Sugar-Free Sweet Indulgence

Sugar-free baked goods with superior nutritional benefits and taste can be created with lactitol, a sweetener derived from milk sugar, and/or Litesse® polydextrose, a specialty carbohydrate derived from glucose. Together, the two ingredients can be used to replace maltitol entirely or partially. Both are compatible with high-intensity sweeteners. Their use can result in considerable savings.

Lactitol is 30 to 40% as sweet as sucrose and has similar solubility and viscosity, but contributes only 2 kcal/g. Its low hygroscopicity makes it ideal for use in crisp baked goods, providing a longer crisp shelf life.

Lactitol has a low glycemic index and has prebiotic properties that contribute to good digestive health. Danisco Sweeteners, Donna Brooks, 800-255-6837, ext. 2521, donna.brooks@danisco.com

Berry Good Flavoring

A line of berry flavors including Strawberry, Blueberry, Red and Black Raspberry, White and Red Cranberry, Mountain Berry, Forest Berry, Loganberry, Bilberry, Blackberry, and Boysenberry are being introduced.

These true-to-fruit tasting flavors have varying nuances of jammy, seedy, fresh, juicy, ripe, and fleshy notes that enhance sweetness while also fortifying product flavor. Applications for these flavors include beverages, confectionery, baked goods and dairy. These flavors are available in natural and artificial, and both liquid and spray-dried forms. Ottens Flavors, Kelly DeFusco, 215-365-7800, kelly.defusco@ottens.com

More Stable Butter Flavor

Butter flavors for use in microwave popcorn traditionally incorporate diacetyl. However, due to its volatility, diacetyl-containing flavors require special handling and other production precautions in manufacturing plants.

WILD Flavors Inc. has developed a butter flavor free from added diacetyl. It delivers the high-impact and flavor character associated with traditional microwave popcorn butter flavors, but as it contains only a trace of naturally occurring diacetyl, it does not require the special handling precautions that are needed for conventional microwave popcorn butter flavors.

It is heat stable in a number of other applications, including snack, bakery and savory products. WILD Flavors Inc., Donna L. Hansee, 859-342-3526, dhansee@wildflavors.com

Organic and Natural Flavors

This manufacturer of all-natural savory flavors and certified organic savory flavors specializes in helping manufacturers obtain a “clean label” (no MSG, no HVP, no AYE and GMO-free certified). The natural savory flavor and organic certified savory flavor product lines consist of beef, chicken, turkey, vegetable, vegetarian and other specialty savory flavors that demonstrate sautéed, broiled, caramelized and roasted flavor characteristics. Both liquid and dry flavors are designed to add value to soups, sauces, gravies, broths, seasoning blends, meat and poultry applications. Flavor & Food Ingredients Inc., 732-805-0335,dgrenawalt@flavorandfood.com

Pearly Colors

The allure of a pearl-like finish and the sparkle of five brilliant colors can characterize confections and snacks coated with new PEARLICOAT™ Pearlescent Pigment Systems. The thin-coat ingredients are developed to assist food manufacturers reach both upscale confection consumers and teens looking for candies and snacks with a novel appeal. The pigment systems accommodate both flavoring and sweetening and are available as both a liquid or dry concentrate. Colorcon Write in 404

Flavors for Soy-based Health Bars

New cream combo flavors for use in soy-based products have been introduced. Natural Vanilla Cream Flavor, All Natural Strawberry Cream Flavor and new natural flavors for masking are available. The flavors are developed especially for soy-based energy bars. The company offers to assist with developing creative concepts, minimizing off notes, selecting specific flavors and identifying usage levels for formulations. Virginia Dare, 800-847-4500,flavorinfo@virginiadare.com

Organic Juice and Veggie Powders

Value-added, premium and specialty freeze-dried products, such as standard certified organic, freeze-dried juice powder ingredients, are the specialty of CII. The organic juice powders support organic agricultural farming and USDA standards. The powders can be used in finished products for premium markets and rehydrate instantly for use in liquid applications. The products, available in banana, beet, carrot, orange and pineapple, have a functionality of 5%-10% juice solids for a variety of applications. Additionally, they contribute to organic label claims. Non-GMO, GM-alternative, kosher and halal certifications on other products also are available. Crystals International Inc., Ingredients Customer Service, 813-359-5128

Fiber Fortifying Without Taste

A multipurpose natural vegetable fiber that is completely tasteless and odor-free is available to enhance a variety of prepared foods. QC All Natural Vegetable Fiber from CreaFill Fibers Corp. has no calories or fat, improves batter cohesion and prolongs product freshness. Additionally, it improves product volume, prevents caking, increases dough yield, reduces fat absorption and is an ideal carrying agent. Applications include fragile snack foods such as pretzels and tortilla chips; baked goods such as cookies, cakes and donuts; dairy products such as yogurt and cheese; nutraceuticals; and spices, flavorings and sauces. CreaFill Fibers Corp., Sara England, 800-832-4662

An Isomalt Extension

Extending the functionality of isomalt in sugar-free hard candy with no impact on the stability can be achieved with Stabilite‚ SD HSH, which imparts a greater range of solubility to the candy. This broader solubility range improves the perceived sweetness and flavor release of the candy piece. The net result is the ability to reduce the level of high-intensity sweetener and/or flavor with no change to the quality or stability of the finished candy. Stabilite‚ SD HSH can be incorporated into any existing isomalt hard candy at levels up to 50%. SPI Polyols Write in 405

Sidebar: Big Eyes, Big Stomach

Participants in a study who were given larger portion sizes overate during their meals. The study, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, University Park, Pa., included 51 men and women of various weights, who were between 21 to 30 years old.

Participants visited Penn State's Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior for lunch once a week for four weeks. Their lunch included water, carrot sticks, macaroni and cheese and a snack-size chocolate bar. The variable in the meal was the macaroni and cheese, served in portions ranging from two-and-a-half to five cups. Participants were required to eat all of the carrots and the chocolate bar, but could choose how much macaroni and cheese they wanted.

Whether a person was given a controlled portion of macaroni or allowed as much as he liked, the person ate more when more food was available. Interestingly, those who ate more food did not necessarily feel any fuller.

The study, headed by Barbara Rolls, has been published in the December 2002 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Sidebar: Choline Makes the Grade

Balchem Encapsulates, a business segment of Balchem Corp, will offer only USP-grade choline chloride and choline bitartrate to customers. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) formally adopted standards of quality for choline in 2002 (USP 25 NF 20).

“The new USP choline standards are significantly more rigorous and comprehensive than existing quality standards, such as FCC,” said Lucien Hernandez, choline nutrient business manager at Balchem Encapsulates.

In addition to meeting Food Chemical Codex (FCC) requirements, USP standards for choline require additional specifications (test, procedures and acceptance criteria) that help ensure the identity, strength, quality and purity of this essential nutrient. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also has authorized a nutrient content claim for choline. Food and supplements with 55mg or more of choline cation per portion can be labeled as “a good source of choline” and those with 110mg as “an excellent source of choline.” For information about Balchem's encapsulated and raw choline products, call 800-641-2001 or 845-326-5672, or visit www.balchem.com.