"In a bakery, there is a fixed workflow for each product: One step must follow the other, starting with weighing the ingredients, kneading the dough, the necessary dough rest, dividing and forming, as well as letting each piece rise and then baking," described Prof. Dr. Hitzmann. "With the large number of products in most bakeries, these work processes have to interlock, and the capacities of people and machines have to be well planned."

This is where the EIT food project PrO4Bake comes in: Computer models and artificial intelligence will be used to optimize the daily processes in small and medium-sized bakeries. This applies both to the quantity of raw materials used and to the more efficient use of existing machinery and the baking process. "Bakeries that are interested in participating in the project as practice partners are welcome to contact us."

Consumer preferences should also be taken into account. For example, a consumer survey is part of the project, developed by social scientists at the University of Aarhus, in which the customers are asked, for example, whether they would accept it if the range of products on offer was no longer as varied in the evening, or whether they would then change bakers.

At the same time, a forecasting tool is to be developed to help bakers better estimate the quantities required. "Many factors play a role in the sale of individual products," stated Prof. Dr. Hitzmann. "On weekends and single-day holidays people usually buy more and different products than on weekdays. During the longer summer break, on the other hand, many people are on vacation and often not so much is sold. The weather can also play a role, as can the district in which the branch is located."

All these factors are to be recorded and analyzed and then incorporated into the development of the forecasting tool. The aim is to adapt the product range to the expected demand and to produce only as much in the bakery as is subsequently sold - and thus to keep both the amount of waste and energy consumption as low as possible.

The core of PrO4Bake is a computer simulation, which is intended to ensure a better, more efficient utilization of the machines. "Most of the time, there is a bottleneck somewhere, i.e. a machine that is constantly working to capacity and thus hinders further work," said Prof. Dr. Hitzmann. "If you know about these bottlenecks, you can do something about them. It may help if the baker invests in a better kneader or a new oven."

The team around Prof. Dr. Hitzmann uses optimization algorithms for the computer model that have previously been used in other application areas: "These optimization strategies are copied from nature, such as the particle swarm algorithm. It describes the behavior of flocks of birds, for example, when searching for food sources. Where one pigeon eats, soon there will be many."

This approach also allows external influences on the production process to be taken into account. Flour is a natural product that can vary from batch to batch and has different processing and baking properties. The yeast used is also a living product which can behave differently depending on many factors.

"Unlike in large-scale industrial production, artisan bakeries can respond to this individually, and this is exactly what we want to support. The aim should be to find the shortest production time under the given conditions, making optimum use of the machines, and to find the most energy-efficient version, i.e. to minimize energy consumption and CO2 emissions."

In the end, a computer application will help small and medium-sized bakeries to adapt to the quantity and product range they actually need with optimized baking schedules in order to reduce energy consumption and food waste. The final implementation into a usable prototype will be carried out by Siemens. The subsequent commercialization will take place in the form of training courses for bakeries based on the software solution developed by Campden BRI Hungary in cooperation with the consortium in order to increase the reach - at first in Europe.