The global bread improvers industry recorded sales of USD 4,409.9 million in 2022. The market experienced a 7.2% year-on-year growth in 2023 and is estimated to achieve revenue of USD 5,077.2 million by 2024. Over the assessment period from 2024 to 2034, the global market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1%, resulting in a market size of USD 10,095.0 million by the end of 2034.
One of the reasons why the industry for dough improvers has been on the increase is the proliferation of artisan bread consumption. As health awareness rises, consumers look for bread that has improved texture, taste, and nutritional value.
The increasing prevalence of gluten-free and other such dietary patterns has increased the demand for bread-making ingredients that would be healthier but would still help achieve the culinary characteristics of conventional bread. Companies such as AB Mauri have introduced new product offerings to ensure gluten-free bread is not unpleasant and remains palatable and soft.
| Attributes | Description |
|---|---|
| Estimated Global Bread Improvers Industry Size (2024E) | USD 5,077.2 million |
| Projected Global Bread Improvers Industry Value (2034F) | USD 10,095.0 million |
| Value-based CAGR (2024 to 2034) | 7.1% |
The convenience factor also deserves a mention. Dough Improvers make the baking procedure easier and more efficient with less time and energy required. This especially applies to small bakeries and home bakers who would otherwise lack the skill and quality resources to produce satisfactory bread.
This explains the rising demand for dough improvers attributed most to quality and healthy consumers' needs and convenience in baking. These factors, all together contribute to making improvers a prominent feature in modern bread making.
The below table presents a comparative assessment of the variation in CAGR over six months for the base year (2023) and current year (2024) for the global bread improvers industry.
This analysis reveals crucial shifts in performance and indicates revenue realization patterns, thus providing stakeholders with a better vision of the growth trajectory over the year. The first half of the year, or H1, spans from January to June. The second half, H2, includes the months from July to December.
| Particular | Value CAGR |
|---|---|
| H1 | 6.2% (2023 to 2033) |
| H2 | 6.5% (2023 to 2033) |
| H1 | 6.8% (2024 to 2034) |
| H2 | 7.1% (2024 to 2034) |
In the first half (H1) of the decade from 2024 to 2034, the business is predicted to surge at a CAGR of 6.2%, followed by a higher growth rate of 6.5% in the second half (H2) of the same decade.
Moving into the subsequent period, from H1 2024 to H2 2034, the CAGR is projected to increase to 6.8% in the first half and remain considerably high at 7.1% in the second half. In the first half (H1) the sector witnessed an increase of 20 BPS while in the second half (H2), the business witnessed a decrease of 10 BPS.
Functional Ingredients Revolutionizing Bread Improvers
The focus on a health-oriented diet has shifted the trends in the dough improvers industry by making use of functional ingredients instead of just providing basic nutrition. The trend in the bread market has changed whereby people are looking for healthy bread in addition to looking for the ones which have great taste. One of the players in this space is AB Mauri as they include probiotics or prebiotics in their bread improvers.
These ingredients are important for proper digestion, which is becoming a concern to health-conscious consumers. Another is Lesaffre, which offers an omega-3 fatty acid for their improvers so that they ride on the healthy options. Puratos is also moving in this direction by using ingredients that are rich in fiber to strengthen digestion and overall health. The trend indicates a gradual shift in consumer preference towards food that promotes health.
Balancing Flavor and Affordability is the Key
In recent years, the industry for dough improvers has gotten more focused on advancements in flavoring products while offering cost-effective solutions to meet various consumer needs. For instance, companies such as Lesaffre are forming niche solutions to improve flavors, which include malt extracts and enhancement without losing the taste, thereby developing new flavors.
This addresses the shift towards appreciation for such high-end breads among consumers in even the mass markets. On the other hand, AB Mauri is among the companies that have been effective in making affordable dough improvers as the quality remains while production cost is lowered.
Their cost-saving range enables bakeries to prepare top-quality bread without compromising on taste, thus ensuring that premium products are provided to the mass market. This twin strategy not only helps meet the changing taste requirements of consumers but also guarantees that good bread is still within reach, and consumers are made able to afford more premium quality yet value-for-money products.
Technological Advancements Elevating the Dough Conditioners
The bread improvers sector is in a technological evolution that has led to an increase in the efficiency of the enhancement techniques and the quality of the products. Lesaffre leads this field employing biotechnology for new generations of bread improvers with enhanced performance characteristics.
For example, they focus on the improvement of dough stability and bread quality by enzyme-based systems, thus corresponding to the high appetite for quality bread. Puratos too is advancing technologically by making the use of digital devices during production to enhance the accuracy of the proportions and the conditions of the fermentation of the ingredients used.
This not only increases the productivity of the process but also makes it possible to significantly enrich the range of taste and structural characteristics of the bread. Manufacturers can afford to make these changes because they adopt up-to-date modern technology. Such a technological breakthrough is establishing new benchmarks.
Global sales increased at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2019 to 2023. For the next ten years (2024 to 2034), projections are that expenditure on such products will rise at 7.1% CAGR.
The bread improver sales have grown speedily between the period 2019 and 2023, mainly due to the changing tastes of the customers and improving technology in baking. We can say that the market continued to expand because consumers are demanding the convenience and quality of baked products more and more.
AB Mauri and Puratos have taken advantage of these food trends by designing new improvers that increase the taste and structure as well as the health aspect of the products. This trend was aided by the COVID-19 pandemic when a lot of people started engaging in baking at home and therefore the consumption of high-quality bread improvers increased.
While forecasting the market for 2024 to 2034, it is almost certain that the trend of growth will continue. With health-related concerns becoming more prevalent among consumers, it is probable that the need for such functional ingredients as, for instance, probiotics and natural preservatives will grow.
Companies will focus their resources on research and development to devise appropriate solutions for distinct dietary preferences, for example, low carbohydrate or other formulations such as gluten-free. Moreover, the development of e-commerce and online baking societies will improve the availability of specialty bread improvers thus enhancing turnover.
To sum up, the trends indicate that the dough improvers sector will be on the increase and will be driven by manufacturer creativity, health, and environmental concerns making it an important segment of the changing market of baking products.
The different players in the bread improvers industry can be classified as multinational corporations (MNCs) or regional/local companies, depending on which segment of the market they target.
Global market leaders such as AB Mauri and Lesaffre use their resources or broad research and distribution networks to serve the needs of the big commercial bakers and food processors. These companies heavily invest in innovation to bring cutting-edge products that will increase the sales of different markets especially health-focused and specialty baking lines.
These firms can operate in many geographical regions, hence realizing substantial economies of scale, which strengthens their competitiveness thereby enabling them to monetize a large portion of the market revenue.
On the other hand, regional players such as Bakels and Puratos operate in defined countries where they sell products that are suitable for the purchasing patterns of the countries. These companies tend to have low overhead, as they prefer customized and flexible solutions, which enable them to develop good relations with the local baking industries and food producers.
Understanding regional tendencies and consumers’ needs allows them to provide perfect bread improvers for specific audiences. Though a small share of the market compared to MNCs, regional players are still able to make huge sales and profits within the niches that they target with high-end tailored solutions, which the bigger companies would otherwise miss out on.
This local strategy allows them to manage the distribution and sales of products within a certain geographical scope of the customers enhancing customer retention of the brands.
This scenario provides in-depth value to the dynamic nature of competition in which the players in the dough improvers industry compete. While MNCs are widening the scope and variability of their products, regional players are trying to win market segments by being smart and agile.
The following table shows the estimated growth rates of the top three territories. USA and Germany are set to exhibit high consumption, recording CAGRs of 7.4% and 8.2%, respectively, through 2034.
| Countries | CAGR 2024 to 2034 |
|---|---|
| The USA | 7.4% |
| Germany | 8.2% |
| China | 5.9% |
| India | 8.7% |
| Japan | 7.8% |
The industry in the United States is on an upward trend, owing to the increasing number of consumers demanding clean-label products, and this in turn compels the manufacturers to make improvers integrating natural ingredients and no synthetic additives. Consumers are also becoming more health-conscious, which has prompted companies like AB Mauri to provide their customers with clear formulations that they require.
Also, the emergence of craft and specialty bread has led to the creation of high-quality improvers that focus on flavor and texture, where brands such as Puratos are catching up with such trends.
Consumers' preferences for gluten-free as well as products made of alternative grains are also changing the landscape as they look for healthy food. In addition, there has been an increasing number of e-commerce platforms that have enabled commercial and home bakers to purchase different kinds of bread improvers, leading to increased sales.
Germany's bread improvers industry has been flourishing due to a strong cultural orientation on quality baked products and the practice of bread baking. The growing tradition of baking in the country has made it possible for them to seek new-age bread improvers that help in achieving the taste of artisan bread.
For instance, companies like Lesaffre have taken root in this region by offering customized products, for instance, sourdough and rye improvers that are appealing to German consumers.
Also, an increased concern for the environment is contributing to the purchasing habits with consumers turning to those brands that consider green sourcing and production methods. This shift is pushing the manufacturers to practice sustainability like sourcing local ingredients.
Demand for diverse breads is rapidly growing primarily due to the urbanization of the population who have developed a taste for Western types of baked goods. Manufacturers like AB Mauri India are tapping into such trends by supplying improvers that allow for crunchier and longer-lasting products such as sandwich breads and buns, which are fast becoming a part of every Indian household.
In addition, the changing consumption patterns and preferences of consumers towards healthier products, are creating a demand for the use of dough improvers containing whole foods. Puratos India is developing such types of improvers ensuring that the bread needs to be tasty and healthy too.
Equally important is the development of retail formats like supermarkets and hypermarkets. Such places with greater exposure and availability of bread improvers have resulted in more home bakers and small-scale bakeries turning to these products.
| Segment | Enzymes (By Product Type) |
|---|---|
| Value Share (2024) | 28.9% |
The application of enzyme-based dough conditioners has created substantial industrial opportunities as they are both practical and naturally derived. Enzymes such as amylase as well protease are responsible for improving the dough, as well as manipulating the aesthetics of the bread and increasing the duration in which the bread can last without going stale.
Lesaffre is actively developing enzymes that allow to improve the fermentation and the resulting quality of the baked products. There is a surge in demand for enzyme-based bread improvers due to consumers' shifting attention towards clean-label products.
This flexibility of formulations and ease of application of enzyme-based dough improvers leads to them being of great importance in modern baking, reducing the wide differences in consumer preferences as well as improving the quality of the products.
| Segment | Powder (By Form) |
|---|---|
| Value Share (2024) | 56.1% |
The emergence of powdered form of dough conditioners is proving more advantageous owing to its application and long shelf life. This format allows each ingredient to be dosed with high accuracy, which is useful for both industrial and artisan bakers as the quality remains constant. AB Mauri and others in the industry continue to dominate the market by developing powdered conditioners that increase dough strength and enhance crumb structure for quality bread.
Besides, the powdered form is also quite stable and does not spoil as quickly as liquid forms, and this benefits regions with poor storage conditions. The ease of handling and storage of baked products also adds to the 'eat in' trend which targets the bread improver sales. This format also minimizes logistical problems whereby the cost is shipments is minimal.
The competition landscape of the bread improvers market is highly dynamic with MNCs and regional players fighting to dominate the market. Multi-national corporations such as Lesaffre invest a high level in research and development, through which they offer new products in response to the changes in the market dynamics.
For example, Puratos has focused on the creation of conditioners that improve the bread, hoping to get more sales. On the other hand, regional players are all about the tastes and preferences of the people in that region by developing products that are appealing to the consumers of that region. For example, Angel Yeast in Asia produces baking malt which can be used in enhancing bread improvers, to cater to the diverse baking methods in the region making it a highly sought-after company.
For instance:
As per product type, the industry has been categorized into Emulsifiers, Enzymes, Oxidizing Agents, Reducing Agents, and Others.
As per form, the industry has been categorized into Powder, and Liquid & Semi-Liquid.
This segment is further categorized into Organic and Inorganic.
This segment is further categorized into Breads, Cakes, Viennoiseries, and Other Applications.
Industry analysis has been carried out in key countries of North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Balkans & Baltic, Russia & Belarus, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia & Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.
The global industry is estimated at a value of USD 5,077.2 million in 2024.
Sales increased at 6.5% CAGR between 2019 and 2023.
Some of the leaders in this industry include AB Mauri, Associated British Foods plc, Agropur Dairy Cooperative, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cain Food Industries, Calpro Foods, Bakels Worldwide, BreadPartners, Fazer Group, Lesaffre et Compagnie SA, Corbion NV, Du Pont De Nemours and Co., PAK Holding, Puratos Group, Nutrex N.V, Oriental Yeast Co. Ltd., and Others.
The European territory is projected to hold a revenue share of 34.7% over the forecast period.
The industry is projected to grow at a forecast CAGR of 7.1% from 2024 to 2034.
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