Ingredient Round-Up: January 2015

Ethnic seasonings and flavors

The company’s new line of ethnic seasonings and rubs features 10 distinctive flavors. An expansion of the company’s Ethnic Inspirations Collection, the new products were inspired by regional cuisines from Latin America and North Africa to South Asia and the Far East. The new seasonings are Babi Panggang Seasoning, Bahia-Brazilian Churrascaria Rub, Cambodian Spice Blend, Copacabana Black Bean Seasoning, Korma Spice Blend, Laotian Larb Seasoning, Moroccan Harissa Rub, North African Adobo Seasoning, Nuoc Cham Seasoning, Panaji Pork Rub. They can be used on meats, in fully prepared meats or with foodservice chain operations.

Fuchs North America; Baltimore, Md.

800-365-3229; www.fuchsna.com

API for R&D SW

The first API (application programming interface) has been created for Genesis R&D food development and labeling software. This allows users to integrate data from Genesis into other platforms, such as a website. The API enables users to access the data, analysis and label creation functionality of Genesis R&D through external interfaces. It allows companies to enter their food’s nutrition information once and have the data automatically dispersed to webpages or internal program interfaces, such as point-of-sales systems, inventory management systems, and QC or document systems. The API runs as a service in IIS and is available both as SOAP and REST interfaces.

Esha Research; Salem, Ore.

503-585-6242; www.esha.com

Freshness enhancer

Keep products fresher longer with Ultra Fresh Sweet 275. A new enzyme solution, the product adds freshness, enhances taste and texture, extends the expiration date and reduces waste by keeping donuts and other sweets fresher longer. The company says donuts and sweets stay soft and delicious longer than before and increases repeat purchases and sampling of new varieties.

Corbion Caravan; Lenexa, Kan.

800-669-4092; www.corbion.com

Shallots with shelf life

Shallots, in the same family as onions and garlic, are a delicious ingredient that can be incorporated into many recipes, especially when an upscale twist is desired. But peeling and preparing shallots takes time and they have a limited shelf life. Freeze-dried shallot makes food preparation and production easier. They can be used to top flatbreads, added to quiches and other egg dishes, or to add an interesting kick to sauces and dips. Use this product for casseroles, soups, bread, bagels, mashed potatoes, and in condiments such as salad dressings, marinades, or sandwich spreads. This product can be rehydrated and added to foods or used in dry mixes.

Van Drunen Farms; Momence, Ill.

815-472-3100; www.vandrunenfarms.com

Vibrant natural color shades

The Pure-S brand of natural colors achieves vivid color shades without the use of synthetic colors or non-Kosher natural options. The line's Natural Red color produces a bright strawberry red shade that can be used as replacement for carmine or as an alternative to FD&C Red 40. The colors are ideal for use in many applications, notably in the confection and beverage markets.

Sensient Colors LLC; St. Louis

800-325-8110; www.sensient-tech.com

Comfort foods with flair

Nothing says comfort food like the right breakfast creation, but what motivates consumers to seek comfort food and how do they define it? The American Egg Board examines comfort drivers and upscale gourmet, exotic and traditional breakfast fare in a web-based report complete with market research on breakfast, comfort food and eggs in particular (see www.aeb.org/food-manufacturers/incredible-breakfast-trends). The web page discusses three trends (The Evolution of Perfection, Why We Seek Comfort and The Business of Comfort Food) as well as the heavily millennial trend of "clockless dining."

American Egg Board; Park Ridge, Ill.

847-296-7043; www.aeb.org

Protein flavor masking technology

Mask the flavor of protein caused by soy, whey, lentil and pea with the company’s Protein Power flavor masking line. The company’s proprietary technology masks protein’s bitter taste and can be used in various applications, including protein bars, cereal, baked goods, shakes, dairy and non-dairy formulas and juice beverages. According to market research, U.S. sales of packaged foods with protein-related claims on the label increased to $7.5 billion last year.

Comax Flavors; Melville, N.Y.

631-249-0505; www.comaxflavors.com

Krill oil blend

NKO Focus combines krill oil and lutein esters to improve lutein absorption as much as eight times more than other products. In addition, the product improves brain health and function with seven times more astaxanthin and three percent of the daily value of choline. The product also contains heart-healthy omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA that support cognitive function, while high potency vitamin A helps maintain normal vision.

Neptune Technologies and Bioresources; Quebec

888-664-9166; www.neptunekrilloil.com

Juice concentrates for alcoholic beverages

The trend towards naturalness and premium products also has an effect on the spirit sector, where products with more fruit flavor and higher fruit juice contents are being produced. Not every juice concentrate, however, is suited for alcoholic beverages. Mixing conventional juice concentrates with alcohol can cause precipitations and sedimentations, thus creating a visual impairment to the end product. The vendor has developed a range of clear fruit juice concentrates designed specifically for alcoholic beverages, with a stable color/consistency and no sedimentation, even with a higher juice content. These juice concentrates are optimal for both low-alcoholic beverages (e.g., ciders, wine mixes) and high-proof spirits (e.g. rum, vodka, tequila & cachaça).

Döhler GmbH; Darmstadt, Germany

+49(0)6151/306-0; www.dohler.com

Vegan probiotic

PA5051, a probiotic cultivated from wild switch grass, stands up to acidic exposure and environments with low pH, such as the human digestive system, according to the company. It has acid, heat, oxygen and heat stability and can survive and grow in a wide range of pH, temperatures and osmotic pressures, allowing it to deliver probiotic benefits through the entire digestive tract. PA5051 is a natural lactic acid probiotic that is non-pathogenic and non-spore forming and does not require any specialized handling or clean-up procedures.

A&B Ingredients; Fairfield, N.J.

973-227-1390; www.abingredients.com

Non-GMO frying oil

Sustain is a new, non-GMO, zero trans fat, high-performance premium sunflower frying oil. It's a blend of mid-oleic and high-oleic sunflower oil, and hits the triad of key targets for oils: satisfying consumer health concerns, surpassing restaurant performance requirements and meeting industry sustainability goals. It has an extended fry life, a light and clean flavor that lets the true flavor of the food come through, and little to no polymerization, which means minimal gumming for easy fryer clean up.

Stratas Foods LLC; Memphis, Tenn.

901-387-2260; www.stratasfoods.com

Aromatic Yeasts for Baking

Bakers that want to stand out from the crowd and offer more savory products now have new options: Natural aromatic Florapan yeasts produce a generous bouquet of fruit and floral aromas. With limited fermentation activity, they are perfect for pizza dough and bakery products with unique flavor profiles.Florapan is a range of aromatic yeasts, producing such aromatic compounds as ethyl hexanoate (apple, banana), ethyl octanoate (pineapple, pear) and ethyl decanoate (hazelnut, floral) which are also found in wine. According to company analysis, significant amounts of these esters are present in sourdoughs fermented for 24 hours with the aromatic yeasts.

Lallemand Baking Solutions; Toulouse, France

33 (0) 562 745 568; www.lallemandbaking.com

Alternative to chemically modified starch

ViStarch is a line of starch and hydrocolloid combinations that offers food & beverage manufacturers a range of exciting textures, this latest offering is produced using a unique and entirely physically based process. It brings all the benefits of modified starches without the chemical processing, thus staying on-trend with the market’s move to cleaner labeling. Thanks to the combined starch and hydrocolloid synergistic impact on viscosity, ViStarch also dramatically reduces requirements for other texturizing or thickening agents.

Galam; Menashe, Israel

+972-4-6375222; www.galam.co.il

Liquid stevia

While stevia, which is made from the leaves of a plant, is a pleasant-tasting, natural choice, it is not easy to drop into beverages and other water-based applications. SteviaSweet 95-60 Liquid Stevia addresses this challenge. Produced by water extraction, a method that provides the cleanest flavor because it is free from residue and chemical solvents, SteviaSweet 95-60 Liquid Stevia is water-soluble at temperatures above freezing and heat-stable to 200°C. Designed specifically for beverages, marinades, dressings, soups and other water-based application formulations, the liquid sweetener dissolves into processing immediately and offers the same consistency time after time. It's made of a proprietary blend of steviol glycosides (95 percent stevioside and 60 percent rebaudioside A, hence the name) and has 25 times the sweetening power of sucrose. It pairs well with fruit juices, lemonade, colas, root beers and ginger ales.