To produce high-quality baked goods, you need good ingredients. The requirements vary from business to business. Whether malts, sourdoughs, improvers or mixes – as a partner for aroma and taste, we are the idea provider at your side, but at the same time create space for your own creativity. With our own malthouses and sourdough production, our agricultural trade and the appropriate service package, we offer expertise from grain to baked goods – and beyond.
Malt is a natural product. With specific flavouring characteristics such as caramel, roasted or spicy, it offers a wide range of applications for a distinctive taste. But malt can do even more. In addition to optimised dough development, the use of malt ensures an appealing crust and crumb colour as well as improved freshkeeping of baked goods – and not only for bread and rolls, but also for confectionery baked goods!
What is special about IREKS: As a baking ingredients manufacturer, we have our own malt and malt extract production and thus all processing stages entirely in our hands. Rye, wheat, spelt and barley form the basis for a variety of malt products: in flour and in paste form, liquid, light or dark coloured.
There are good reasons for the use of sourdough: optimal dough processing properties, consistently high baked goods quality and an aromatic taste. That is why IREKS has been dealing with sourdoughs for around 100 years. Based on this experience, we produce sourdoughs according to the classic three-stage method. The use of selected lactic acid bacteria and the consistent monitoring of sourdough production create optimal conditions for the desired fermentation.
In addition to the production of proven varieties such as wheat, rye or spelt sourdoughs, IREKS is constantly working on new ideas. Rediscovered raw materials such as unripe spelt or buckwheat provide extraordinary sourdough varieties and taste experiences.
The right product for your concept! Compensating for harvest-related fluctuations in flour quality or optimising processing and baking properties are just a few starting points for making good things even better. In addition to malt and sourdough products, IREKS offers numerous mixes and improvers, tailored to your individual requirements. Our batch-oriented production allows us to respond to different needs in a flexible manner. This is how we produce a variety of products with special characteristics.
More and more people are not only interested in the conditions under which food is produced, but also in the associated effects on people and the environment. IREKS offers you a diverse range of organic improvers, organic mixes, organic sourdoughs and organic malt products for the efficient production of a wide variety of baked goods in organic quality. Our products are currently manufactured in accordance with the strict requirements of Regulations (EC) No 834/2007 and (EC) No 889/2008 and in future in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/848 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1165. All processed raw materials of agricultural origin come from certified organic cultivation. The visible sign of our organic quality is the certification by an independent Organic Control Body (DE-ÖKO-001).
Whether lactose-free, palm oil-free, additive-free, egg-free, sugar-free or vegan – sometimes less is more! Doing without certain ingredients does not automatically mean having to give up excellent taste. With our broad “Free From” product range, we create opportunities for enjoyment for all those who rely on a special diet due to an intolerance, to support their general well-being or out of conviction. Our highly developed allergen management, self-contained, batch-based production and quality controls at every stage of production are fundamental factors in manufacturing high-quality and absolutely safe baking ingredients for our customers.
Gluten-free diets – originally required for people suffering from coeliac disease – are becoming more and more of a trend. Many people are making a conscious decision to avoid gluten in their diet. We have been supporting our customers with a comprehensive gluten-free range since 1995, already. The production of baking ingredients without gluten is a special challenge – and not only because gluten, as a texture-providing protein in cereals, is essential for their baking properties. For IREKS, the safety of the products is paramount. That’s why we use carefully selected gluten-free ingredients that are processed in our self-contained batch mixing system to exclude cross-contamination and then tested in our IREKS IQ Centre.
For many people, the focus when choosing food is not only on the taste, but also on the added value that food can offer them. Dairy products, mueslis or fruit juices are therefore often available in variants that are enriched with vitamins, minerals or protein, for example. Cereals and field crops used in baked goods naturally offer many valuable ingredients. This can be well combined with “added value”. IREKS therefore supports bakeries with specific products that can be used to manufacture baked goods with excellent taste and added value.
Food has a profound meaning in the Jewish and Muslim religion, which is why its selection and production are subject to particular regulations. For many years, we have therefore offered a special range of kosher and halal products. For the certification of the products, IREKS works together with a rabbi or imam to determine all relevant aspects and implement them accordingly in the production process. Important aspects are, for example, the cultivation of the raw materials used as well as their certification and the special cleaning of the production facilities. Thanks to our own agricultural trade and the manufacture of our baking ingredients in a self-contained batch mixing system, we have the best prerequisites for implementing the corresponding regulations.