Dietary fibers long have been acknowledged as food components that are beneficial to health. Dietary fibers can be either soluble in water or insoluble. These products are not digested in the human small intestine but may be fermented in the large intestine.
Prepared Foods' chief editor explores Gastronomie Moleculaire theory and relates it to culinology, while offering an equation that quantifies recipes and their robustness.
America's dessert landscape is blooming with ethnic additions, grilled fruits and portioned parcels of pastry delight. Desserts today are not the final destination. Instead, the desires to plant regional and international seeds have placed foodservice establishments on a path of discovery--one that will require suppliers to dig past the standard sweet ingredients and cultivate spice, fire and ice.
In a world where entrées are becoming appetizers, appetizers turn into entrées, and burgers upgrade to upscale, one must ask, “If you take dinner apart and put it back together again, will satisfaction remain the same?” Due to increased interest in gastronomy (the study of relationship between culture and food), manufacturers will need to manipulate the parts (gourmet, organic and premiumization) in an effort to multiply the sum (flavor, nutrition and economy).
This issue of Prepared Foods offers an overview of the latest trends and happenings among foods and beverages appearing on the nation's menus. A variety of reasons are compelling restaurateurs to look to prepared items to fill their consumers' desires, and the industry is responding in innovative and trend-setting ways.
Chefs gathering for a recent conference offer insight into the trends driving growth in America's restaurants. The four drivers of note are somewhat similar to trends that have emerged in recent years, notably the influence of Hispanic cuisine and the desire for authenticity, natural and fresh produce and ingredients. However, a couple of drivers may foreshadow a true shift in consumer thinking: the desire for sustainability and up-market items, as well as a return to (or, as in some cases, an exploration of) classic culinary techniques.
In this supplier section, the Prepared Foods editors present ingredients to assist food manufacturers' R&D personnel develop restaurant-quality foods. We hope our selection of items is helpful to you. Please contact the supplier directly for more information.--Eds.
Perhaps nowhere on the menu is the dichotomy of consumer desires and wants as evident as it is among salads. While the main ingredients change, so does the importance of the right dressing. Growing concerns about obesity and healthful eating have consumers turning to salads, and foodservice operators find they are easy items to change for excitement and novelty.
The second annual Prepared Foods' "Foodservice Product Development Trends Survey" finds several issues and developments of concern to food manufacturers geared toward restaurants and institutions. This cross-functional range of respondents offers hints and possibilities that can provide a road map to the best chance at success in this growing industry.