Let’s talk tortillas!

The world loves a good tortilla – and for good reason. They’re soft and convenient – not to mention endlessly versatile. Flour tortilla (wheat) can be transformed into cheesy quesadillas and hearty burritos or reveal their sweeter side with a nut butter and fruit filling. With such broad appeal, it’s little surprise that there’s strong and steady demand for tortillas in the global market, valued at USD 8.5 billion.  

There are naturally some regional differences within the tortilla market, particularly in the US. There, the growing Hispanic population initially drove their popularity. But today, across the board (and the globe) the tortilla’s convenience factor is driving demand. 

As a multifunctional food, tortillas deliver on the grab-and-go promise consumers seek with the added benefit of being suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner or anything in between. Essentially, they’re the ideal blank canvas to cure any craving.

Creating this canvas is not without its challenges, though. Tortilla producers looking to capitalize on this strong demand need to check certain boxes to develop winning products. For starters, they need to excel at achieving the sensory properties that make tortillas so appealing: irresistibly soft, fluffy (not sticky or gummy) and flexible, able to wrap up their fillings without cracking or breaking. These key properties should then go hand in hand with long-lasting freshness. And of course, these results need to be replicated, batch after batch, in order to produce a high quality, consistently delicious tortilla. 

The outside of the tortilla package matters, too. The clean label trend is increasingly important to consumers – this is the case across a broad range of foods – and it’s another factor to consider for producers. 

A simple tortilla label with familiar, recognizable ingredients can certainly add to their appeal, but it’s yet another challenge for producers to solve.

While it may seem like a tall order to bring together desirable sensory properties, freshness and a clean label tortilla, it’s not impossible. In fact, with the right solutions, producers can achieve this ‘tortilla trifecta’ and create consistently delicious products. 

DSM’s flour tortilla (wheat) toolkit is built on our broad experience partnering with customers and designed to help producers tackle key challenges with the help of baking enzymes. Our premium maltogenic amylase, BakeZyme® Master, for example, improves important tortilla characteristics like softness, flexibility and foldability while also ensuring prolonged freshness. 

Similarly, our phospolipase, Panamore® Golden, can replace emulsifiers in order to reduce sticking while achieving a cleaner label. 

This flexible toolkit enables producers to select the right solutions for their specific product and process. Whether they need clean label, or proven freshness paired with added vitamins, the toolkit is completely customizable for ideal results. 

In addition to solving key challenges, the toolkit provides a gateway to DSM’s broad portfolio of solutions for the baking industry, which reflects the latest trends. For example, producers seeking on-trend fortification ingredients, such as vitamins and Omega-3. These ingredients can boost the nutritional value of their tortillas to appeal to consumer interest in getting more nutrients from their everyday foods. 

Download our leaflet and learn how we help you produce irresistible tortillas

To create the best flour tortillas, you need proven, natural ingredients that appeal to the on-the-go generation. Which is why we created The DSM Tortilla Toolkit. So why not learn how we’ll help you take your tortillas to the next level in a label-friendly way - through improved texture, taste and sensory properties. Ole!

Paired with expert guidance from DSM’s experienced applications team, the flour tortilla (wheat) toolkit can help customers unlock the full potential of their tortilla products. 

Get in touch today to find out more about our new flour tortilla (wheat) toolkit and how DSM can help you achieve results. Let’s talk tortillas!