For the products which we make with so much love and attention, and of course you love so much, we always carefully select the raw materials we use in them. We pay particular attention to the processes of their selection and control. Our specialists are responsible for finding the best combination of taste, nutritional value, quality and safety when creating our products. Each of our suppliers goes through a number of audits and tests of the raw material offered before it begins delivering it and incorporating it into production processes. Our choice is always driven by the quality of raw materials.
All the used raw materials comply with current national and European regulations as well as the highest standards of quality, nutrition and safety for humans and the environment. Constant control and continuous research into raw materials assures us that we will produce a quality and safe food product.
Regular and rigorous monitoring of our suppliers allows us to meet the excellent quality and safety standards in the production process of raw materials and finished products. Many people contribute to the control of our raw materials and everyone guarantees a specific and substantial contribution. We perform numerous analyzes at the moment of entering our factories and many others we want from all of our suppliers. Each day our experts check the taste, aroma and consistency of the ingredients and evaluate them in detail to ensure their absolute safety.
Check out some of the most frequently asked questions about the ingredients we use for our products and their basic nutritional characteristics.
FLOUR
The history of flour dates back thousands of years. Even today, this product has a very wide application, and in many countries, it is considered to be the main food of the population.
Flour from wheat
The most commonly used flour is wheat. It contains a high percentage of carbohydrates and a good amount of protein. We use white flour type 500 because it is high quality and has good technological performance. The flour used in the production of our products is specially formulated for us – pure, without the standard additives and improvers such as sweeteners, enhancers, ascorbic acid and others.
There are several metrics on which we choose flour.
The main important indicator of flour is the content of gluten, its quantity and quality. It depends on getting better dough with better solder, volume and hardness. Gluten is all water-insoluble proteins that are contained in flour / albumin, gliadin, glutenin/. Ash content – defines type of flour – type 500; type 700; type 1150 and type 1850. Ash content is an indication of how much of the grain shell is contained in the flour. For flour type 500 it is 0.5%
More than 700 million tonnes of wheat are produced every year in the world, but we use flour made only from Bulgarian wheat. It is a curious fact that the harvest of wheat in Bulgaria is in the hands of Greece, Croatia and Portugal.
Flour from einkorn
Consumer interest in einkorn flour in recent years has been greatly enhanced. And there is a reason. Spruce is an old variety of wild wheat that is distinguished by its high purity as it is grown without artificial fertilizers and gene modifications. It contains a high amount of beneficial nutrients. In wild wheat there are almost twice as many fats, proteins, phosphorus and vitamins of group B and A than other species. We also started adding einkorn to some of our specially developed products, but because of the negligible percentage of gluten is not very suitable for making biscuits. The flour which we use is also produced from a grown einkorn in sunny fields of Bulgaria.
Malt flour / malt extract
It is obtained from the grinding of malt wheat resulting from the germination (or malting) process. The germs convert a portion of the starch contained in the grain into lower-molecular sugars, making it richer in such white sugars. Since these sugars are the raw material for fermentation, the malt flour is added to the wheat to reinforce this process. In baked products it facilitates melting. Origin: EU.
MILK
Milk is a basic part of our food. Fresh or sour, in the form of appetizing varied white cheeses and yellow cheeses, cream and even butter, dairy products are an integral part of our everyday life. Rich proteins, vitamins, mineral salts, a source of calcium, vitamins B and A, dairy products are one of the best in the human’s menu.
Milk is a complete and balanced food that, if consumed in the right quantities, helps to meet the daily nutrient needs, but what is the difference between fresh milk and dry ingredients contained in our products? Dry dairy products are obtained by dehydration of whole or skimmed milk and whey.In a dry form, they help preserve product consistency and ensure good shelf life.
All dairy raw materials with which we work are produced within the European Union.
Dry whey powder
Whey is one of the proteins contained in milk. It’s produced by curdling a type of milk protein called casein. It contains wholesome proteins with essential amino acids, and the main ingredient of its dry substance is lactose. Whey contains a small amount of milk fat, which has high digestibility and increases enzymes activity. It also contains vitamins B, vitamins A and E, probiotic bacteria, magnesium and calcium.
Milk powder
Dried milk is produced by dehydrating milk. It can be found in a full-fat, low-fat or skimmed version. It is not inferior to the nutritional qualities of natural pasteurized milk, with the amount of protein in the skimmed milk reaching 32%. Among the elements in the dry milk can be found calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin P, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, folic acid, vitamin B9, B12, Vitamin A.
Milk protein
Milk protein comes from processing of the milk and is used as it resembles creme texture. Milk protein consists of casein and whey protein. Both are made out of milk and are used as protein supplements. Milk protein is assimilated slowly and slowly releases amino acids, making it one of the best protein sources. It’s especially effective during sleep when there are many hours of difference between individual food intakes.
COCOA
Cocoa is extracted from the fruit of the tree – Theobroma cacao (“Theobroma cacao“, meaning “food of the gods.”). Evergreen tree up to 10 meters high, originating in South America. The fruits of the cocoa tree Theobroma are elongated in shape, containing 40 to 50 seeds. Seeds (cocoa beans).
Contained in the pod, they are oval and flat, almond-shaped, dipped in a substance rich in sugars. Interesting facts from the history of cocoa you can learn from Cocoa Evolution.
It is not possible to imagine candy products without the cocoa products. Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are added directly to the dough, used to prepare couverture and glazes as well as fillings. They give the products a very pleasant and unique taste and a great variety of biscuits and wafers. EU Ordinance on Cocoa and Chocolate Products 2000/36 / EC is in place in the EU countries regarding the production of chocolate products. It specifies names, ingredients, acceptable standards, indicators and labeling of chocolate products. The cocoa raw materials we use in our production processes are cocoa liquor, cocoa powder and cocoa butter. In May 2016, the company has been certified with the standard UTZ – for sustainable cocoa. You can find out more about this certificate in the Certificates section!
Cocoa liquor
The cocoa liquor is finely ground, flaked, fermented and baked cocoa beans. The product is in the liquid state only during processing and solidifies at room temperature. The cocoa liquor naturally contains about 55% cocoa butter.
Cocoa butter
It is obtained after pressing the cocoa seeds and for millennia is considered natural clean fat that only brings benefits to human health. Cocoa butter is considered to be one of the most stable and hard known fat to people. It has a pleasant and smooth consistency with an even more pleasant and loving aroma of cocoa. The color is light brown and can easily be split into large pieces. Although cocoa butter remains slightly in the shade of cocoa powder, it is very important for chocolate products. Only cocoa butter gives the chocolate a glow and its property to melt slowly into the mouth.
Cocoa powder
When making crackers and wafers, more cocoa powder is used, directly added to the dough or filling of the products. Cocoa powder gives the sugar products a very pleasant taste and a brown color – it is used as a coloring and flavoring raw material.
Cocoa powder consists mainly of the dry substance in the cocoa but also contains cocoa butter up to 43-50%. According to the content of cocoa butter, they differ:
- low fat cocoa – from 8 to 20% fat
- Whole-fat cocoa – over 20% fat
SUGAR
Simple carbohydrates, also called sugars, provide easily accessible energy for the human body. They are divided into monosaccharides (glucose, fructose and galactose) and disaccharides (sucrose, lactose and maltose). You can find them especially in fruits, milk and pastry.
In recent years, much has been written about sugar as a harmful ingredient. What is the problem with sugar? The problem is not the ingredient “sugar”, but the quantity that is consumed. Any ingredient used in unreasonably large amounts is harmful. More dangerous is sugar that you do not realize you are consuming. Did you know that, for example, in ketchup there is 8% more sugar than ice cream? Few people know that making their own barbecue, besides salt, adds sugar, because broths, dry soups, grilled spices also contain sugar. Sugar is in sausages, canned foods, bread …
We, as a producer of sweet temptations, will give you one tip – read carefully the labels of the food you consume.