Splendor in the Lemongrass

When one thinks of Asian cuisine, it is only natural to think of the uniquely aromatic herb that brings those dishes to life—lemongrass. An essential ingredient in Thai and Vietnamese cooking, this increasingly popular herb is a tall, grassy-like perennial with a distinct citrus scent and refreshing taste. IQF Lemongrass, from Van Drunen Farms, is a quality, fresh lemongrass product that has been flash-frozen right after harvest, preserving its aroma, color and fresh taste. Van Drunen Farms, 815-472-3100, www.vandrunenfarms.com

Gluten Replacement Made Easy

With increases in raw materials costs, the baking industry is continuously looking for alternatives to reduce costs, without compromising quality. To meet this challenge, AB Enzymes has developed an exciting enzyme product to reduce or even replace vital wheat gluten in baking formulations. VERON® HF can be used to replace 50% of the gluten used in a formulation. In addition to considerable cost savings, bakers will enjoy the product’s distinct stabilizing effect on dough systems, and the final baked goods have an attractive baking volume, with a nice break and shred. ABF Ingredients, tscribbens@abfingredients.com, www.abfingredients.com

Best Buds

All the flavor richness and nuance of natural, extra virgin olive oil is now available in a concentrated, convenient powered form. Using proprietary enzyme modification technology, Butter Buds Food Ingredients unlocks the natural flavor components of olive oil and then concentrates them into an easy-to-use, spray-dried powder. Stable in storage and in food products, Olive Oil Buds deliver all of the complex flavor notes of extra virgin olive oil. The powdered form makes it simple to add this natural flavor to dry seasoning blends, dry salad dressing mixes, coatings, breadings, rubs, baked goods, sauces and a host of other applications where olive oil flavor adds consumer appeal. Butter Buds Food Ingredients, 262-598-9900, bbfi@bbuds.com, www.bbuds.com

Sweet Solution

Now there is a flavor solution for manufacturers looking to improve mouthfeel and heighten taste impact in reduced-sugar beverages. Symrise Flavors provides SymLife Sweet®, which is part of the Get Active category of their Taste for Life® branding platform. This represents yet another step up in flavors for reduced-sugar products and enhances the sweetness of sugar, sugar alcohols and sweeteners and can generate high-impact taste in reduced-sugar, low-Brix beverages. SymLife Sweet is a natural flavor that contains no artificial sweeteners, functions at a low-use level and is effective in multiple beverage applications. Symrise Flavors,

Semolina Replacement

To reduce the impact on pasta producers of semolina prices, which have quadrupled in the past year, an effective, cost-saving semolina replacement has been developed.

Actobind® PCI, from Advanced Food Systems, when added to an existing pasta formula, improves the cooked yield by as much as 15%, while maintaining the traditional, cooked texture. This allows a reduction in the amount of semolina needed and results in a significant annual savings to the producer. For use in fresh or frozen pasta, Actobind PCI also improves freeze/thaw stability, maintaining firmness and better texture with less retrogradation, compared to pasta made from 100 % semolina, even in repeated freeze/thaw cycles. Advanced Food Systems, 800-787-3067, www.afsnj.com

Health Power in a Cap

A company’s agglomeration services can successfully transform your ingredient to dry mix product by improving product flowability and generating dispersability for lump-free solutions. Zumbro River Brand (ZRB) can successfully granulate nutrients, vitamins and flavors for use in consumer-interactive bottle caps like the PowerCap® provided by Liquid Health Labs (www.liquidhealthlabs.com). ZRB makes powder blends free-flowing for efficient filling of PowerCap, creating rapid entry from the cap into bottles and allowing the consumer to enjoy the health benefits at the point of consumption. Zumbro River Brand Inc., 507-446-9097, ext.102, gbusch@zumbroriverbrand.com, www.zumbroriverbrand.com

Fabulous Weight-loss Shakes

More people than ever are trying to manage their weight through functional foods and beverages. The weight management shake can be even more beneficial with Fabuless®, a breakthrough satiety ingredient from DSM. Boosting the satiety benefit in a weight management shake with Fabuless performs two critical functions. Dieters will consume fewer calories for the day, because of the ability of the ingredient to reduce calorie intake for up to two subsequent meals, post-dose. Also, Fabuless moderates the appetite, causing consumers to be less hungry. It is available in a new powder form and a ready-to-market, RTD shake. DSM Nutritional Products Inc., 800-526-0189, www.nutraaccess.com

Major Developments to Be Announced

The Institute of Food Technologists’ Annual Meeting & Expo will be held June 28-July 1, 2008, at the New Orleans Memorial Convention Center. Wixon Inc. (booth #4017) will be announcing three major developments: breaking ground for a culinary center and meat pilot plant; spotlighting new corporate chef, Jud McLester; and disseminating information on its new logo and positioning. Wixon Inc., 414-769-3000, chuck_ehemann@wixon.com, www.wixon.com

Gellin' with Jelly Treats

A jelly-ice-on-a-stick concept has been designed to delight both children and the young at heart. The unusual texture of this water ice owes its “chewy-creamy” appeal and confection-like mouthfeel to Cargill’s Lygomme™ FZ 615 functional system. This easy-to-use stabilizer system, from Cargill Texturizing Solutions, allows a water-ice mixture to be combined with the texture and flavors of a jelly candy. The functional system allows processors to make a variety of iced treats, from water ices on a stick to sorbet cones and tub sorbets in individual or family-sized packs. Cargill Texturizing Systems, christine_Nicolay@cargill.com, www.cargilltexturizing.com

Boxed Lunch with Omega-3 Punch

There is a tasty way for kids to increase their omega-3 intake. Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited (ONC), supplier of MEG-3® brand omega-3 EPA/DHA food and dietary supplement ingredients, announced that Bernard Matthews Ltd. has included the MEG-3 healthy food ingredient in their children’s range of Packed Munch Sliced Deli Meats. The new children’s line of lunch box slices was launched on March 31 in stores throughout the U.K. Designed to offer parents a nutritious and versatile sandwich component for lunch boxes, the range of Sliced Deli Meats includes Turkey Ham Slices and Turkey Breast Slices that contain 190-200mg of MEG-3 brand omega-3 EPA/DHA from fish oil per 100g serving. Ocean Nutrition Canada, jlane@ocean-nutrition.com, www.meg-3.com, www.ocean-nutrition.com

Rice is Nice

New research findings show increased restaurant menuing of whole grains, including brown rice. A study examining 350 commercial and non-commercial foodservice chefs and operators’ attitudes and their use of rice found: 44.6% of operators currently use brown rice (up from 43.2% in 2006); of those not using brown rice, 32% expressed interest in using it in the future; and segments with the highest use of brown rice include casual dining restaurants, colleges/universities, business/industry and healthcare operations. The nutritional value of whole-grain brown rice makes it an essential ingredient to promote health and wellness, while helping chefs deliver a wide range of authentic, adventurous and global eating experiences. USA Rice Federation, 703-236-1453, jrusignuolo@usarice.com, www.MenuRice.com

An Apple a Day

The apples and apple juice people consume may have positive effects in one of the most unlikely places in the body--the colon. New research has demonstrated that components in both apple pectin and apple juice actually enhance biological mechanisms that have anti-carcinogenic effects in the colon. The research, published in the April 2008 issue of Nutrition, notes, “apples are a major source of natural fiber and of low molecular weight plan polyphenols in the Western diet.” The researchers conclude, “Pectin-rich apple products can thus be expected to exert anti-carcinogenic effects in the colon.”  

Land O’Lakes Ingredient Solutions will present its line of high-quality, dairy-based ingredients at the 2008 IFT Food Expo, Booth # 2815, including cheese and dairy powders, process cheese, butter blends and seasoning blends. The company will showcase a range of “Better For You” ingredients such as Trans Fat-Free Cheese Powders and Calcium-Fortified Cheese Powders. New Reduced-Fat and Reduced-Sodium Process Cheeses will demonstrate that there is no need to sacrifice flavor or performance, when developing healthier foods. Also featured will be a versatile, Pumpable Butter and exciting new seasoning blend flavors such as Firecracker and Tomato Basil. Land O’Lakes Ingredient Solutions, www.landolakesingredientsolutions.com