Artificial intelligence is getting a lot of attention these days, and many are wondering how it can be harnessed to help today’s bakers. While it’s too soon to understand the full extent of AI’s capabilities, this technology is already being used to reduce product loss (https://bakerpedia.com/how-to-avoid-product-loss/), boost quality assurance (https://bakerpedia.com/food-safety/quality-assurance/), and much more in bakery plants.

In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by five bakery experts to discuss the future of artificial intelligence in the baking industry and how it can be used to improve yield and productivity, as well as minimize waste in bakery plants. 

As a Certified Executive Coach with over 20 years in the bakery manufacturing industry, Dr. Lin Carson has pioneered the way for knowledge sharing through BAKERpedia. Starting with a BSc degree in Food Science & Technology from The Ohio State University, and a MSc and PhD from the Department of Grain Science at Kansas State University. She has led teams for bakery manufacturing companies like Wendy’s International and Dave’s Killer Bread. 

A career baker, Jim Little has more than 30 years of experience in a wide variety of products and production methods within the baking industry. Currently, he is the Senior Vice President of R&D and CI at CraftMark Bakery (https://www.craftmarkbakery.com) in Indianapolis, he has been challenged to develop an even deeper knowledge of formulation and production across frozen bread dough, cookies, muffins and flatbread.

Yuegang Zhao is the Chief Commercial Officer for KPM Analytics (https://bakerpedia.com/kpm-analytics/), a global quality assurance and food safety solutions provider serving food, agriculture, and environmental industries. Yuegang has over 20 years of extensive global experience creating, developing, and growing enterprise value in various industries ranging from aerospace to fluid analysis.

Phillip Stringer is the founder of Comprehensive Process Solutions, LLC (https://bakerpedia.com/comprehensive-process-solutions/), and an accomplished Engineering and R&D professional with 14 years of experience in the Food, Agriculture, and Pharmaceutical industries. His global expertise, gained from working in over 30 countries across six continents, equips him with a deep understanding of diverse client needs.

Tremaine Hartranft, Vice President of Technical Growth and Strategy, is responsible for supporting the development of the vision, value and organizational structure at Reading Bakery Systems (https://www.readingbakery.com). Prior to joining Reading Bakery Systems, Tremaine worked at Brentwood Industries as a Research & Development Engineer, and at Lucent Technologies as a Process Analyst.

How AI Can Help the Baking Industry

Some topics covered include:
Utilizing artificial intelligence to automate standard operating procedures
Leveraging AI during the formulation process
Vision inspection systems for improving quality 
The opportunity to use data for predictive maintenance
Training AI to keep production standards up while experts are away
The challenges of confidentiality around data sharing
Developing an AI strategy for your bakery


EP96: AI Automation in the Baking Industry

Sugar reduction is a hot topic for bakers looking to meet current market trends and satisfy health-conscious consumers’ demands. However, bakers know that sugar (https://bakerpedia.com/ingredients/sugar/) is a critical ingredient in many baked goods, including cakes, pastries, and cookies. It not only provides a sweet taste and influences flavor perception but also has several important functional properties, which are vital to bear in mind when reducing or replacing sugar.

In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Dr. Julia DesRochers, Senior Principal Scientist at Tate & Lyle. Tate & Lyle is a world leader in ingredient solutions for healthier food and beverages, operating for over 165 years. They work with customers via their low and no-calorie sweeteners (https://bakerpedia.com/ingredients/sweeteners/), gut-friendly fibers, and texturants to create smooth or crunchy, creamy or airy products, among other ingredient solutions.

Maintaining Sweetness Without The Sugar

During their conversion about sugar reduction, some topics covered include:
Sugar replacement in baking
Considerations for sugar reduction
Rebalancing the functional properties of sugar in formulations
Factoring in digestive tolerance numbers
Combining sweeteners to maximize texture
Adding soluble and insoluble fibers 
Selecting starches for optimal thickening and gelatinization

EP97: Sweet Baking Solutions

Scaling up is the process of moving from small product batches to large-scale, high output production. As small and artisan bakeries seek to expand business opportunities, production scaling (https://bakerpedia.com/how-thermal-profiling-can-help-scale-up-bread-production/) is one of the major challenges these operations may face. Fortunately, there are experts who can help guide you through the process of scaling your bakery business.

In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Jacinta Kemboi, Senior Food Scientist and Director of Product Development and Innovation at Cama Research & Development Consulting. Cama Research (https://camaresearch.com) aims to support small health food businesses to navigate growth with ease. They offer the support and strategy necessary to allow health food businesses thrive in a landscape that demands clarity and confidence.


Maximizing Growth and Scaling Bakery Businesses

Some topics covered include:
The pitfalls of scaling a food business
Shelf-life considerations
Putting together relevant documentation
The importance of costing
Leaning on your network and resources
Gaining support through consultants

EP98: Scaling Up in the Bakery

Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have become commonplace in the fast-paced world of today, as the food industry’s answer to consumer demand for convenience. In recent years, there has been growing concern for how these foods may be affecting public health. 

In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Bogdan Dobraszczyk, retired research fellow. Bodgan has worked in the cereals industry for many years as a research scientist at Rank Hovis MacDougall Research Centre, and then as a Research Fellow at the Reading University where he developed and worked on many research projects on dough rheology and baking. 

A Closer Look at Ultra-processed Foods

While discussing ultra-processed foods, some topics covered include:
How UPF relates to clean label (https://bakerpedia.com/processes/clean-label/)
Current health scare about ultra-processed foods
The xanthan gum conundrum
A hunger for natural alternatives 
Retail industry’s interest in the UPF concern
Lack of definitions for clean label

This podcast is brought to you by:

Brabender

This episode is brought to you by Brabender A Brand of Anton Paar. Since 1923, Brabender has been a leading manufacturer of instruments for testing material quality and physical characteristics in all fields of research and development and production in the baking industry worldwide. Brabender is now operating as Anton Paar. To learn more, visit www.anton-paar.com

EP99: Health Concerns Around Ultra-processed Foods


Enzymes are protein catalysts that facilitate chemical reactions in bakery products without producing any change in their molecular structure. In the baking process, enzymes (https://bakerpedia.com/ingredients/enzyme/) have many functions, including aiding fermentation, reducing mixes, modifying dough handling properties, dough strengthener, and even crumb softeners. Their multi-purpose abilities make them very valuable to the modern baker.


In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Dipak Roda, Vice President of Market & Business Development at Enzyme Innovation, Inc. (https://bakerpedia.com/enzyme-innovation/) In his 28 years of rich experience in enzymes and probiotics, Dipak has travelled to more than 34 countries and covered everything from product and application development to sales and marketing. Currently, Dipak is responsible for market and business development in the Americas and Far East countries.

Mystical and Magical Enzymes

While discussing enzymes, some topics covered include:
How enzymes work
Combining enzymes for targeted outcomes
Probiotics versus prebiotics
Enzymes in gluten-free formulations
Categories of enzymes
Shelf-life extension capabilities
Solutions for reducing eggs, sugar, and shortening
What sets the company apart


EP100: Magic Enzymes

IBIE, the International Baking Industry Exposition (https://www.bakingexpo.com), is the biggest baking event in the Northern Hemisphere that takes place every three years. This year’s event will take place from September 13 to 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the show draws near, what better way to prepare than by getting a sneak peek of what will be happening at the show?

In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Rick Oleshak, Vice President of Marketing at AB Mauri North America to discuss IBIE. AB Mauri North America (https://bakerpedia.com/ab-mauri/) is a division of AB Mauri, a global leader in yeast and bakery ingredient products. Visit them (https://bakerpedia.com/ibie/ab-mauri/) at IBIE, at West Hall 1545, North Hall 5412.

Baking Up Fun at the Show

While discussing the Baking Expo, some topics covered include:
The importance of IBIE for the baking industry
BEST in Baking Award for Data Collection for Process Improvement
AB Mauri’s 80’s themed booths
Their events at the Baking Expo
Booth samples with egg replacer


EP101: Taking a Bite out of IBIE 2025 with AB Mauri

Maintaining quality control (https://bakerpedia.com/processes/quality-control-for-baking-ingredients/) and product standards is an essential part of the baking process. Modern bakeries require accuracy, reliability, and streamlined operations to optimize output and ensure consistent results that meet consumer demands. Luckily, there are tools and equipment (https://bakerpedia.com/how-to-improve-dough-quality-using-the-mixolab/) available to make these tasks more manageable, all the while championing objectivity and repeatability.


In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Lena Bosc-Bierne, Applications Specialist at CHOPIN Technologies, a KPM Analytics brand. KPM Analytics (https://bakerpedia.com/kpm-analytics/) supplies instruments that measure critical quality parameters of incoming ingredients, analyze products during the baking process, and ensure final product quality.


Focusing on Quality Control

During their conversation, some topics covered include:
Addressing labor shortages
The importance of flour quality
Bridging the gap between bakers and millers
Understanding the functionality of alternative ingredients 
Introducing the Mixolab 300


EP102: Leveraging Data for Optimal Quality Control

Bread is more than just a staple food. It’s the cornerstone of countless meals around the world!
It’s a food that humans have been enjoying for millennia, with the earliest evidence of bread (https://bakerpedia.com/processes/bread/) dating back around 30,000 years ago. Today, it remains an immensely popular food item and a hugely important market segment for modern bakers.


In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Aleksandra Bednarek. Aleksandra is Poland’s first certified bread sommelier (https://breadsommelier.com), who runs a bakery in California called Aleksandra’s Bakery, using her expertise in flour quality and fermentation to produce outstanding bread products. 


Baking Up A Passion For Bread

Some topics covered include:
How bread differs between Europe and North America
Freshly milled flour quality
The bread sommelier program
Educating consumers and artisanal bakers
Encouraging younger generations to become bakers
Translating Trevor J. Wilson’s Open Crumb Mastery to Polish

This podcast is brought to you by:

Brabender

This episode is brought to you by Brabender, A Brand of Anton Paar. Since 1923, Brabender has been a leading manufacturer of instruments for testing material quality and physical characteristics in all fields of research and development and production in the baking industry worldwide. Brabender is now operating as Anton Paar. To learn more, visit www.anton-paar.com


EP103: Exploring Flour and Fermentation with a Bread Sommelier

An estimated one-quarter to one-third of all food produced for human consumption worldwide is lost or wasted. As global food demand continues to rise, the challenge lies in producing more while creating less food waste (https://bakerpedia.com/baked-wasted-food-waste-commercial-baking/). In the baking industry, embracing efficient production practices, ingredient optimization, and upcycling strategies can significantly minimize waste, enhance nutritional retention, and build a more resilient, sustainable food system.

In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Marta Benedet, Key Account Manager at Agrain. Agrain (https://agrainproducts.com) is a food-tech company based in Denmark, specializing in the upcycling of spent grain. The company processes spent grain into aromatic and versatile flour ingredients, perfectly fit for a wide range of food products.

Waste Less, Enjoy More

While discussing repurposed grains, some topics covered include:
Expanded ingredients range at Agrain
Giving new life to spent brewer’s grains
Nutritional properties of repurposed grains
Improved texture in baked products
Considerations for flavor profiles
Upcycled ingredients for a smaller carbon footprint


EP104: Repurposed Grains for Less Food Waste

Wheat flour is the backbone of most baked goods, making up over half of a bread recipe and about a quarter of a cake. That’s why keeping an eye on your flour quality (https://bakerpedia.com/processes/flour-quality/) is crucial for optimal product development. The key is picking a flour that works well with your application and process in order to get the texture, flavor, and consistency you’re aiming for, each and every single time.

In this episode of BAKED in Science, host Mark Floerke is joined by Dimitrios Argyriou, Managing Director at Grainair. Grainar (https://grainar.com) offers innovative solutions that help bakers improve the quality of their products. With a solid scientific background and more than 80 years of experience, they constantly explore the latest developments in biotechnology, cereal science, and industrial analytics. 


Talk About Flour Power

Some topics covered include:
The intricacies of flour milling
Getting the most out of R&D
Balancing experience and objective data
Baking as a multifactorial process
The importance of sharing knowledge

EP105: How Flour Influences Product Development

Setting up shop where baking and science meet, this podcast is focused on all the technical aspects of the commercial baking industry. It covers everything from food safety, ingredient and equipment solutions and innovation. With guests from all corners of the industry, talking on some of the hottest topics and trends, BAKED in Science is right in the midst of the mix!

EP98: Scaling Up in the Bakery

BAKED In Science

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