Global View

Does your company have customers outside the U.S.? Does creative thinking and innovation exist outside the U.S.? Does your company compete with foreign-owned enterprises? If you answered “yes” to any of these, “globalization” is a concept relevant to your company's success. This year's Prepared Foods' New Products Conference, which will take place in Amelia Island, Fla., on October 15-18, 2006, has a number of speakers bringing an international element to help attendees “think outside the box.” Here are a few examples:

• Monday's keynote speaker, U.K.-based Will Galgey, director, Henley Centre HeadlightVision, will take an overview of global consumer trends as well as provide exclusive new information from the company's HenleyWorld 2006 research.
• Born in Italy, raised in France, Mauro Pennella, vp of Global Brand Innovation Diageo North America, heads the company's Global Front-End of Innovation team. “Idea Generation: Company Culture, Innovation Process or Lucky Guess?” is his topic.
• What in the world is going on? The question will be answered by Lynn Dornblaser and David Jago, directors, Custom Solutions Group, Mintel International, in two different formats. Products will be brought in from around the world for attendees to sample. Dornblaser and Jago will offer their own very experienced insights on the products and global food trends.
For more information, go to www.PreparedFoods.com/npc or contact Marge Whalen at whalenm@bnpmedia.com.

Three-Cheese Blend

Punch up your Italian dishes with a combination of granular, Italian-style natural cheeses highlighted with an authentic, full-bodied flavor and a slightly nutty note of Asiago cheese. Kraft® Grated Asiago, Parmesan and Romano Cheese Blend will be introduced at the 2006 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., June 25-27, 2006. The new cheese blend will be showcased to KFIC's customers in a Vegetarian Four Cheese Pizza and Pasta Castella in Quattro Formaggio Sauce application. Made exclusively with cow's milk, Kraft® Grated Asiago, Parmesan and Romano Cheese Blend provides a cost-effective, three-cheese blend that does not sacrifice the distinctive, pungent Asiago flavor profile. IFT Booth #2520. Kraft Food Ingredients Corp., Todd Hrubes, 901-381-6533, www.kraftfoodingredients.com

Asian Flavor

A new survey shows that the popularity of Asian dishes is on the rise among American consumers. Kikkoman International Inc. surveyed over a thousand consumers and found that Asian flavors are becoming part of the American culinary map. Compared to five years ago, 33% more diners find themselves eating at Asian restaurants more often. Joining the ubiquitous Chinese restaurants are Thai, Japanese, Indian and Vietnamese cuisines. Kikkoman, best known for its naturally brewed soy sauce, takes on the challenges of food technologists to meet the increasing demand for Asian flavors with its full line of authentic Asian ingredients. Kikkoman International Inc., Industrial Dept., 415-956-7750, www.kikkoman-usa.com

Fat-free Fiber

With 99 % fiber and less than 0.5% sugars, a new texture enhancer forms a thermoreversible gel at 20%, making it an ideal product for fat replacement in dairy spreads, bakery products, vegetarian burger patties and many other similar applications. Frutafit TEX provides food technologists with new options for Trans fat replacement. Frutafit TEX also can be used to provide additional texture and fiber to fluid systems like yogurt. Sensus, Sally Romano, 646-452-6144, sally.romano@sensus.us

Purely Refined

Refined from cold-water fish in a new state-of-the-art plant in Norway, omega-3 fish oils are available in a variety of EPA and DHA potencies, in liquid or dry powder form, and can be custom-refined to suit the most exacting specifications. Advanced technology enables Arista Industries to produce oils that are highly deodorized, and with the highest possible levels of purity. Typical applications include a wide variety of nutritional and functional foods. Assistance with custom potencies is available from Arista. Arista Industries Inc., Mary Ann Siciliano, 800-637-6243, maryann@aristaindustries.com

Calcium for Concentrates

A highly soluble patented calcium source is designed especially to provide the best solution for the calcium fortification of syrups and concentrates. Fortification of syrups with Gadocal Extreme ensures a very stable solution while completely preventing the sedimentation of the calcium in the long run. Syrups and concentrates, with their relatively small amount of water, pose a major challenge for calcium fortification. Gadocal Extreme dissolves instantly without causing any calcium sedimentation at any practical level of fortification, and provides high bioavailability. Gadot Biochemical Ind. (GBI), Ronny Hacham, +972-4-6461515, Ronny@gadotbio.com, www.gadotbio.com

Naturally Moist Chicken

With the increasing preference for natural poultry, processors want to avoid phosphates and modified starches. But the need for juiciness, tenderness and improved yield remains. Remyline AX-DR natural rice starch can bind up to 45 times its weight in water and can gelatinize quickly at low heat (60 degrees C), which prevents water loss during cooking. The fine grain (2 to 8 microns) of rice starch enables it to penetrate meat pieces more easily, and its soft gel positively affects the meat's tenderness. A&B Ingredients, 973-227-1390, www.abingredients.com

Smooth and Easy

A cost-effective drink stabilizer blending gum Arabic, xanthan and konjac adds fiber and a smooth mouthfeel to beverage applications. This cold-soluble Coyote Brand Stabilizer XAK-0715 from Gum Technology Corporation creates emulsions and keeps ingredients in suspension without affecting the flavor of products such as powdered vitamin and protein drinks. Gum Technology Corporation, Janelle Wilt, 800-369-4867, jwilt@gumtech.com, www.gumtech.com

Cranberry Gets the Chop

A new processing plant will allow an industry leader to add value to its customers' applications by producing diced and sweetened dried cranberries. The extra production capacity and improved, in-house dicing capabilities at Ocean Spray's new facility will enable manufacturers to add the color and health appeal of cranberries to finished products cost-effectively. Cranberries add flavor, color and nutritional value to their baked goods and cereals. Smaller cranberry pieces will provide greater visual and textural impact than one or two larger ones, which could look and feel sparse and oversized. And recent research suggests that sweetened dried cranberries contain the anti-adhesion mechanism unique to the North American cranberry that prevents urinary tract infections. Ocean Spray Ingredient Technology Group, Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., Tom Jones, 508-946 7606, tjones@oceanspray.com, www.oceansprayitg.com, www.oceanspray.com

Targeting Indian Taste Buds

The world may be getting smaller, but ethnic foods are as popular as ever. The international food ingredients supplier Chr. Hansen now targets the market for dahi, the traditional ethnic Indian yogurt. The company is launching DAC-03, a new dairy culture tailor-made for making dahi. Today, organized dairies make only 1%-2% of the dahi consumed in India, but demand for industrially produced dahi is growing as the Indian middle class does. DAC-03 has been developed in close cooperation between Chr. Hansen's dairy experts in Denmark and India, and is the latest addition to the company's range of freeze dried cultures, particularly useful in a country like India, where distances and infrastructure often make distribution of frozen cultures difficult. Chr. Hansen Inc., Linda Sweek, 414-607-5818, Linda.Sweek@chr-hansen-us.com, www.chr-hansen.com

Ready for the Show

At the 2006 IFT Food Expo, June 24-28, in Orlando, Florida, U.S. Nikken Foods Company will be introducing new products and demonstrating typical applications of Wheat-free Non-GMO Natural Flavour Enhancer (7203); a shelf-stable shitake mushroom concentrate with intense flavor and aroma; the newest in a series of natural clam broth powders designed for soup, sauce and beverage applications; and a wide variety of soy sauce powders. IFT Booth #3914. Nikken Foods Company, 636-532-1019, info@nikkenfoods.com, www.nikkenfoods.com

You Say Potato

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently included potatoes on its list of the top 20 most antioxidant-rich foods. The list included the Russet potato, the most common variety consumed by Americans. One medium-sized potato packs 27mg or 45% of the daily value for vitamin C. White-flesh potato cultivars rate similar to published reports for tomatoes and carrots as having a low antioxidant potential; red and purple fleshed potatoes rate about three to eight times higher, equivalent to sweet potatoes, spinach and Brussels sprouts. In addition, research has indicated that potatoes can be bred to contain higher levels of antioxidants. U.S. Potato Board, Linda McCashion, 303-873-2326, lindam@uspotatoes.com, www.healthypotato.com

Hot Chocolate!

Ginger, jalapeno and chili flavored coatings are deliciously ideal for dipping. Wilbur Chocolate understands that when it comes to today's taste preferences, "some like it hot" is an understatement. With its new, naturally flavored, easy-to-melt product. Hot Coats(TM) Confectionery Coatings, Wilbur Chocolate offers snack manufacturers and retail confectioners an innovative way to increase sales to an expanding audience of flavor-loving consumers. These coatings come in three robust flavors: ginger, jalapeno and chili. Made with natural flavors, they taste great with pretzels or chips, can be used to enrobe fruit or centers, are trans fat-free, and come in easy-to-melt form. Wilbur Chocolate, 800-233-0139, http://wilburchocolate.com

Colors of Caramel

A trusted and recognized provider of color solutions to the food and beverage industry now offers a broad spectrum of natural colors, including its colorMaker custom blends. D.D. Williamson, the world leader in caramel color, now has nine manufacturing sites on five continents. Its operations in North America, South America, Africa, and Asia have earned the rigorous ISO 9000 certification. At the 2006 IFT Food Expo, June 24-28, in Orlando, Florida U.S., D.D. Williamson and colorMaker invite all attendees to visit its new, expanded booth. The dramatic new design illustrates D.D. Williamson's updated brand identity to reflect its growing portfolio of natural colors. IFT Booth #1128. D.D. Williamson, 502-895-2438, info@ddwmson.com, www.ddwilliamson.com