Just Add Bread
Hassle-free new Bread Pudding Batters from Darifair Foods Inc. provide a creative and delectable outlet for day-old bread using no extra ingredients. Preparation is quick and easy. The batter is available in all the most popular base flavors: Baker's Spices, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Fruit and Chocolate. Darifair Foods Inc., Jeffery Block, 904-268-8999, www.darifair.comClinging to Spice
A specific stabilizing system for the creation of filmstrips containing flavors and spices is now available from Degussa Food Ingredients' business line Texturant Systems. Vitex XN B4349 is designed to allow for the production of pliable filmstrips that can wrap around poultry or meat products before cooking to add extra flavors and spices. The stabilizer system offers: low viscosity during production, pliable texture, cling of flavor and spices to the meat, attractive and glossy surface to the meat, moisture seal while cooking, as well as a nonfat flavoring system. Degussa Texturant Systems, Shay Bustamante, 800-241-9485, www.degussa.comSucculent Seafood Extracts
At the source of most seafood-flavored soups, bisques, dips, sauces and surimi are all-natural seafood extracts. Each day, Ocean Cliff Corp. pulls seafood from the North Atlantic to create seafood-flavored extracts for use in lobster-, shrimp-, crab- and clam-flavored applications. The extracts are ready to add to formulas as liquid concentrates or as spray-dried powders. Custom batch sizing is encouraged to prepare unique, simplified blends. Ocean Cliff Corp., David Belzer, 847-729-9074, oceanclf@hotmail.com
When a Low pH is Important
With glucono-delta-lactone (GDL), there is no change in flavor, only a controlled change in pH. GDL is unique because, when it is added to food and dissolved in the aqueous phase, it has a neutral pH. Over time, the lactone hydrolyzes to the acidic form and you get a decrease of up to 3 pH units. This slow, steady increase in acidity is very controlled and reproducible. Applications range from baked goods--where it reacts with sodium bicarbonate to produce carbon dioxide and leaven cakes, waffles or tortillas--to processed meats, where it is both an acidifier and a curing accelerator (in combination with nitrites or ascorbates). Jungbunzlauer, 800-828-0062, info@jungbunzlauer.com, www.jungbunzlauer.com
Phosphate Fixes for Meats
A line of custospecialty phosphates serving a diverse range of mers across multiple applications and geographies is now available. For example, CURAFOS[r] BrineSolve is a distinctive sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) designed to dissolve in the presence of salt for use in processed meat. CURAFOS ColorSure, with a pH of 8.1, is designed to provide juicy, tender texture primarily for cooked turkey breast--without sacrificing the white opaque color associated with the meat. Innophos Inc. (formerly Rhodia Specialty Phosphates North America), Gene Brotsky, 574-320-6990, 609-860-4696, www.innophos.comCloser to the Real Deal
A new generation of high-moisture, whole-muscle, meat alternatives is now available. The flavor and texture of the NutriSoy[r] Next[tm] line takes soy-based meat analogs to a new level, as they closely simulate cooked, whole-muscle meat like poultry--right down to the taste and the bite. NutriSoy Next meat alternatives are produced using soy proteins in combination with other vegetable proteins such as wheat gluten or, in some cases, egg whites. Other ingredients, such as starches, vegetable oils, flavors and colors, also may be incorporated. Applications include hot or cold entrées; battered or breaded nuggets; or any formula requiring strips, cubes or shreds. ADM Natural Health and Nutrition, 800-510-2178, nutrition@admworld.com, www.admworld.comHigher Protein, Less Viscosity
An all-natural rice protein concentrate that contains 80% rice protein is available from A&B Ingredients. Remypro N80+ is unique because it is not thixotropic, so unlike most proteins, it can be used at high levels without thickening. Also, because Remypro N80+ is rice-based, it is hypoallergenic, unlike proteins derived from many other plant proteins and animal sources. Remypro N80+ can increase the protein and nutritional content of low-carbohydrate baked goods, energy bars and meal-replacement systems. A&B Ingredients, Gil Bakal, 973-227-1390, gbakal@abingredients.com, www.abingredients.comBlending In
Starting with your recipe or formula and then blending in established quality, Blendex Company offers consistency and confidence to customized blends or private label items. It also offers a large selection of seasonings (from Cactus Blossom Onion to Pepper Steak), marinades and glazes (from Honey Cinnamon to Blackened Fajita), batters, breadings and mixes. With more than 25 years of experience--10 that were highlighted by a superior rating by AIB Association--Blendex is strengthened by an impressive mix of services, including the ability to package in sizes from 4oz. to 44,000lb tankers and provide on-site R&D services. Blendex Company, Ron Carr, 800-BLENDEX, rcarr@blendex.com, www.blendex.comInnovation Keeps Customers
Create inventive new products with the help of a new recipe collection entitled Innovation in Action. The comprehensive guide is brimming with photos, idea-starters, product tips and information, featuring products recently developed for foodservice, which can assist product developers for packaged retail and foodservice items. With innovative applications, ranging from appetizers to sandwiches and entrées, distinctive recipes are available for all day parts--including breakfast! Some of the most popular ethnic cuisines, including Latin, Mediterranean and Asian, are utilized. For a free booklet, request item #24708 from America's Beef Producers, 800-368-3138, innovationinaction@beef.orgHeart and Whole-oat Fiber
If formulating heart-healthy products, consider Nutrim[r] Oat Bran from VDF/FutureCeuticals. The ingredient delivers sufficient whole-oat fiber to meet FDA requirements for heart-healthy label claims. With easy, instant dissolvability, Nutrim acts as a fat mimetic, replacing oils and trans-fats, to create innovative, delicious low-cal beverages, soups, smoothies, shakes and bars that qualify for oat healthy-heart claims, while retaining a creamy, lush mouthfeel. Van Drunen Farms/Futureceuticals, John Hunter, 815-472-3545, jhunter@vandrunen.com, www.futureceuticals.comEgg Replacer
A soy-based ingredient has been developed to provide the functionality and characteristics of whole egg. Primera Foods adds EggSTREME[tm] Bakery Mix 100, a new addition to its EggSTREME Options line of highly functional egg products and egg alternatives. The bakery mix can replace as little as 25% or up to 100% of whole egg and gives excellent results in applications such as muffins, pancakes, cookies, sweet baked goods, brownies, doughnuts and many other applications where eggs are required. Primera Foods provides specialty and innovative food ingredients to almost every segment of the food industry, including pasta, baking, dairy, confectionery, beverages and meat. Primera Foods, Leslie Rask, 763-420-5553, www.primerafoods.comHandy Solutions
Swiss American and Italian-style cheese sauces are two of the latest additions to the company's line of melt-restricted products that also include Cheddar, Mexican-style (with peppers) and Mozzarella flavors. The restricted-melt cheese sauces are perfect for hand-held foods and include applications such as frozen entrées and appetizers; meat, poultry and seafood products; baked goods; and enrobed sandwiches. The ingredients can be used “as is” for fillings via extrusion or dispensing equipment. They also can serve as the basis for finished soups and sauces when water and/or additional ingredients are added. Kraft Food Ingredients, Jim Cali, 901-381-6500, www.kraftfoodingredients.comLow-carb Diets Prove Difficult
Despite personal stories touting the effectiveness of low-carb diets, in practice, 50% fewer dieters reach their weight-loss goals on low-carb diets compared to all weight-loss diets in general. In a report from The Hartman Group, The Vanishing Potato: Understanding the World of Low-Carb Dieting from a Consumer Perspective, 14% of low-carb dieters noted they quit the diet because they reached their weight-loss goal, compared to 29% of all weight-loss dieters who quit their diet because they had reached their goal. One reason was because of the difficulty of maintaining a low-carb regimen. Some 52% of those who quit a low-carb diet did so because “it was too hard to maintain.” This compares to 26% of those who quit all weight-loss diets for that same reason.“Our research has shown, time and again, that true marketplace change is consumer driven,” said the founder, chairman and CEO of The Hartman Group, Harvey Hartman. “For that reason, it is imperative that the food and beverage industry understand the true consumer behavior that underlies the hype that so often accompanies consumer trends. The low-carb phenomenon is no exception, as our findings indicate.”
The Internet survey was conducted in April 2004. A sample of 1,329 adults (18 and older) was drawn from The Hartman Group's online panel of consumers. The Hartman Group, Blanca Hernandez, 425-452-0818, www.hartman-group.com/products/studylowcarb.html
Bar Hardening Prevention and Net Carbs
New technologies to help the food industry capture growing market opportunities for great-tasting, healthful nutrition bars are available from The Solae Company. Soy protein isolates are among the new technologies designed to prevent bar hardening, helping to maintain first-day freshness over the shelflife of the bar. Another new innovation is a high-protein soy nugget that, when dietary fiber content is taken into account, does not contribute any “net carbs” to a product's formulation and provides a light, crispy, crunchy texture. The Solae Company, 800-325-7108, www.thesolaecompany.com7 Great Reasons to Attend
1. World-class speakers will provide statistics and key trends on new product introductions.2. Sample truly innovative products from around the globe, courtesy of Mintel International.
3. Leave with a binder full of valuable data, insights and contacts to stimulate your company's new products program.
4. Network with 300 leaders in R&D and marketing.
5. Rejuvenate your creativity by listening to insightful and inspired speakers in a relaxed business setting.
6. Hear what teens have to say about today's new products.
7. Enjoy culinary-inspired foods at virtually every meal, courtesy of NPC sponsors.
In addition, this year's winners of the retail and foodservice Spirit of Innovation Awards will be announced. The Awards dinner is gaining prominence as a key industry event recognizing product development teamwork and new product creativity. For more information, go to www.PreparedFoods.com and click “2004 New Products Conference” on the left side of the page.
Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor?
It's sticky, icky and not biodegradable. For these reasons, it was banned in Singapore in 1992. Singaporeans were tired of looking at chewed-up, used-up globs of chewing gum. You can buy prescription gum in Singapore for “therapeutic” purposes only, like trying to kick a cigarette habit. You will have to submit your name and an identity card though, and pharmacists who deal chewing gum illegally can face two years in jail.What if scientists could develop a biodegradable chewing gum that also has a great flavor? University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, Ill.) researcher Soo-Yeun Lee feels she is on to some new possibilities. In sensory panels, nine panelists chewed six types of gum--four with a corn zein base--once a day for five weeks, and evaluated them for taste, texture, aroma and mouthfeel. Every 0.5 seconds, a computerized system recorded the intensity of flavor that participants were experiencing. With these readings, researchers determined when maximum flavor intensity was reached, how long it took to reach maximum intensity and the duration of intensity. Of the six gums tested, Lee believes she has found a couple of winners--two gums with corn zein bases. Each requires certain modifications, but the gums have definite potential to taste good, not stick to things after having been chewed, and degrade naturally in the environment. University of Illinois, Soo-Yeun Lee, 217-244-9435 or 217-766-2783, soolee@uiuc.edu, or contact Phyllis Picklesimer, 217-244-2827, p-pickle@uiuc.edu
