The science of seed retention: Inside GECKO® Ultra's game-changing formula

Walk into any bakery, artisan or industrial, and the allure of seeded loaves is hard to miss. From golden sesame-topped buns to rustic loaves finished with sunflower or poppy seeds, toppings aren't just aesthetic; they signal nutrition, flavour, and premium quality. But behind this appealing exterior lies a persistent operational frustration: keeping those seeds attached.

In the rush from dough to display, something as small as a falling flaxseed becomes a big problem. Bakeries watch thousands of valuable seeds dislodge during baking, packaging, transport and handling every shift. It's wasteful, expensive, and a blow to the product's visual appeal. Sometimes, up to half of all decorative toppings are lost before the product reaches the consumer. And so, bakers overcompensate—using more seeds than needed, increasing costs, and compromising efficiency.

At ACI Group, we've spent years helping bakeries across the UK optimise their processes and ingredients. So, when we saw the transformation that GECKO® Ultra delivered across Europe, we knew this wasn't just another functional ingredient. It was a game-changer.

GECKO® Ultra is the result of scientific insight inspired by nature. Developed by GoodMills Innovation GmbH, it takes its name (and a bit of its genius) from the gecko lizard, renowned for effortlessly sticking to surfaces. The product mimics this natural adhesion through a refined physical process using a specific wheat variety. It's a powder that, when mixed with water, forms a stable suspension with extraordinary sticking power.

However, unlike other seed adhesives or binding agents, GECKO® Ultra contains no chemical additives. It's 100% natural, wheat-based, and clean-label—perfectly aligned with today's consumer demands for transparency and simplicity in food production.

The brilliance lies in the performance. Traditional water-based seed application is little more than wishful thinking. Seeds loosely cling to the dough, only to fall off moments later. In contrast, GECKO® Ultra boasts adhesion strength that far outperforms water and common mixtures like guar gum. Whether applying linseeds, poppy seeds, or coarse grains, GECKO® Ultra holds them firmly from the oven to check out—and even to the customer's plate.

One industrial bakery recently illustrated this contrast dramatically. Tasked with ensuring a minimum amount of sesame seeds atop frozen and partially baked loaves, they found themselves in a constant battle with inconsistency. Using water and conventional spray nozzles, they were forced to overapply seeds to meet quality targets. It was inefficient, wasteful, and increasingly costly.

Enter GECKO® Ultra. Working with spray technology specialists, the bakery adopted a high-spec AutoJet® E2850+ spray system capable of managing the viscosity of GECKO® Ultra. The result was a more accurate and even application and a dramatic improvement in seed retention. Seed usage was cut by half, while the final product appeared more generously covered than before.

More importantly, the upgrade wasn't just about aesthetics. This shift brought real savings. Reduced raw material use, fewer cleaning demands from fallen seeds, and less maintenance downtime meant the bakery achieved a full return on investment in just six months. Their sustainability credentials also got a boost, aligning the project with their broader "Zero Waste" ambitions.

And this isn't an isolated case. Across a range of trials and applications, GECKO® Ultra consistently boosts seed retention from an industry average of 56% to upwards of 90%. That's not just better. It's transformative. Fewer seeds on the floor means more in the loaf, more in the consumer's mouth, and more value per bake.

For bakers, it's the kind of change that reverberates across the production line. GECKO® Ultra is easy to prepare—mix it with water and allow it to stand briefly before applying. No heating is required, and the suspension remains stable during use. It can be applied using traditional bakery brushes, immersion baths, roller systems, or advanced spray setups, depending on the scale and automation level of the bakery.

Even small artisan bakeries have adopted GECKO® Ultra, using it in manual or semi-automated systems to reduce seed loss, improve visual consistency, and make cleaning down a quicker job at day's end. Its jelly-like consistency ensures precise application without dripping or fogging, and its neutral taste and smell make it virtually undetectable to the customer—except for how much better the product looks.

It's also a packaging win. Products arrive at retail with their seeds intact, avoiding that all-too-common moment when the decorative topping ends up inside the bag rather than on the bun.

At ACI Group, we've made it our business to bring innovations like this to UK bakeries that are ready to improve performance and perception. Whether you're running a high-output factory line or a compact regional bakehouse, GECKO® Ultra integrates seamlessly into existing operations. And when combined with our technical guidance and market expertise, the result is a smoother, cleaner, and more efficient process from start to finish.

What makes GECKO® Ultra more than just a useful product is how effortlessly it aligns with the key drivers shaping the modern bakery sector: cost-efficiency, operational resilience, clean-label integrity, and waste reduction. It's a small change with a big ripple effect, reducing raw ingredient costs, enhancing product presentation, and reinforcing brand trust.

In an era where bakeries are scrutinised for both quality and sustainability, GECKO® Ultra provides a rare advantage. It answers a long-standing technical problem with elegant simplicity, drawing on nature to improve industrial performance.

So next time you pick up a seeded roll and all the toppings stay firmly in place—even after slicing, toasting, and buttering—there's a good chance GECKO® Ultra had something to do with it.

The solution is already here for bakeries looking to stick to higher standards. Contact ACI Group today to learn more about integrating GECKO® Ultra into your production—and start seeing the difference, seed by seed.