Anastasia Tackett has always been curious about food and how it functions. Growing up as a kid in 4-H club, she learned she could turn that curiosity into a career as a food scientist. And as a lover of baking, she knew this industry could serve as a path forward in becoming a food scientist. 

“Baking in particular is one of my favorite areas, since the process can be so intricate and yet accessible,” she said. “Everyone, from home cooks to professionals, can enjoy the process.” 

Tackett earned a bachelor’s degree in food science at the University of Arkansas, during which she spent a summer as an R&D intern at Newly Weds Foods, working on applications like bread and breadcrumbs. From there she earned a master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after which she joined Butter Buds as an associate applications scientist. 

At Butter Buds, Tackett develops formulations across a variety of foods, from baked goods and snacks to sauces and seasonings. Using Butter Buds’ portfolio of dairy concentrates, she demonstrates the capabilities and functionality these ingredients can bring to customers’ products. 

“I’m proud of the problem-solving work I do with Butter Buds,” she said. “I’ve been able to help product developers bring their innovations to fruition. I’m really excited about my personal growth as a technical source for customers and our sales team as I learn more about Butter Buds.”

Asked what she enjoys most about working in food, Tackett kept it simple: Everybody eats.

“Food is something that brings people together, and it always will be,” she said. “The food we make provides nourishment, but it’s also a huge part of the human experience and how we express ourselves. I know that the work we do is important. It’s important to me that the industry continues to make safe, tasty food, and I’m happy to play a part in that.”

Innovation in the industry is picking up pace, and Tackett noted that speed-to-market has ramped up in recent years.

“Companies and consumers want to be able to keep up with trends, which means faster product development,” she explained. “New development time is measured in months, not years. Artificial intelligence is raising the success rate of market adoption of new product launches. In my team, we like to stay up to date on trends as well as processing technology that could affect Butter Buds use in the future.”

The top trend Tackett sees is the rise in high-protein, high-fiber products, reflecting broader demand for functional, better-for-you foods. Bakery is no exception to this, she said, posing formulating challenges for baking manufacturers.

“The more protein and fiber added, the more likely there will be undesirable flavors that need to be addressed,” she said. “Companies are looking for flavor maskers and enhancers to help achieve the goal of nutritious and tasty food.”

Here, Tackett shares how dairy concentrates are solving these challenges and more across bakery applications.

Why are dairy ingredients resonating with consumers today?   

Dairy has been part of a large portion of the world’s diet for thousands of years and is a trusted source of nutrition. Whole food products like butter, milk, cream and cheese are appreciated as nutritious, wholesome ingredients. Cheese and milk are excellent protein sources. While some plant-based formulations still have very long ingredient lists, recognizable dairy ingredients appeal to consumers who want to be informed about what they are eating. The updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans introduce a substantially revised food pyramid. It places protein foods at the top, emphasizing that they should form the largest share of daily intake. The guidelines now recommend 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day, a significant increase from the previous 0.8 grams/kg recommendation. Protein-rich dairy foods can help many people meet this protein goal.

In bakery, what are the challenges of formulating with traditional dairy ingredients? 

For fresh ingredients, storage, refrigeration and transportation can be costly. Butter, milk and fresh cheeses have a short shelf life, which will affect the longevity of finished goods. Also, commodity goods are subject to market volatility, which can greatly affect prices.

How do dairy concentrates combat these challenges and allow for reductions in traditional dairy ingredients?

Butter Buds have a longer shelf life and more stable pricing than fresh commodity products. You can also use Butter Buds to mitigate flavor loss in processing. At their low usage rate, you can greatly increase flavor impact without huge, costly changes to the formulation. Butter Buds allow for the reduction of traditional dairy ingredients by replacing the lost flavor impact and adding mouthfeel and richness.

How do concentrates improve flavor and richness while reducing costs and promoting a clean label?

Butter Buds can help reduce butter in baked goods by maintaining the fatty, rich flavor while keeping costs low. With traditional dairy ingredients, more product is needed to achieve the same flavor that you get with Butter Buds. Butter Buds are enzyme-modified dairy concentrates that start with real dairy ingredients: butter and cheeses. Our process concentrates the short chain fatty acids to amplify the flavors that naturally occur in dairy. Because Butter Buds are made from real dairy, we can often meet clean label requirements. We are currently developing a simple line where the ingredient name can be called out as “butter” or “cheese.” 

How do they promote BFY formulations such as high protein, high fiber and whole grain products?

Something that is common in these better-for-you formulations is the presence of off-notes. They tend to not be as tasty as the standard recipes. Butter Buds help by enhancing flavor profiles of butter, milk, cream and cheese. They function by adding richness and mouthfeel while masking any undesirable flavors. Protein- and fiber-enhanced formulations often contain cardboard, branny, beany or dried powder flavors. Butter Buds can mask these and add fresh dairy notes. 

What dairy concentrate solutions does Butter Buds offer? What applications are they designed for?

We have a very large portfolio that covers a wide range of butter profiles, such as melted, cold, sweet, sauteed, etc. We also have many different cheese types including cheddar, aged cheddar, Parmesan, Romano, bleu and mozzarella. Our X-Blend formulations are intended to help replace cheese powder for greater reductions. We also have nondairy solutions, covering cheeses and butters, as well as specialty items including CocoaButter Buds and Butter Buds Bacon and Dried Beer Extract. These products can fit into a wide range of baked goods, anywhere that you might want the flavor or richness of dairy.

Can you share any customer examples? What did they achieve by using these concentrates? 

We have had success in a variety of baked goods, such as breads, buns, brioches, croissants, croutons, tortillas and in sweet treats like brownies and muffins — basically anything you can think of. From convenience store cakes to high-end indulgent bakery items, Butter Buds have a place across the entire bakery spectrum. Our customers have found that they were able to reduce cheese powder in their savory cheesy breads or increase the depth of flavor using our Cheese Buds. Recently, I worked on a demo using our Butter Buds 32X to replace butter in a brioche without losing the flavor, which worked quite well. Butter Buds 32X is very good at providing a full butter profile in baked goods. We also offer nondairy solutions for vegan and specialty goods. Our customers are very creative and find ways to use Butter Buds in their baked goods and snacks all over the world. We are always happy to help with usage levels, product recommendations and general advice.