New Ideas for More than Just Flavors

October 2011/Prepared Foods -- Wouldn’t it be exciting to find a place where the food and beverage products presented are creative, satisfy a market demand and also feature fun? And, wouldn’t it also be interesting to talk to experts who are creating these types of foods?

David Michael & Co.’s annual Innovation Roadshow is an event where F&B professionals in the R&D, product development, marketing and other departments gather to see new prototypes the company’s global R&D team has worked on all year. “All ideas originate from our worldwide R&D team. Formulators who attend the show get the opportunity to see new product concepts that they may be able to take back and use in their companies,” states Steve Wilbur, vice-president--marketing, David Michael & Co. “The products we show provide an opportunity for attendees to let their creative imaginations soar and think out of the box.” There were more than 25 new product ideas showcased at this year’s Roadshow. Below are a few highlights.

* Even children who are picky eaters will embrace Fortified Fruity Chicken Nuggets, nutritionally enhanced nuggets that feature apple and cherry flavors. The Apple Pie a la Mode version is made with real apple juice concentrate and dried apples, delivering one fruit per 4oz serving. The nugget is coated with real pie crust and iced with vanilla ice cream-flavored coating. The Cherry Lime version fulfills the RDA for both vitamin C and calcium for kids 14 and younger, per 4oz serving. The wild cherry flavor is in the chicken, complemented by lime flavor and vitamins in the icing.

* There is a trend featuring savory-inspired cocktails, with accents such as bacon, anchovies and foie gras. Bartenders are adding bacon fat to whiskey, freezing it and then scraping the solidified fat from the top, for a bacon flavor-infused whiskey, without the fat. Inspired by these new creations, DM’s innovators presented a Fajita ‘Rita (margarita-type drink) beverage featuring fajita, chargrilled chicken and lime flavors. The Steakhouse Mary Beverage featured filet mignon and green onion flavors.

* Turkish-style ice cream, dondurma, has elastic properties; the more the consumer plays with it, the “stretchier” it gets. The DM team presented its version: varietal mint ice creams with sophisticated flavors, such as blackberry spearmint stretchy ice cream and vanilla wintergreen stretchy ice cream.

* Macarons de Paris offered a colorful display of the company’s wide range of natural colors. The French sandwich cookies are made with almond powder, confectioner’s sugar and egg whites and filled with fruit, buttercream or ganache; David Michael’s versions featured lovely hues of yellow, pink, red, orange, violet and white.

* Kao niow dahm (sticky black rice dessert) is a popular Thai dessert made from black sticky rice and coconut milk, commonly served as a snack or breakfast. The innovators also presented an Americanized version with vanilla raspberry flavor.

The company prides itself on being more than just a flavor supplier; it also functions as a full partner in product development. The company’s R&D team is available to help manufacturers who would like to explore these ideas, as well as put a spin on their own versions. The next Roadshow will take place April 25, 2012. Visit www.dmflavors.com for more information.pf

For more information:
David Michael & Co. • Philadelphia
800-DMFLAVORS • roadshow@dmflavors.com
www.dmflavors.com

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Prior to joining the staff, Julia was the editorial director for the Spanish language baking publication, PANamericano. She also freelanced for several years, writing for publications such as Store Equipment and Design, Food Plant Strategies, Food Equipment Solutions, Restaurante Mexicano and the custom publishing division of Restaurants and Institutions.

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