Food processing requires constant innovation, and ingredients can play a big role. New ingredients show up frequently, and whether they serve to improve nutrition, lower production costs or otherwise ease risks, substitutes for well-known existing products can sometimes be more appealing. Food Dive looked at a handful of products on the market right now and picked out a few of the most interesting examples.
Below are eight such recent ingredient innovations:
1. OPTISOL 3000
Substitute for: eggs
Glanbia Nutritionals’ OptiSol 3000 is a flaxseed-based egg substitute for use in cakes, muffins, egg rolls, wantons, refrigerated cookie dough and a number of other bakery applications. It has been approved for listing on products as flaxseed meal and whey protein concentrate, and is capable of achieving the same texture and profile of dried egg yolks. The OptiSol line is meant to alleviate bakery manufacturers of volatile egg prices.
2. DAIRIFUSION PARMPLUS
Substitute for: parmesan cheese
PARMPLUS is part of DairiConcepts’ DairiFusion line of ingredients. It was developed as a Parmesan cheese alternative due to fluctuating cheese prices, and is made from real Parmesan cheese, carrying a “clean label.” PARMPLUS also has a 90-day shelf life, is phosphate free and comes pre-grated. Numerous uses include white sauces, red sauces, dressings and select baked goods.
3. ADPURE DAIRY CONCENTRATE POWDERS
Substitute for: cream, butter, cheddar cheese and Grana Padano cheese
Also a dairy substitute, AdPure’s concentrate powders come in four varieties and can replace all or part of an ingredient. As a 100% dairy product, the powders carry a “clean label” declaration. Manufacturer Adams Food Ingredients recommends the powders for biscuits, cakes, soups, desserts and more.
4. Q-NATURALE
Substitute for: BVO, other soft drink weighting agents
Responding to increasing health concerns over weighting agents used in soft drinks, Ingredion developed Q-Naturale. Primarily for use in natural beverages, Q-Naturale is extracted from South American Quillaja saponaria trees, the quinaja saponins of which have been used in foods and beverages for over a century. The ingredient is meant to replace BVO, sucrose acetate isobutyrate and ester gum.
5. PURENERGY
Substitute for: caffeine
Chromadex Corporation’s PURENERGY is a co-crystal ingredient that combines caffeine with the company’s pTeroPure pterostilbene. As a result, the ingredient reportedly does away with the crash typically associated with caffeinated beverages and packs additional health benefits, including antioxidant properties, cognitive function, heart health and weight management support. This, combined with the longer energy boost provided by the product, is meant to help combat the regulatory pressure currently felt by manufacturers of highly caffeinated drinks.
6. NATUREX CLEAN LABEL FRUIT AND VEGETABLE POWDERS
Substitute for: thickeners other powders
The clean-label fruit and vegetable powders offered by Naturex offer a convenient way to incorporate 100% pure fruit and vegetables into consumers’ diets. Recommended for use in the savory, sweet and baby food industries, the powders are made at an enormous spray drying facility in a process that takes place at less than 50˚ Celsius and dries puree instead of juice. The powders are said to become soluble instantly when poured into hot or cold water, maintaining the fruit or vegetable’s authentic taste and texture.
7. COMAX MEATLESS FLAVOR OPTIONS
Substitute for: meat-based flavors
Comax Flavors recently introduced a line of meatless flavor additives for use in standard meatless products, as well as broths, sauces, marinades and dressings. The flavors are meant to address the growing number of meat-conscious consumers, especially those with kosher, flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan diets. Among the available flavors are chicken, pork, bacon and Italian sausage, and the powders are available in oil soluble, water soluble, liquid and powder varieties.
8. CLARISOY SOY PROTEIN
Substitute for: other beverage proteins
Manufacturer Archer Daniels Midland Company touts its CLARISOY line as the first vegetable-based protein to offer transparent and high quality soy proteins for use in beverages. The line consists of CLARISOY 100, which is 100% soluble in beverage applications with pH levels below 4.0, and CLARISOY 150, which is specialized for beverages with cloud systems or pH levels of 7.0 or higher. The line is a recipient of the Food Innovation Award from the Canadian Institutes of Food Science and Technology.
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