New Ingredients Seen at Food Ingredients Europe

Organizers wrapped up another successful installment of Food Ingredients Europe last week. Below are just a few of the innovations that were presented at the show.

At the show, organizers also announced the 2011 winners of the Fi Excellence Awards, which recognizes major innovations in the food industry. Winners included Barry Callebaut for an ultrapure cocoa ingredient called Terra Cacao; Chr. Hansen A/S for a patent-pending carmine colorant with superior process stability; and National Starch Food Innovation for Purity Gum, a unique emulsion stabilizing starch derived from waxy maize.

New Ingredients:

Plant-Based Emulsifier
Wacker Chemie AG (Munich) unveiled a novel, plant-based solution for stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions. Wacker’s technology uses alpha-cyclodextrin produced from renewable plant-based starch materials such as corn or potatoes. Fatty acid ingredients can “slip” into the interior of the doughnut-shaped cyclodextrin, which is lipophilic (fat compatible). The exterior of the cyclodextrin is hydrophilic (water compatible). Thus, the company says, this complex stabilizes the otherwise incompatible oil/water phase interfaces of the emulsion, even at higher processing temperatures. Emulsifiers are typically derived from proteins, such as the mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids or the lecithins found in egg yolk. However, these animal-derived emulsifiers can have disadvantages, such as being sensitive to heat and acid, not having a long shelf life, containing cholesterol, or potentially being allergenic, the company says. In addition to being free of cholesterol and allergens, Wacker's alternative also offers texture and fiber benefits.Wacker Chemie AG

Probiotic Performs in Juices
Chr. Hansen (Hoersholm, Denmark) introduced L. Casei 431 Juice, a probiotic ingredient designed to survive the low-pH environments of chilled juices and juice drinks. The ingredient features strain Lactobacillus paracasei 431. “With a survival of eight weeks, thus securing long shelf life for the beverage product, L. Casei 431 Juice outperforms competitive products in the marketplace,” states Marie Brenoee, global marketing manager of probiotic cultures. “Further, L. Casei 431 Juice has no side effects in the beverage such as an unpleasant off-flavor or gas formation.” The company says there are traditional production risks presented by adding live probiotic bacteria to juice after pasteurization, such as molds, yeasts, and cross-contamination of the juice plant. However, the firm teamed up with Swedish processing and food safety expert Tetra Pak to develop a unique inoculation system that guarantees safe production of probiotic juice.Chr. Hansen

New Rice Brand
Beneo (Manheim, Germany) launched an optimized, shelf-stable rice bran called RemyLive. According to the company, RemyLive offers food producers a high-quality, stable product that not only improves the structure, shelf life, texture, and machinability of food products but also is hypoallergenic, wholegrain, gluten-free, and rich in antioxidants and phytosterols. Targeted applications include cereals and bars, baked goods, and meat.Beneo

A Healthier Whipping Agent
For products such as mousses, cream pies, and fillings, Lamequick Sun 40 is a healthier option, says BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany). Based on sunflower oil, the ingredient’s monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids make Lamequick Sun 40 ideal for manufacturers interested in improving the nutritional value of their products. The company says the ingredient generates very high volumes even at low doses, offering the same quality as conventional whipping agents.BASF

A Better Stevia
With stevia now allowed for marketing in the EU, PureCircle (Oak Brook, IL) showcased new stevia ingredient PureCircle Alpha. According to the company, PureCircle Alpha is a proprietary combination of steviol glycosides that results in a more rounded sweetness and less bitterness than existing stevia sweeteners. The company notes that it is exceptionally well suited for acidic dairy applications, in addition to a diverse range of food and beverages.PureCircle

Texturizing Ingredients
Ingredient suppliers Fiberstar Inc. and Gum Technology have teamed up to create an all new line of texturing ingredients, marrying Fiberstar's citrus fibers with Gum Technology's hydrocolloid-based stabilizer blends. The resulting ingredient range, Hydro-Fi, offers numerous innovative solutions for specific challenges in food formulation. For example, Hydro-Fi has been formulated to replace 50% of the eggs and reduce costs in cakes. In reduced-fat ice cream and sorbet, Hydro-Fi reduces ice crystallization, improves texture, increases overrun, and delays melting. Hydro-Fi also improves texture and reduces staling in baked goods and improves yield in meat products.
Fiberstar Inc., Gum Technology

Purified Acacia Gum, Organic Olive Extract
Newly named firm Nexira (Rouen, France) introduced two new ingredients: Crystal Pure, a highly purified acacia gum, and Oli Ola, an organic olive extract. The company says that Crystal Pure will provide better transparency with reduced turbidity, which broadens the scope of applications for the natural soluble fiber. Meanwhile, Oli Ola guarantees a constant high level of hydroxytyrosol, a phytonutrient with strong antioxidant properties. This antioxidant has been shown to aid in a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease by preventing low-density lipoprotein oxidation.
Nexira

New Stevia Offerings
Korea-based stevia company Seppic introduced four new stevia ingredients. In addition to its already offered Rebaten 97% ingredient, the company introduced Rebaten 90%, Rebaten 80%, Rebaten 60%, and Steviten Light, offering, respectively, rebaudioside A concentrations of 90%, 80%, 60%, and 10%.
Seppic, an Air Liquide subsidiary