Kemin Highlights Clean Label Reformulation Tools for Preservatives and Dough Conditioners at IFT

Kemin Food Technologies will showcase a portfolio of clean label reformulation ingredients at this year's Institute of Food Technologists Annual Event and Expo, known as IFT FIRST, positioning its enzyme and fermentate-based solutions as tools for manufacturers navigating both consumer demand for simpler labels and a shifting federal regulatory landscape around synthetic preservatives.¹

The timing is notable, as the FDA has spent much of 2026 reassessing legacy food preservatives, including active reviews of butylated hydroxytoluene and azodicarbonamide, following an earlier reassessment of butylated hydroxyanisole.²

"Food manufacturers are balancing increasing consumer demand for clean, simple ingredients with pressure to maintain quality, freshness, and production efficiency," noted Courtney Schwartz, vice president of marketing at Kemin Food Technologies-North America. "At IFT FIRST, we're looking forward to helping manufacturers discover practical ingredient solutions that simplify formulations while protecting shelf life, texture, flavor, and yield."

Why Are Manufacturers Reformulating Away From Synthetic Preservatives and Dough Conditioners?

The push toward reformulation is happening on two fronts simultaneously. On the regulatory side, the FDA finalized its food chemical post-market assessment program earlier this year and has since opened formal reviews of several legacy additives, with public comment periods for butylated hydroxytoluene closing at a later date to be announced.²

Separately, proposed federal legislation, the Food Chemical Reassessment Act, would subject a broader list of additives, including tertiary butylhydroquinone, food dyes, and other preservatives, to recurring review every 3 years, though that bill has not yet advanced out of committee.³ On the consumer side, demand for recognizable ingredient labels continues to push manufacturers to evaluate replacements before regulatory action forces the issue, rather than after.

What Ingredient Categories Is Kemin Featuring for Reformulation?

At the show, Kemin's bakery-focused offerings include an enzyme blend positioned as a replacement for DATEM and monoglycerides in dough conditioning, intended to improve crumb softness and reduce staling during storage, along with an enzyme and gum blend developed for corn tortilla applications and a clean label alternative to calcium propionate for mold inhibition in tortillas and baked goods.

On the meat and poultry side, the company is highlighting a fermentate and buffered vinegar blend for mold control in meat sticks and jerky, and a rosemary extract positioned as an alternative to tertiary butylhydroquinone for controlling color and flavor degradation. "Our latest bakery enzyme technology demonstrates how manufacturers can replace synthetic dough conditioners without compromising performance, giving bakers clean label solutions that work throughout production and storage," Schwartz said.

How Should Manufacturers Evaluate Preservative Replacement Claims?

Replacing a synthetic preservative or dough conditioner with a natural alternative is rarely a one-to-one substitution. Enzyme and botanical extract-based systems often behave differently across pH ranges, moisture content, and shelf-life requirements than the synthetic additives they're replacing, meaning performance claims made in one food category, such as bakery, do not necessarily translate directly to another, such as processed meat.

Manufacturers evaluating a switch should request category-specific performance data and shelf-life testing relevant to their own production conditions, rather than relying on a supplier's general claims about clean label equivalence.

References

1. Kemin Industries. Kemin Food Technologies-North America demonstrates smarter reformulation amid evolving regulations and clean label demands at IFT FIRST 2026. Kemin Industries. July 13, 2026. Accessed July 14, 2026.

2. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA finalizes food chemical safety post-market assessment program, launches reassessment of BHT, ADA. US Food and Drug Administration. May 12, 2026. Accessed July 14, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-finalizes-food-chemical-safety-post-market-assessment-program-launches-reassessment-bht-ada

3. Food Chemical Reassessment Act of 2025. HR 5163, 119th Congress (2025-2026). Accessed July 14, 2026. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4306