Time is a rare commodity. Formulators and their clients know that producing a quality product is difficult and takes a great deal of time and, often, expense. Creating fresh tasting foods requires a huge investment in labor, production and shipping costs. Formulators looking to save their company time and labor may find a line of vegetable flavor bases and concentrates very useful: they offer fresh vegetable taste and aroma while saving the cost of cleaning, cutting, dicing and preparing fresh vegetables.

The Nikken Foods Company (St. Louis) recently launched its line of flavor bases and concentrates in order to help formulators “cut down on processing time and eliminate raw material storage issues,” informs Jim Nolte, technical services manager, Nikken Foods. Not only does the line save companies labor and product loss that occurs when vegetables are prepped in plants, but also the time associated with cooking, sauteing and caramelizing the vegetables so they attain the necessary consistency before further processing the food product. The line of shelf-stable concentrates consists of Sauteed Onion Paste, Sauteed Minced Onion Paste, Sauteed Garlic Paste and Sauteed Onion Liquid concentrate. The vegetable concentrates provide a clean, non-salty, sweet taste and aroma in products such as gravies, dressings and sauces, and, although only a small quantity is needed, they also provide powerful flavor. Both the concentrates and pastes are water-soluble extracts that easily blend into liquid systems.

A separate line of liquid products includes Sauteed Mushroom Liquid concentrate and Sauteed Shiitake Liquid concentrate, which offer a rich and robust concentrated flavor profile. Their consistent flavor, aroma and color are guaranteed by the company's strict adherence to the highest standards of quality processing control, and sourcing the finest ingredients. The products may be stored at room temperature under normal conditions for a period of up to 12 months.

Natural Food Products

Nolte says kitchen testing indicates usage levels are optimal at about 1% to 1.5% to “fortify flavors that are already there or to ultimately enhance and give a sauteed onion or garlic flavor to a finished product. We can offer tips on usage based on the products the customer is manufacturing, such as a soup, sauce, salad dressing or other item.” Additionally, all of the products are natural and fall in line with the trend towards eating natural foods. For example, the Sauteed Shiitake Mushroom Concentrate provides a main ingredient used in Asian trendy dishes--one with a unique flavor profile that incorporates ginger and leek, giving it a meaty savory note, says Nolte.

In addition to the vegetable bases and concentrates, Nikken Foods offers a large assortment of vacuum dried products (such as roasted onion, garlic and mirepoix powders), fermented products (such as soy sauce and teriyaki powders) and seafood extracts (such as shrimp, bonito and oyster extract powders). “We have full-time technical service management on staff and at our distribution site in St. Louis. There is a full complement of technical data and applications information available by phone, fax or Internet,” says Nolte. Nikken Foods Company is one of the largest natural flavor companies in the world, and its 40 years of experience puts it in a unique position to offer food ingredients critical to helping clients meet their formulation goals.

For more information:
Nikken Foods Company, Jim Nolte
636-532-1019, ext. 126,
jim@lilar.com
www.nikkenfoods.com