Pleasing Packaged Foods Flavors

Packaged foods and beverages offer numerous challenges when trying to create optimal flavor. For example, PET packing material is popular for beverages, but such products are prone to light deterioration problems. Ogawa Flavor and Fragrances' NAF® (Natural and Functional) Flavor Series is a line of highly stable natural flavors that can be used as flavor bases. The line includes flavors such as lemon, grapefruit, orange, apple, grape, peach and green tea. NAF A assists with off-flavors of artificial sweeteners and nutritional fortifiers. NAF B is for off-flavors of food induced by heat, light and oxygen. NAF C is for off-flavors of citrus products induced by light. NAF D and NAF E are for off-flavors of citrus products induced by heat. Ogawa Flavors & Fragrances, 510-233-0633, www.ogawa.net/english



Jonesing for Java

A major supplier of flavors, fragrances and raw materials has introduced new coffee flavors sure to lend the ideal profile to an extensive variety of product applications. Natural, liquid and water-soluble flavors like cappuccino, Coffee & Cream, espresso and vanilla latte from Robertet Flavors Inc. add popular coffee flavor to beverages, dairy products, syrups, ice cream, sorbet and more. Robertet has a century-and-a-half of experience meeting customer needs for flavor compounds, technical expertise and applications solutions. Robertet Flavors Inc., Gretchen Schleck, 732-981-8300



Clean and Natural

The natural foods segment continues to grow at a double-digit annual rate with no signs of slowing. However, creating a clean label often is easier said than done. BriesSweet™ Tapioca Syrups, BriesSweet White Sorghum Syrups, and BriesSweet White Rice Syrup 45DE High Maltose are hypoallergenic natural sweeteners, which makes them well-suited for the development of gluten-free foods and beverages. With neutral flavor, BriesSweet™ Syrups act as a binder, enhance fermentability and browning, improve viscosity and help prevent sugar crystallization. BriesSweet Tapioca and White Rice Syrups are available as conventional and USDA Certified Organic. All BriesSweet™ natural sweeteners are kosher-certified and non-GMO. Briess Malt & Ingredients Company, Bernadette Wasdovitch, 920-849-7711, bwasdovitch@briess.com, www.briess.com



Exciting Extrusions

Nutrition and diet play important roles in today's snack food market, but flavor and texture still define snack concepts. Clextral Inc. offers new products that incorporate healthy ingredients like whole grains and proteins in novel flavor combinations, unique shapes and bi-colored and bi-textured varieties. Clextral's pilot plants are equipped with R&D and production equipment dedicated to customers' product development and testing requirements. Clextral Inc., 813-854-4434, www.clextral.com



Certified Organic Color

The Organic Trade Association's 2006 Manufacturer Survey states that U.S. organic food sales totaled nearly $14 billion in 2005, representing 2.5% of all retail sales of food, up from 1.9% in 2003. Sethness Caramel Color has announced the launch of “OC90,” a certified organic caramel color. This Class I, sucrose-based caramel color was developed in response to increasing consumer demands for organic offerings. “OC90” is a label-friendly organic color that can improve the visual appeal of new organic foods and beverages. Sethness Products Company, Brian Sethness, 888-772-1880, bsethness@sethness.com, www.sethness.com



Keep on the Grass

Premium, certified organic and kosher cereal grass juice powders under the Synergized® brand name are dried using a proprietary CO2-drying method that offers a truly comparable, but economic, alternative to freeze-drying. Because the product is not exposed to oxygen or heat, the resultant powders are enzymatically active, retain their nutritional potency and contain much higher than average levels of chlorophyll and enzymes. The range currently includes wheat, kamut, oat, alfalfa and barley grass juice powders, are soluble in liquid, and can be used for powdered drink mixes or smoothies, tablets, capsules and bar applications. The Synergy Company/Synergy Production Laboratories (SPL), Ellen Schutt, 973-938-1830, eschutt@synergy-co.com, www.synergyproduction laboratories.com



From Concept to Consumer

The ability to collaborate with customers to create innovative products that address unmet consumer needs makes Cargill the right partner for food and beverage companies looking to win consumers. The acquisition of Degussa Food Ingredients adds to a deep ingredient portfolio that extends across the functional spectrum. With category expertise, technical capabilities and a knack for spotting market trends and consumer needs, Cargill helps customers take food and beverage ideas from concept to consumer. Cargill Inc., Lori Fligge, 952-742-2275, lori_fligge@cargill.com, www.cargill.com



A Clean Onion

A world leader in caramel color now offers the rich brown color, distinct flavor and clean labeling of 100% caramelized onion for use in soups and sauces. Increased customer demand for clean labeling as 100% onion resulted in the caramelized onion prototype now in production by D.D. Williamson, which also produces caramelized rice and caramelized apple. Additional prototypes are now in development. D.D. Williamson, Campbell Barnum, 502-895-2438, campbell.barnum@ddwmson.com, www.ddwilliamson.com



Powerful Seasonings

A recognized leader in spices and seasonings has a new name, but the same dedication to service and quality. Fuchs North America, formerly known as Baltimore Spice, is now part of the world's largest privately held spice and season company, the Fuchs Group. Controlling the spice chain directly to the source allows for managing availability, quality and costs for the benefit of food manufacturers. Fuchs North America offers its customers not only ingredients, but cutting-edge technology and innovative flavor concepts. Fuchs North America, 800-365-3229, fuchsnorthamerica.com



Cheating in School

Kids need nutritional lunches, but want fun and flavorful foods. The School Nutrition Association currently is working to reformulate the most popular school lunch item, pizza, to incorporate whole grains in the crust as a step to improving dietary standards of the school lunch. However, the Wright Group thinks to go further. Wrise® is an economical, multi-functional, microencapsulated, controlled-release leavening system designed for use in fresh, refrigerated or frozen doughs and dry bakery mixes, which is excellent for adding vitamins and nutrients. With enhanced taste and odor masking, foods like pizza (where flavor and texture are supremely important) can take on supplements without taking on negative impact. The kids need never know! The Wright Group, Monique Roberts, 800-201-3096, www.thewrightgroup.net



Dairy in the Air

Searching for a company that specializes in dried, co-dried or dry-blended products? Pro Mix® dairy and non-dairy ingredients are not like typical dairy powders because All American Foods Inc.'s (AAF) technical service department will help clients minimize development time and processing requirements while delivering only value-added nutrients at substantial savings. With capabilities that include modification of powders through mixing, sifting, grinding or spray coating with liquid colors, flavors, fats and oils, AAF also offers risk-free trials at pilot plant facilities. All American Foods Inc., Tanya Junker, 800-833-2661, aafoods@aafoods.com, www.aafoods.com



Great Grain

When state-of-the-art automation combines with the principles of Old World milling, the food manufacturer wins. Grain Millers manufactures a full range of conventional and organic grains using the industry's most advanced equipment and within the most stringent quality assurance standards. Custom milling of specialty grains and whole-grain derivatives, a maximum level of packaging flexibility to meet customer needs, added value ingredients, and high-tech processing mean Grain Millers can meet or exceed customer demands for clean labeling, specific formulations or functional solutions. Grain Millers, 952-829-8821, www.grainmillers.com



Three for Your Money

From spices for flavor to fiber for digestive health, companies that can address a wide range of formulation necessities are high in demand. Different divisions of ConAgra Food Ingredients have placed their finger on three trends igniting the industry: sodium reduction, fresh ethnic flavor and high-fiber grains. Spicetec's Amplify™, a clean-tasting, label-friendly, salt flavor enhancement technology, can provide a 50% reduction of sodium in processed foods. Gilroy Foods™ is reaping the benefits of Garden Frost Purees, a trio of ethnic vegetable and herb blends, which utilize Softfrozen™ technology. Lastly, high-fiber, low-starch Sustagrain® barley provides cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. ConAgra Food Ingredients, 800-851-9618, www.ConAgraFoodingredients.com



Almond Alliances

Three research initiatives, commissioned—in part—by the Almond Board of California, shed light on the health, flavor and shelflife stability benefits of almonds. Purdue University researchers concluded that including 300Kcals of almonds in the daily diet can influence satiety without significant concerns about weight gain. Additionally, Sensory Spectrum evaluated almond samples to expand the sensory lexicon of almonds to include 86 attributes (definitions include flavor aromatics, appearance and textural terms). Finally, the U.S. Natick Soldier Center confirmed the acceptability of almonds for food product use in the military ration system after storage for three years at 80°F. Almond Board of California, Harbinder Maan, 209-549-8262, hmaan@ almondboard.com, www.almondboard.com



Future Foods

Soy sauce is not just for Asian dishes anymore. The globalization of cuisine demands enhanced flavors, and Kikkoman steps up to the challenge with sauces, seasonings and enhancers that bring appeal to new and exciting food concepts. Adding flavor to meats, grains and vegetables in healthier and innovative formulations, Kikkoman is looking to the future of food. Kikkoman, 415-956-7750, kikkoman-usa.com



We're Jammin' Now!

New products bring new solutions to old problems. GENU® LM pectin from CP Kelco makes it possible to create jams and jellies that taste, look and behave like the old-fashioned kind, but without the huge amounts of sugar that used to be needed. Add more fruit and less sugar to pie fillings with GENU LM pectin. Innovative solutions and innovative products help you incorporate healthy ingredients into your food formulations without falling flat. CP Kelco, 858-292-4900, solutions@cpkelco.com, www.cpkelco.com



A Boost from Stocks and Bases

Diverse ingredients, innovative thinking, and quality solutions are the hallmarks of a leader in food specialty products. Hormel offers 100% pure soup stocks, with no MSG, salt, flavor enhancers or fillers, in both dried and frozen forms, flavored rendered fats, and water-soluble, high-protein bases in extract, paste and dried varieties. Add flavor and real value to your food formulations with the stocks and bases from Hormel. Hormel Specialty Products, Mike Buttshaw, 800-956-0399, www.hormel.com



Certified Flavorful

The organic flavors market is growing at unprecedented rates, even faster than predicted by industry analysts. Frutarom, one of the largest producers of organic flavors, has received official organic certification from Quality Assurance International (QAI) for the second year in a row. With flavors ranging from Almond Type Flavor Natural to Buttermilk Type Flavor Natural, Frutarom is committed to the highest standards of authentic, approved organic products for the food, beverage, fragrance and pharmaceutical industries. Frutarom USA, www.frutarom.com



Tough Parents = Fat Kids?

Could being an overly strict parent contribute to childhood obesity? A study at Boston University School of Medicine, published in the June issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, shows that parents who are strict disciplinarians may cause their youngsters to overeat as a reaction to stress. The study also found that the fewest weight problems occurred among children whose parents had high expectations but showed respect for a child's opinions. The children of “permissive” parents (defined as indulgent and without discipline), or “neglectful” (who set no rules and stay emotionally uninvolved), also showed weight problems but much less so than the martinets' kids. Free-Market News Network, FreeMarketNews.com



More Dairy, More Kids

According to a new U.S. study, recently published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, women who eat animal products, specifically dairy, are five times more likely to have twins. The study suggests a protein known as insulin-like growth factor (IGF) may be responsible. Previous studies have indicated IGF, found in animal milk, may increase ovulation and even help embryos survive in the early stages of development. Production of the IGF protein is triggered by the presence of growth hormones. This has led Gary Steinman, an obstetrician and specialist in multiple-birth pregnancies at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, to suggest the introduction of growth-hormone treatment for cows in the 1990s (to enhance milk and beef production) may have contributed to a rise in the number of twins over the last decade. Steinman said since multiple births held more health risks for women, “those contemplating pregnancy might consider substituting meat and dairy products with other protein sources.”