Ardent Mills, a North American flour-milling and ingredient company, has launched its keto-certified Net Carb Flour Blend, hailed by the company as “the industry’s first major net carb flour blend for keto and low net carb baked applications.” 

The formulation can be used as a replacement for conventional flour without compromising taste, texture or functionality.

“Interest in a low-carbohydrate lifestyle continues to grow as consumers seek solutions that match their personal health values and preferences. And although this market is a great opportunity, it’s also a challenging environment for manufacturers,” says Ken Ruud, director of innovation at Ardent Mills. 

“Our Net Carb Flour Blend provides bakers with uncompromised formulations for keto and low net carb applications.”

Ticking baking boxes
The Net Carb Flour Blend is nut-free and contains gluten, which allows customers to run on their current equipment without any changes, says Ardent Mills. 

It is available in white (all-purpose) and specialized flour blends for a broad range of bread and baked-good applications. 

Recently keto-certified by the Paleo Foundation, the blend is also non-GMO, dairy-free, vegan, has no added sugar and is a good fiber source.

“Our new Net Carb Flour Blend demonstrates Ardent Mills’ commitment to innovating and growing our portfolio with the needs of customers and consumers at the forefront,” explains Angie Goldberg, chief growth officer at Ardent Mills. 

“We’re passionate about bringing the best tasting, on-trend solutions to manufacturers across the US and ultimately helping them deliver profitable growth.”

Ardent Mills also offers a bake-lab consultation and pilot testing resources to help with ideation, formulation, scaling and rapid commercialization.

Industry players are moving in the keto-friendly food space. In September, two new snack lines joined the growing keto NPD space, which involves consuming high amounts of fat and low amounts of carbohydrates. However, a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) study revealed the potential benefits of a high-carb and low-fat diet.

Fat Snax launched Pumpkin Spice Latte cookies and Mini cookies, both containing 2 net carbs. Meanwhile, General Mills released :ratio, a family of five yogurts and a new snack bar, making this the company’s “first-ever keto-friendly snack line.”

Moving into the protein space
Last month, Ardent Mills revealed it is moving into the chickpea ingredients space by acquiring Hinrichs Trading Company, a North American specialist in chickpea sourcing, cleaning and packing. 

In previous expansions, Ardent Mills snapped up Andean Naturals’ quinoa operations last February.

It also completed the acquisition of an organic grain elevator in Klamath Falls, Oregon, US, and added capabilities in its Denver River North Art District, US, community mill to clean and pack specialty grains in May 2019.

“The plant-based food and beverage market shows no sign of slowing down,” Shrene White, general manager of The Annex by Ardent Mills, previously said. 

“In fact, we continue to see significant growth as consumers look to foods that align with their individual values – both personal and planetary.”

Innova Market Insights has pegged “Plant-Forward” as a Top Trend leading product development this year, which will continue to invigorate demand for chickpea ingredients, among other protein-rich grains and pulses.

“Ardent Mills has made proactive investments to meet this demand. This potential venture will enable us to offer diverse chickpea solutions to our customers from day one,” White concludes.