ARTICLE: “Improving the quality and range of gluten-free snacks and baked goods”
(excerpt from article)
By Liz Parker
Associate Editor, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery
January 31, 2018

Gluten-free snacks and baked goods continue to integrate into mainstream eating

The gluten-free market continues to grow. Euromonitor reports that global sales hit $3.5 billion in 2016, up 12.6 percent compared to the previous year—and global gluten-free sales are projected to reach $4.7 billion by 2020. In this still-expanding market for gluten-free, snack producers and bakeries continue to develop strategies for growth and product improvement.

Ingredient Insights

American Key Food Products (AKFP), Closter, NJ, introduced its proprietary Premium Cassava Flour to the gluten-free baking world in 2010, states Mel Festejo, COO. He notes that the flour is processed and designed to have properties unlike all other cassava flours. “It’s also a ‘true flour,’ unlike the widely known ‘tapioca flour,’ which is actually the name most gluten-free bakers and ingredient vendors associate with native tapioca starch, a derivative from the tapioca root.”

AKFP also offers specialty Superfine Rice Flour, in both white and brown options. “It’s produced by Kumamoto Flour Milling Company using a proprietary Japanese milling process that yields flour with an average particle size of 70 microns and a narrow particle size distribution. The flour yields better texture, increased volume and mouthfeel, without the grittiness that is associated with most regular white flours,” comments Festejo.

Discovering Opportunities

Ethnic cuisines can also provide inspiration. AKFP’s Premium Cassava Mix can replicate the tasteful and popular Brazilian snack called pão de queijo, a snackable cheese bread, notes Festejo. “This baked snack is one of the newly popular gluten-free products that American consumers can now enjoy locally.”