Ingredients on fire at Fi Europe

Photo credit: SChrist

It’s a good litmus test of how things are returning to some kind of normal, when one heads to a trade show and the aisles are busy with visitors. It must have been a balm to the organisers, Informa, to see Fi Europe, one of their flagship expositions, back up and running in a new venue in Paris 6-8 November –  Paris Expo de la Porte de Versailles.

Prinova was there in hall four with PlantGuard, which is a natural preservative for hindering microbial spoilage and extending shelf life for products. It can be used across multiple applications and only needs low doses to be effective, the company says. It is particularly effective against the formation of gram-positive bacteria, which is more prevalent in juices and dairy, but is also somewhat effective against some gram-negative bacteria, yeasts and moulds, noted Chloe Downs, the technical account manager for the UK & Ireland at Prinova. It offers a neutral tase, is non-GMO, heat stable, and can be used for a clean label on products.

At Myco Technology, also in the same hall, Lisa Wetstone, senior director of strategy and marketing, was discussing the exciting options for the firm’s ClearIQ flavour, a natural bitter blocker and flavour modifier derived from mushroom fermentation, which allows higher nutrient density and reduction of salt and sugar. The company has also embarked on a joint venture with IFF in the Asia-Pacific region to co-develop alternative proteins. The two companies have already worked together in the US and feature in a new collaboration in Europe, the firms say. “It’s really exciting for the market,” Wetstone notes.

ADM’s communications manager, Chris Saynor, says dairy trends have inspired the company’s plant-based spoonable snack, which was based on pea and soy proteins. For dairy, ADM’s range of products include ingredients such as tea and coffee, guarana and maca botanical extracts for use in yogurt and yogurt drinks.

Marie-Bénédicte Charpentier, head of EMEAI marketing and growth director, notes it is very important to be delivering solutions to customers. “Our formulations here are aiming to inspire customers with concepts that are specialised and adaptive.” Hendrik Freudenstein, the general manager for food at ADM, added that bitter flavour masking and indulgence were two of the trends the range of ADM ingredients was addressing. Meanwhile, consumers are also looking for diversification in taste trends.

Geographically, tastes were also somewhat divergent, as in places such as Africa, protein-based products were key, while APAC was interested in fibres and prebiotics. Products such as ambient yogurts were opening up new areas for ADM’s range as well in that region, they note. Iago Quintana, business development director probiotics F&B Global at ADM, says the metabolic and mental health aspects of products is a growing issue in the marketplace as well.

At Beneo, Rudi Wouters, head of its technology centre, was on hand to discuss nutritional values and how despite them, the product has to be tasty. “We have found that is the most important aspect of any product. Consumers will only re-buy a product when it’s tasty.” He noted the fava bean ingredients had a very neutral taste, which blended well with other ingredients. Palatinose, meanwhile is a slowly digestible and low-glycaemic carbohydrate. Due to being slowly absorbed, it provides energy in a balanced and prolonged way, as reflected in the curve representing its low and steady blood glucose response. It is derived from sucrose and has a very mild natural taste in addition to being non-cariogenic, according to the company.

Interest is growing for prebiotics as well in Europe, according to its surveys. The level has grown to 48 per cent from 38 per cent, the data shows. “There is a lot of confusion between probiotics and probiotics, but people are interested and they are seen as natural,” Myriam Snaet, manager of market intelligence and consumer insights at Beneo, observes. Influencers are also keen as prebiotics are seen as proven, natural ingredients, she notes.

Ingredia for its part was upholding the dairy sector, according to Séverine Lemoine, communications manager at Ingredia. “A lot of exhibitors are focusing on plant-based ingredients, but we want to show dairy as healthy, tasty and not dead! Our farmers work hard and produce good quality ingredients,” she says. In its marketing, Ingredia introduced its new mascot, the adorable Cowlaite, along with a new app that shows consumers via QR code as to where the milk came from, and where it was bottled and collected. Consumers can read about the biodiversity of the farms and the measures they take for sustainability and reducing emissions. José Luis Pinedo Rivera, product manager for Ingredia, showed how the information can change batch to batch on the QR codes.

Nexira for its part was highlighting the natural processing of its selection of ingredients, including Naltive locust bean, tara bean and guar gums as texturisers. Julie Imperato, marketing communications manager of Nexira, says there are so many developments in finished products, that the key is being understandable to the consumer on the product label. Tara gum is useful for preventing the growth of ice crystals in ice cream applications, while guar gum improves the taste in ice cream, and locust bean is useful for creaminess and mouthfeel for products.

Over at Rousselot, Pierre-Albert Thomas, global technical support director says there are new projects across the board at the company, and that it is extending its product lines, such as collagens. He did notice that while there was a sizeable attendee contingent from Asia, the Chinese visitors were absent, as they have been discouraged from travelling due to Covid-19 restrictions. Gelatine remains the firm’s core business, with recognised technical values and as milk protein prices increase, there has been quite some use with gelatine for use in products, he notes.

Cargill’s stand, as with many of the others, was very busy. The stand was separated into different sectors, so dairy had its own chocolate drink and ice cream mini-stand set around the edges of the larger booth. Joachim Cierbaux, associate application specialist dairy for Cargill was dishing out both plant-based and milk-based cocoa drinks, featuring Gherkins coca powders and a texturizing blend to prevent separation. The ice cream saw a 30 per cent reduction in sugar, in line with European rules on reduced sugars in products. It contained soluble corn fibre and coconut oil, along with a stabilising blend. The fibre was produced at Cargill’s new facility in Poland, using a process developed with Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Cierbaux says. “It offers a significant reduction without losing the sensory properties and mouthfeel,” he adds. “It also makes for a very simple recipe, with no off taste.”

Finnish dairy giant Valio was offering solutions on-stand, with protein enriched, sugar reduced dairy products, featuring clean label and digestive wellness options. These were made by employing Valio Eila Pro lactose-free and low lactose milk powders, in both SMP and WMP versions. Product concepts included a high protein dairy beverage in a chocolate-coffee flavour, with 20g of protein per serving and low fat, along with no artificial sweeteners and lactose free claims.

Vitalis Nutrition for its part, offered Canadian milk made into protein concentrates and isolates, and galacto-oligosaccharides. Applications include everything from yogurt and snacks to ice cream and pet food, the company says.

Kerry of Ireland used its stand to offer talks throughout the exhibition, regarding sustainable nutrition, as well as a discussion of nutrition legislation using its NutriGuide, which was a hot topic for most of the attendees. The firm also tackled sodium and sugar reduction and reformulating products, which fell under the same area. NutriGuide is an online tool can support brands in navigating the changing landscape, quantifying the nutrition score of products against over 10 global nutrient profile models and guiding users on how that score can be improved.

At stand D60 in hall 4, fruit and vegetable ingredient supplier SVZ announced its plans to inspire the food and beverage industry with fresh concepts and sustainable growth plans. Visitors were introduced to SVZ’s latest innovation: Carte Blanche white base solutions, designed to help manufacturers deliver vibrant flavours and colours with reduced sugar content. In addition to the new concepts on display, attendees can also discover SVZ’s vision for a fairer and greener future for the food and beverage sector via its c2030 initiative.

Equipment and testing

It wasn’t all ingredients. Industry giant GEA was on hand, detailing its separation and filling technology, along with its freeze-drying capacities, as well as its engineering capabilities.

Lab and pilot equipment maker Omve showcased its range of pilot scale spray drying units, which can process up to 10-20kg per hour and offers a pneumatic hammer to retrieve powders from the drying walls to increase the yields. Complete process plants were also offered, ranging from 10 up to 100 litres per hour, and with homogenisation, HTST/UHT and filling available.

On the testing side, the UK’s Centre for Industrial Rheology was on hand to discuss its laboratory for providing testing, training and consulting. These include rheology, surface and interfacial analysis, powder rheology and other analyses. Training on viscosity and rheology is also offered, along with consulting and advice.

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