TREATMENT OF FLOUR OR DOUGH FOR BAKING, e.g. BY ADDITION OF MATERIALS; BAKING; BAKERY PRODUCTS (preservation of flour or dough before baking A23B40/00; preservation of bakery products A23B45/00)

Description

A21D covers the chemical and physical treatment of flour and dough before and during baking, including the addition of ingredients, additives, and processing aids that modify dough properties or improve final product quality. This subclass encompasses baking processes, heat treatment of doughs, and the manufacture of finished bakery products such as bread, cakes, pastries, and related items. It includes technologies for dough conditioning, fermentation control, and incorporation of functional ingredients, but excludes the design of baking equipment itself (covered in A21B) and flour milling operations (covered in A21D's parent class A21).

Filing statistics

CPC subclass A21D recorded 28,227 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 1,869 in 2013 to 1,482 in 2023 (-21%), peaking at 3,848 applications in 2016. The most active applicants in class A21 are GENERAL MILLS (346 applications), HAAS FOOD EQUIPMENT (330 applications) and NESTEC (235 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings