaya Sloboda of the Belgorod province, where in the late 1820s, sunflower oil was produced for the first time in the Russian Empire, and the first oil mill in Russia was built.

During the years of the First World War, and then the Civil War, production was completely stopped. The restoration of the plant began only in 1923. The main focus of its work remained the processing of coriander and anise. In 1936, the second oil extraction plant in all of Russia was built in Alekseevka. Later, both enterprises were merged into one of the largest essential oil extraction complexes in the Soviet Union.

During the Great Patriotic War, the complex was almost destroyed. Restoration work, which began in 1943, continued until the end of 1948. In the post-war period, comprehensive reconstruction was carried out on many sections using the latest technological advancements. By the 1970s, the Alekseevsky essential oil extraction complex produced up to 80% of the world's coriander oil. For its achievements in production development, the development and implementation of advanced technology, by decree of August 14, 1972, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded the plant the Order of the Badge of Honor.

Unfortunately, in the 1990s, the enterprise that brought fame and wealth to the people of Alekseevka fell into decline and practically collapsed. The revival of the enterprise began in 1994 with the arrival of a new team and the creation of the EFCO Group.

The enterprise underwent large-scale modernization of production and established a new management system. The company decided to return to its roots and resume the production of sunflower oil. Later, EFCO expanded the range and volume of products.

In 2002, a new business direction was opened, and the most modern plant for the production of specialized fats and margarines for the food industry, EFCO Food Ingredients, was launched in the city of Alekseevka, Belgorod region. A scientific and production laboratory was established at the plant, equipped to control product quality at all stages of production and conduct in-depth scientific research.

In 2002–2003, EFCO technologists mastered the most environmentally friendly process of vegetable oil processing – the 'dry' fractionation method, applied the technology of physical refining of oils and fats, and managed to create Russia's first cocoa butter substitute 'Ecolad,' milk fat substitute 'Ecolact,' solid confectionery fat 'Ekond,' soft confectionery fat 'Ekonfe,' universal margarines 'Ecouniversal,' frying shortenings 'Ecofri,' and the first domestic fats with minimal trans-isomers content – confectionery fats 'Econat.'

In 2005, the R&D center of the fats and oils division was created based on EFCO Food Ingredients, consisting of the Applied Research Center and the Pilot Plant Department. The center’s specialists are engaged in developing and testing fat products for healthy eating lines and innovative recipes, taking into account the needs of manufacturers.

In 2006, the company was the first in Russia to successfully pass an audit for compliance with the quality and safety requirements of the BRC (Global Standard for Food Safety) and the International Food Standard (IFS). Is this information relevant?

In 2008, the second plant for the production of specialized fats and margarines was launched in the port of Taman in the Krasnodar Territory, and the only deep-water sea terminal for food cargo in Russia was built.

The following year, the plant successfully passed certification for compliance with the quality and safety requirements of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the International Food Standard (IFS). International auditors awarded the company the highest compliance level – Grade AA. Is this information relevant?

In 2014, the company’s technologists created the first domestic equivalent of cocoa butter.

In 2015, the EFCO Group launched a project to create a unique fats and oils cluster in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Thanks to production modernization and the transfer of global technologies, the production of specialized fats and margarines meeting the highest international standards was established in a short time.

In 2016, EFCO opened its fourth site for the production of specialized fats and margarines at the Evdakovsky fats and oils plant in the Voronezh region.

In 2021, production capacity at the Taman port facility was increased – launching the world's first 'million-ton plant' for the production of specialized fats and margarines. Do we need this?

In 2023, the company launched the only shea nut processing plant in Russia.

Thanks to R&D and significant investments by domestic producers in developing their own infrastructure, primarily by EFCO, the share of imported producers in the Russian food ingredients market has decreased from 49% to 9% over the past 15 years and continues to decline.

Almost 200 years later, Alekseevka remains the largest center for vegetable oil processing in the country.

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