The journey of dough through a high-speed processing plant can be a long one. From mixing to panning, from baking to packaging, there are plenty of trouble points. While proper formulation and handling is key, you don’t want to negate your efforts due to bumpy transportation. This is where release agents come in. They help remove baked goods from baking pans, moulds, tins, trays, conveyor belts or packaging.

Typically, release agents are in the form of:

• Fats and oils
• Waxes
• Emulsifiers (e.g lecithins and magnesium stearate)
• Silicones
• Flour and starches
• Combination of ingredients above

Here are some benefits of using a release agent:

• Cleaner work environment
• Reduction of undesirable build up in bakery wares and waste
• Increasing bakery wares lifespan
• Reduction of processing times
• Reduction of cost by improving the quality of the released products
• Efficient production process

If you are baking a speciality product (such as gluten-free or clean label) make sure you find a release agent that is as well! Today, a wide variety of release agents are used in the baking industry depending on the application, type of product, formulation, production process and desired shelf life of the product.