For Constance Macri, a career in bakery science was born from an unexpected source: an article on chocolate chip cookies.

“As a teenager, I read a Fine Cooking article that explored how adjusting the ratios of individual ingredients in chocolate chip cookies could dramatically change the eating experience,” she recalled. “Understanding ingredient functionality at such a fundamental level sparked my fascination with bakery science and ultimately inspired me to pursue it as a career.”

Macri earned a bachelor’s degree in food science from Delaware Valley University and a master’s degree in food science from Kansas State University. She then joined Puratos, where she’s worked for 10 years across roles including R&D innovation manager, R&D technologist, quality control technician and food safety technician. Today, she serves as the company’s R&D manager for bakery mixes and improvers.

“In my current position, I focus on developing innovative ingredient solutions and supporting customers in the commercialization of bakery products,” she said.

Macri said bringing these products to life for customers, as well as contributing to international clean label innovation initiatives, have been some of the highlights of her career. Another one was co-creating the Puratos Bakery Academy educational platform, which offers a range of courses for food industry professionals across bakery, patisserie and chocolate making. 

“I’m particularly proud of projects that combine technical advancement with meaningful customer education,” she said. “What I enjoy most is educating others and seeing moments of genuine understanding. There is something incredibly rewarding about helping people connect technical knowledge to practical outcomes.”

That need for education has only become more important amid the rapid pace of innovation across the industry. Macri identified a few notable trends, including demand for higher-quality protein, increased fiber content, functional ingredients such as probiotics, and sustainable sourcing practices like regenerative agriculture. 

“At the same time, clean label reformulation and fermentation-driven flavor development continue to shape innovation across the bakery category,” she continued. “The market is constantly evolving, creating opportunities to learn, solve challenges, and ultimately improve products and experiences, and health for consumers.”

Here, Macri explores the dominant protein trend and shares how producers can overcome formulation hurdles when crafting high-protein products.

Source: Puratos

How has the protein trend grown across bakery? What’s driving this demand?

The protein trend has accelerated significantly across commercial baking over the past 18 months. Advances in ingredient processing technology have made it easier to incorporate protein into mainstream bakery applications while maintaining desirable texture, volume and flavor. Consumer interest in satiety, wellness and balanced nutrition, combined with growing awareness of GLP-1 medications and evolving dietary guidance, has further fueled demand for protein-enriched products.

In which applications is protein fortification most popular? Which applications are emerging?

Today, cookies, pan breads, bagels and tortillas are among the most popular protein-fortified bakery products. Improved protein functionality has made it possible to achieve processing performance and sensory qualities that more closely resemble traditional products. Emerging applications include laminated pastries, sourdough breads and pizza crusts. It's also worth noting that consumer demand for higher-protein products increasingly overlaps with interest in fiber enrichment.

What are the main challenges when formulating with added protein? What product attributes can be impacted?

Protein fortification can create several formulation and processing challenges. Increased water absorption may lead to doughs that are excessively elastic or viscous, affecting machinability and production efficiency. Novel substrates can lead to enzyme promiscuity, which may result in off-flavors and unintended effects. Protein ingredients also add cost and can introduce undesirable sensory attributes such as bitterness, astringency, dryness or excessive chewiness. In addition, achieving a high protein quantity does not always guarantee a high-quality amino acid profile, making protein quality an important consideration alongside total protein content.

What ingredients and formulation adjustments are critical to maintaining the final product quality consumers expect?

Successful protein fortification often requires rethinking traditional formulations. Adjustments may include increased hydration, extensibility-enhancing ingredients, and specialized enzyme systems designed to accommodate changes in the protein and carbohydrate matrix. Formulators must also account for the unique properties of novel protein ingredients, including differences in solubility, particle size, water absorption and isoelectric point. These factors can significantly influence processing performance and finished product quality.

Sensory challenges can be addressed through careful ingredient selection, protein purification and processing methods, flavor-modifying technologies and attention to enzyme interactions that may affect flavor development. While protein-fortified products typically carry a higher ingredient cost, strategic supplier selection can help manage expenses. To improve nutritional quality, formulators often use complementary protein sources, a practice sometimes called "protein stacking,” to create a more balanced amino acid profile and increase overall protein quality.

How does application type affect the ease of fortifying with protein and the degree to which product quality is affected?

The more closely a product must resemble its traditional counterpart, and the higher the desired protein claim, the more challenging formulation becomes. This is especially true when manufacturers want to minimize process changes on existing production lines. Establishing realistic protein targets and aligning expectations around processing adaptations are critical steps early in development and commercialization.

Tell us about the protein solutions Puratos offers.

Puratos offers clean label, non-GMO, plant-based bakery mixes designed for a variety of yeast-raised applications. The ProteinPro Strength mix is formulated for products that require greater dough strength, elasticity and structure, such as pan breads and hoagie rolls, while the ProteinPro Flex mix is designed for applications that benefit from increased extensibility, including hamburger buns, bagels and flatbreads.

Depending on formulation and serving size, both solutions can support "Good Source of Protein" claims and deliver more than 20 grams of protein per serving. They also offer fiber-content benefits while maintaining machinability, appearance and flavor profiles that resemble conventional bakery products. Formulators can further adjust performance and sensory characteristics by blending the mixes with traditional bread flour.

Puratos also offers solutions for the sweet baked goods category, including a recently developed protein-enriched complete mix for mini muffins. Requiring only the addition of eggs, oil, water and inclusions, the solution delivers up to six grams of protein per serving of four, 12-gram mini muffins while maintaining premium taste, texture and freshness throughout shelf life, supported by Puratos’ proprietary enzyme technology built directly into the mix.

How do you assist customers in their protein fortification projects? What is key to making this process successful?

We support customers through technical education, nutritional modeling, including estimated finished product protein quality (PDCAAS) calculations, and pilot-scale testing at the Puratos Industrial Pilot Bakery, powered by AMF Bakery Systems. Success ultimately depends on strong communication with our partners and customers, a clear understanding of consumer expectations, and access to Puratos’ expertise across ingredient, enzyme and application development. Leveraging global innovation experts and local execution helps ensure concepts can be successfully commercialized.