It is almost a revolution that baked foods are experiencing: plant-based options, healthful offerings rich in fiber and probiotics, unusual flavors such as caramel, fruit, and savory notes to innovative ingredients, such as water lentils, to offer multisensory experiences.

Growing creativity spurs demand for new technologies that can increasingly customize offerings, using new ingredients and innovative baking systems. Research by Grand View Research estimates the value of the global bakery equipment market at more than $14.7 billion in 2024 and predicts it will grow at a compound rate of 6.7 percent through 2030. And Italy plays a leading role: according to data from ExportPlanning, the Italian bakery and pastry equipment industry is worth more than 4.2 billion euros, of which about 3.3 billion come from exports.

“For us, innovation is also essential in the bakery and pastry sector,” they explain from Unox, among the world leaders in food service equipment. “For example, we offer advanced technologies that automatically regulate the humidity in the baking chamber: even in a batch of 25 bakery cakes, you will always get a workmanlike leavening, with perfect alveolation and golden, crisp domes.”

“Our solutions adapt times and settings to the amount of food and operator feedback, ensuring uniform and repeatable cooking. The smart combi ovens also feature the latest operating system, which allows remote control, and an intelligent optical sensor, which recognizes the type of food and selects the correct cooking program without human intervention. Finally, our technologies are also smart in saving energy and water, also reducing environmental impact.”

Waste elimination is also a crucial point for Enrico Ferri, CEO of Rational, another of the leading food equipment companies: “Technology helps to produce as little waste as possible: the intelligence of Rational's cooking systems continuously monitors the process, adapting it to the food and making specific recommendations. This provides excellent results and, at the same time, reduces production errors and the resulting food waste.”

“AI can also make a significant contribution,” Ferri continues. “We already use it in service, for more reliable wear and tear predictions based on the type of use and available data, minimizing downtime. It can also be used to adapt production to demand and create optimal cooking processes by combining customer needs with the data and knowledge of our in-house chefs to develop new cooking processes.”

At Host 2025, at fieramilano - Rho from 17 to 21October 2025, the most innovative technologies and products will be at the forefront of the Pastry area.