Food & Beverage

As more wellness products enter an already crowded market, packaging remains paramount to marketing and branding efforts.

The right ingredients can not only provide superior flavor, but also functional benefits as well as improve batch consistency, reducing manufacturing costs. 

From protein to elderberry, suppliers formulated today’s hottest ingredients into innovative foods and drinks at IFT 2019.

Two supplements are available: one for the morning, to be taken with your morning coffee, and another to be taken in the evening.

Olam International’s (Singapore) Olam Cocoa division was at June’s Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo highlighting some of its clean-label premium cocoa powders along with the value powders produced at the company’s new U.S. plant.

What’s in a name? When that name applies to an oat “milk,” soy “cheese,” or macadamia nut “ice cream,” the answer may be: the seeds of controversy.

Allulose, an ingredient that offers important health benefits when used as a sugar replacer, is gaining momentum now that FDA has said it does not need to be counted as an added sugar on FDA’s new Nutrition Facts label.

At IFT 2019, functional-ingredients supplier Ribus (St. Louis) talked about how its rice-based ingredients are finding more and more followers in the clean-label space.

For food manufacturers, the new shortenings offer performance comparable to partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) but with the health benefits of soy and high-oleic soybean oil.

According to New Nutrition Business, consumers may prefer vegetable-based plant-based products over plant-based meat alternatives, which have a more complex ingredient deck. 

This U.S. quinoa supply offers sensory attributes comparable to quinoa sourced from South America and provides important sustainability benefits to local growers.

Diana’s new USDA-certified organic color portfolio targets dairy and other food and drinks.

At IFT 2019, starch suppliers presented their newest native, clean-label innovations.

From overcoming high-protein challenges to delivering lactose-free options, dairy protein suppliers continue to serve the market’s needs.

The company’s solutions address many inherent challenges presented by plant-based proteins, including off notes and bitterness and perceived dryness.

Does probiotics’ future lie in foods, beverages, supplements-or all three?

Synergy Flavors (Wauconda, IL) is partnering with The Hatchery, a Chicago-based nonprofit group created to help small, local food and beverage entrepreneurs develop ideas and products.

BacoMind from Natural Remedies is now self-affirmed GRAS

The company calls the new ingredient, named SteviAroma, a “taste modulator.”

The company has expanded its clean-label portfolio, which now includes clean-label flakes, powders, inclusions, and culinary preparations.

Sabinsa’s patented color-free Curcumin C3 Reduct has been found to meet the criteria to be considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) following a comprehensive review of safety and toxicology data. 

The new deal will see PureCircle supply Merisant with ingredients made from next-generation steviol glycosides such as Rebaudioside M (Reb M).

According to the companies, the deal “will create a unique food ingredient manufacturing and distribution offering that marries Prinova’s renowned expertise with Nagase’s truly global footprint.”

There is an innovation gap in the children’s beverage space that can be filled with functional products, says Kerry.

Zolesse works well when combined with other stevia products. It can help to modify the taste of stevia extracts, for instance, reducing bitterness and linger and resulting in a more sugar-like taste.

A gluten-free, clean label, and vegan ingredient, XanFlax can be used as a non-GMO replacement for xanthan gum, without sacrificing flavor and quality, says the firm.

The number of new products worldwide using stevia grew more than 31% in 2018, reports the leading stevia producer PureCircle (Chicago, IL), based on data collected by Mintel Group Ltd.

Food and drink formulators are leveraging the health benefits of probiotics, prebiotics-and, increasingly, both together as synbiotics.

Wixon has relaunched Mag-nifique, positioning it as a portfolio of custom flavor modifiers. 

Fruitlift is a real-fruit based sweetening solution designed to replace refined sugar in RTE cereals.