Ingredion Incorporated, a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to diversified industries, in partnership with AGT Foods, received an IFT17 Food Expo Innovation Award for their clean taste pulse ingredients at this year’s Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Awards Celebration in Las Vegas.
A panel of eight jurors across disciplines selected four winners out of 41 qualified entries. Judges considered the degree of innovation, problem-solving relevance to the food industry, benefits to food manufacturers and consumers, and scientific merit.
Judge comments on the clean-taste pulses included, “Flavor of plant proteins is a major hurdle to acceptance; finding a physical treatment to ameliorate the flavor would be welcome,” and “Innovative; problem-solving; clean label; vegan protein.”
Remarks also highlighted the reduction of beany flavor by a physical process and the validated kill step that diminishes the presence of microorganisms.
“Ingredion Incorporated and AGT Foods worked together to overcome several difficult technical challenges to reduce flavor while maintaining other desirable product characteristics such as protein content and quality, overall nutritional content, and the functionality provided by the pulse flours and proteins,“ says Igor Playner, vice president of innovation and strategy, North America, at Ingredion Incorporated.
Playner adds, “With one in three consumers stating that they prefer a vegetable-sourced protein to an animal-sourced protein, Ingredion’s clean-taste pulses help make it possible for manufacturers to meet consumer needs and bring added nutritional balance into new applications such as alternative dairy, beverages, confectionery and savory, or to increase usage levels in current application areas such as pasta, snacks, bakery and crisps.”
At the IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo, visitors tasted the clean-taste pulses in a Burmese chickpea tofu, alfredo sauce and baked churro to a vegan coconut milk pulse yogurt and chocolate pulse protein spread.
Pulse education sessions included:
• “Leveraging the Power of Plant Proteins” with Dr. Mehmet Tulbek of AGT Foods.
• “Expand Your Application Areas with Clean-Taste Pulse Ingredients” with Dr. Bicheng Wu of Ingredion.
Ingredion is the exclusive distributor of pulse ingredients manufactured by one of the world’s largest pulse processors, AGT Foods. The clean-taste line of pulse ingredients are clean label, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegetarian and sustainably sourced. In certain applications, the inherent flavor profile of conventional pulses is a perfect fit, whereas in other applications, having a pulse with a neutral flavor profile is preferred. Pulses are the dried seeds of plants from the legume family, like peas, edible beans, lentils and chickpeas. Special properties make pulses particularly suitable for today’s health conscious consumers. The ingredients are naturally very high in protein and dietary fiber, are rich in minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, and are a source of B vitamins and folic acid.
To learn more about Ingredion’s clean-taste line of pulse proteins and flours, or to find out how Ingredion’s technical, sensory, CULINOLOGY® and applications teams help food manufacturers develop tailor-made, high-quality foods, contact Ingredion at 866-961-6285, or visit www.ingredion.us/pulses
About Ingredion
Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) is a leading global ingredient solutions provider. We turn grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant materials into value-added ingredients and biomaterial solutions for the food, beverage, paper and corrugating, brewing and other industries. Serving customers in over 100 countries, our ingredients make crackers crunchy, yogurts creamy, candy sweet, paper stronger and add fiber to nutrition bars. Visit Ingredion.com to learn more.
About Ingredion Idea Labs
Ingredion Idea Labs™ science-based problem solving fosters ideas, innovations and solutions to help customers differentiate their products, optimize costs and get to market faster with greater success and profitability. Our network of 27 labs invites spirited collaboration through consumer insights, applied research, applications know-how and process technology. Visit ingredionidealabs.com
About AGT Food and Ingredients Inc.
AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. (AGT) is a processor of value-added pulses, staple foods and ingredients for export and domestic markets as well as a supplier of retail packaged and canned foods to retail and food service sectors. Through its offices and processing facilities located in some of the best agricultural growing regions in Canada, the U.S., Turkey, China, Australia and South Africa, merchandising and sales offices in the U.K., the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and India and origination offices in Russia, AGT produces a full range of pulses and specialty crops including lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans and canary seed as well as food ingredients such as pulse flours, proteins, starches and fibres. Through its subsidiaries in Turkey, the Arbel Group, AGT also produces staple foods such as Arbella Pasta, rice, and milled wheat products, including bulgur and semolina. For more information visit www.agtfoods.com.
