Dawn Foods launched a patent-pending glaze that strictly sticks with donuts, and never with the packaging or fingers. It also increases shelf life by up to five days and is freeze/thaw stable.

The new, non-sticky donut glaze was designed to keep the glaze of yeast-raised donuts in place, with no sticky residues on the packaging, and works well on industrial-scale donut production lines. While ensuring they look appealing, this glaze* also keeps donuts softer and fresh for longer. This development comes as an answer to a challenge that has been known all too well by donut manufacturers for years. In addition to the need to keep donuts intact and optimize their shelf-life, with the pandemic came a new requirement: having fresher products individually and safely packaged.

With this task list, Dawn’s innovation team looked at new ingredients and how they could potentially form a solution specifically designed for glazed donuts. Developing it was an extended collaborative effort, as we learned from Christopher Ries, Category Manager Wets for Europe & AMEAP and Thomas Deconinck, R&D Center of Excellence Manager Wets (Europe & AMEAP): “The innovation team worked together with our R&D, marketing, manufacturing, procurement and supply chain partners to ensure the solution was in the best interest of our customers while providing value to a baker’s business.”

For best results when using this non-sticky donut glaze, Dawn recommends applying it on hot donuts, just after frying, as this will allow the glaze to set and dry faster. “After the donuts are glazed, they can be kept ambient or frozen. Frozen glazed donuts will need to be stored in an airtight foil to prevent drying out in the freezer,” the company’s specialists say.

The new Non-Sticky Donut Glaze is easy to replace with traditional solutions in production, as long as it is primarily used for its intended product range – packed donuts. “Because of the product’s consistency, it is even easier to replace because there is no need to stir, and it can be applied directly,” they underline.

Traditionally, sugar-glazed donuts do not come with flavors. The glaze itself is a thin layer that contributes to the sweetness of any kind of donut. Dawn has been testing this non-sticky glaze in Europe with maple and caramel flavors.

The task: an intact donut

Dawn’s solution uses a proprietary formulation that prevents moisture from migrating from the donut to the glaze, the company explains. This makes the donut glaze highly stable and allows it to remain non-sticky for several days.

To achieve these results, the R&D team conducted multiple trials and application tests while also looking into optimizing the glaze for use on (large-scale) production lines. “Our base solution now works well for our large retail and manufacturing customers but can be tailored to meet customers’ individual needs,” Dawn’s specialists explain.

Moreover, its composition makes it freeze and thaw stable, with no sugar crystallization between these cycles. This is why it does not become loose from the donut’s surface. The Dawn Non-Sticky Donut Glaze is a fat-free donut glaze, the first of its kind in the market, the company notes. This prevents its appearance from being affected by condensation.

Unlike traditional donut glazes, the carbohydrates of the Non-Sticky Donut Glaze do not dissolve, which ensures the donut does not become soggy or sticky. Managing the condensation in and around the packaging was instrumental in perfecting this glaze. “The key lies in ensuring the water activity between the donut and glaze is similar. Up until the launch of Dawn’s Non-Sticky Donut Glaze, glazed donuts packed in clamshells or foils turned sticky and there were only packaging solutions with perforated foils to better manage the humidity. However, this method does not retain freshness well and dries out the donut. Now with Dawn’s new glaze, donuts can be packed in airtight foils or clamshells, allowing the product to retain humidity and freshness without damaging the look or feel of the glaze,” Dawn’s Ries and Deconinck add.

Long shelf life

Dawn’s glaze addresses, first of all, a packaging issue by keeping the glazing strictly where it belongs: on the donut. In the process, it also contributes greatly to the overall shelf life of the donut, Dawn explains. “With traditional glazes, the moisture of the donut migrates to the sugar-based glaze and dries out. Our solution uses a proprietary formulation that prevents this from happening. The glaze coats the donut without getting absorbed, making the moisture of the donut partly protected from evaporating.” In this way, the Dawn Non-Sticky Donut Glaze extends the shelf-life and freshness of the donut by up to five days.

The non-sticky glaze developed by Dawn can be easily made more or less thick to optimize layering, by adjusting its temperature. This also means it’s easily adaptable and customizable to any donut production line. “Typically, the donut retains 10-12g of glaze, but that can be altered with the application temperature,” Dawn’s representatives highlight.

The non-sticky glaze is also a versatile solution in its own right: it is highly customizable to any production need or requirement. It can be flavored, and the sweetness level can be adapted. It is ready to use, from a pail or container and works on glazing machines, pumps, or glaze curtains.

Read the full article in Baking+Biscuit International, issue 6 – 2022.

*Note: The glaze is sold in the U.S. under the name Dawn Exceptional Pak PerfectTM Non-Sticky Donut Glaze. In Europe, it is called Dawn Exceptional® Non Sticky Donut Glaze

Photo: AdobeStock #278149641