likely, their production processes. If I can’t go in, get my fingers on the buttons and conduct some experiments, it’s hard to get any useful results.” As any application specialist worth their salt knows, new ingredients that can bring about the desired effects are likely to work in a different way to what the baker has been doing to date. “We’re rarely talking about changing the machinery itself,” says Claus. “It’s more the settings of the oven, the pre-mixer, the aerator or similar. Usually, I can optimise the process so that instead of using eight minutes for pre-mixing, for example, we can do it in just six. To make it work, you need an understanding of the entire process: What needs to be changed throughout the line if you make any single change at any particular point? Generally speaking, if you push one button, you have to push them all!” Arriving at a customer bakery, Claus typically starts with a day of examining how machines work, their settings, and the resulting cake quality. He pores over the recipe, gradually building a hypothesis for how to attack things the next day, then sitting down with the customer to plan trials for the following day. His job is to combine Palsgaard’s emulsifiers with existing equipment and ingredients, hoping to achieve early results that can inspire the customer to adopt a more effective and efficient baking approach. “I often look at ingredient lists for cakes and tell people ‘This you can take out, and this and this’ – perhaps as many as seven or eight unnecessary items,” Claus says. “Often, many of the ingredients were added to compensate for specific, temporary conditions such as a difficult harvest. And no one has removed them since.” NO TWO PRODUCTION LINES ALIKE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES “Over the years, our application specialists have worked with almost every brand or model of machinery. From ovens and aerators to rolling or cutting machines, they don’t work the same way every time, so you have to spend some time getting to know the customer’s exact setup. That said, the basics are very similar,” Claus explains. Palsgaard’s application specialists regularly advise on the best layouts for factory buildings – separating, for example, the baking area and the packing area to avoid food safety issues. They can recommend machinery types – and even specific equipment suppliers that have just what will be needed in their product range. At times, a specialist’s hands-on knowledge can save bakers from making costly mistakes. “Unfortunately, some companies have bought their machinery before they even know what they want to make. And we may have to tell them you can’t produce this type of cake on that particular equipment. Unless, that is, significant changes are made,” Claus explains. Key to the work of Palsgaard’s application specialists is an understanding of national and regional differences around the world. What makes a good cake in Northern Europe might not keep consumers happy in the US or Asia, where quite different textures and appearances are sought. And eggs, baking powder, and flour differ from region to region. “Even different altitudes make a difference,” says Claus. “The higher the bakery’s elevation, the less baking powder is needed. And we’ve worked, for example, at up to 3,000 metres above sea level in locations such as Mexico and Columbia.” THE WORLD’S BEST JOB “I’m a baker by trade, and personally, I think I have the most interesting job in the world. I certainly enjoy cake, but the fun for me is not so much the taste as it is the art and science of getting the crumb structure, machinability and shelflife to do what it should. Success with these parameters is what really drives me.” 3
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