Mühlenchemie is offering the pasta industry Pastazym, an enzyme range that allows for the substitution of cheaper soft wheat for durum wheat, without any limits to processability.

The scarcity of Canadian durum wheat after harvest problems is causing durum prices to rise.

Canadian farmers are having difficulties harvesting their durum fields. Less than 50% of Canada's high-quality durum has been harvested so far, whereas normally the harvest is already complete.

The shortage of durum wheat is having a severe impact on global pasta production, which is traditionally dependent on durum imports from Canada, Mühlenchemie said. The European Commission forecasts a 13% decline in Canadian durum production compared to the previous year. The modest harvest situation in France is currently affecting the price. While the market price of French durum three months ago, was $230 per tonne, it has since risen to $270 per tonne.

Pasta producers are more likely to struggle with rising raw material prices, as durum wheat has unique dough-physical properties that are required in pasta production.

Mühlenchemie is responding to this shortage of raw materials with a technical solution: the Pastazym allows pasta producers to use more available wheat varieties and thus significantly reduce raw material costs while maintaining pasta quality.

Pastazym is particularly suitable for pasta made from soft wheat and for mixtures of different wheat qualities and gives them the authentic "al dente" properties of durum wheat. The active ingredient basis of the Pastazym range are functional enzyme systems, which depending on the flour basis and desired functions, cover a wide range of applications, Mühlenchemie said.