Virginia Dare will be featuring a Garden of Flavors with trendy new flavors, varieties of vanilla, various masking flavors and assorted teas in booth #4023 at the 2010 IFT Expo. Visitors are promised to enjoy the new flavors in RTD teas, made from tea leaves around the world; experience delicate aromatics and a complex, full-bodied flavor profile in a delicious vanilla tea beverage; and taste the pleasing difference in beverages made with sweeteners/sugar alternatives designed with Virginia Dare’s masking flavors. Virginia Dare, 410-569-9766, www.virginiadare.com

Talking Savory
Hormel Foods Specialty Products Division will discuss its new Savory Booster™ line, its omega-3 for beverage applications and its dairy blend ingredients at this year’s IFT Expo, booth #4000. The four new Savory Booster products are designed for use in soups, sauces and gravies and are considered all-natural by FDA standards. The products are Turkey Booster, Chicken Booster, Pork Booster and Beef Booster, and all are available in dried form. The Eterna™ OmegaSource™ for beverage solution line includes ingredients specifically formulated to enable the incorporation of water-soluble EPA plus DHA omega-3 fatty acids into refrigerated ambient, shelf-stable beverages. Hormel also plans to highlight its contract packaging capabilities, including dry packaging, microwavable cups and canned goods. Hormel Foods Corp., www.hormelingredients.com

Taste Sensations
Nikken Foods USA Inc. manufactures products designed to enhance umami impact and to increase overall flavor perceptions. IFT’s booth #6038 will feature a number of products, including Mushroom Extract Powder, an extract of Champignon mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) blended with palm oil and spray-dried on a maltodextrin carrier. Light brown in solution, it provides a mushroom aroma with a mild, earthy mushroom flavor. Also featured will be a taste demonstration of the mushroom powder and Nikken’s Anchovy Extract Powder in a cream-based salad dressing. Nikken Foods USA Inc., 314-881-5858, www.nikkenfoods.com

One Grand Time
Grändé Custom Ingredients Group Inc. will be located at booth #5411 at this year’s IFT Expo and will feature a demo area for attendees to observe and interact with the company’s lines of functional whey protein, Grande Bravo and WPCrisp. Participants also can speak with the company’s food scientists on site to discuss innovative solutions for new and existing products. For more information on Grändé Custom Ingredients’ IFT offerings, go to http://pitch.pe/58230. Grändé Custom Ingredients Group Inc., www.grandecig.com

Custom Color
D.D. Williamson’s wide array of natural coloring, along with its sought-after caramel color, improves the allure of foods and beverages through visual appeal. The company operates 10 manufacturing sites on five continents and offers a broad spectrum of natural coloring, including colorMaker™ custom blends. D.D. Williamson’s IFT booth #6229 will feature new products, including Darkest Class One caramel color, caramelized sugar flavor and annatto extracts, plus application demonstrations and special events. D.D.Williamson, 502-895-2438, www.ddwilliamson.com

Fantastic Fusion
Ocean Spray is launching a new pomegranate variety of its renowned BerryFusion® Fruits at IFT this year, booth #6403. Pomegranate, a contemporary and distinctive taste, is now featured alongside the popular BerryFusion Fruit classics--strawberry, raspberry, cherry, blueberry and mango. This latest variety will inspire product innovation, while satisfying consumer demand for new and exciting flavors, the company states. Praised for their process tolerance, BerryFusions Fruits add fruit appeal to a variety of applications, such as bakery, cereals, dairy, snacks and confectionery. An alternative to the named fruit or extruded gums, jellies and other fruit imitators, these dried fruit pieces deliver taste, texture and distinctive points of color, without the processing challenges commonly associated with real fruits, says the company. Ocean Spray, 617-283-1578, www.oceansprayitg.com and www.oceanspray.com

Reduce Sodium, Not Flavor
David Michael has created a line of salt replacers to address the need for sodium reduction, without flavor reduction. DM Choice® Natural Flavor Salt Type allows up to a 30% reduction of sodium, but delivers the same amount of flavor impact, and is also free of HVP and added MSG, says the company. Available in powder form, the salt replacers can be used in any product that is formulated with salt. In addition, David Michael offers a line of DM Choice natural potassium blockers, which can be used to decrease the bitterness and metallic off-notes often associated with potassium salts. David Michael Inc., www.dmflavors.com

Plum Delicious
Dried plum ingredients offer food processors opportunities to reduce the amount of added salt in formulations, without negatively impacting formula flavor objectives, while maximizing consumer flavor expectations. This is largely due to dried plums’ 1.5-2.0% naturally occurring malic acid. This organic acid has been shown to be an effective flavor enhancer. Malic acid is released more slowly than other organic acids and, thus, has a greater carry-through during the chewing process. Taste retention allows for up to a 20-25% reduction in salt added to food formulations--permitting other formula flavor contributors to become more perceptible. Rich in potassium, dried plums’ salt reduction applications include baked goods, as well as meat and poultry. California Dried Plum Board, www.californiadriedplums.com

Palm’s Up
AarhusKarlshamn USA Inc. (AAK), a specialty oils and fats manufacturer, has secured North America’s first shipment of sustainably produced palm oil. The palm oil has been produced in Malaysia, according to stringent Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) sustainability criteria. Palm oil is an important and versatile raw material for both food and non-food industries and provides a healthier alternative to animal and trans fats, says the company. For the first time, AAK’s customers have the opportunity to purchase palm oil that has been independently verified as having been sustainably produced. AarhusKarlshamn USA Inc., 973-344-1300, www.aak.com

Heirloom Grains
SK Food International introduces the addition of Identity Preserved Certified Organic and Conventional Non-GMO Precooked Quinoa and Amaranth Flakes to its extensive line of Premium Quality Ingredients. Custom-milled from heirloom grains, the flakes are gluten-free and kosher. Amaranth and quinoa, known as Supergrains, tout high levels of protein, in addition to many other health benefits. Product applications include cereals, tortillas, snack foods, baby food, flatbreads, baking mixes and energy bars. The company also supplies a full line of identity-preserved ingredients, including certified organic and conventional non-GMO soybeans, grains, seeds, dry edible beans, rice products and much more. SK Food International, 701-356-4106, www.skfood.com

Antimicrobial System for Freshness
A unique antimicrobial system designed to keep cakes and muffins fresh and safe longer, without impacting their original taste profile, is now available from Kemin Food Technologies. “AMPLIFRESH™ extends the freshness period of these baked goods, allowing manufacturers to manage inventory more efficiently, reduce product waste, address aftertaste associated with conventional options and, ultimately, increase the satisfaction of their customers,” says Melanie Galloway, president of the Food Technologies division of Kemin Industries. Through a proprietary manufacturing process, an optimal pH, enhanced stability, superior solubility and better dispersion of this ingredient is assured. Kemin Food Technologies, www.kemin.com

Lower Trans Fats, No Unwanted Flavors
Food formulators can now maximize edible oil stability and help eliminate the need for trans fats with Kalsec®’s Natural Antioxidants. A recent study showed adding natural antioxidants to fats and oils increases the stability of the fat and improves the shelflife of fried food, without the use of hydrogenated oils. In the past, natural antioxidants sometimes contributed unwanted flavors to food products. Kalsec has developed Herbalox® Seasoning XT, a new line of low-flavor and -aroma antioxidants to address such concerns. These new natural antioxidants can be used in a variety of products, including frying oils and snack foods. Kalsec, 800-323-9320, www.kalsec.com

Masking Off-tastes
Symrise North America uses patented analytical methodology, SymLife® MASK, to provide flavors that overcome a multitude of unpleasant off-tastes, according to the company. Since taste modifiers have become increasingly important in developing products that feature functional ingredients, one of the key tools behind SymLife MASK solutions is LC Taste®, Symrise’s proprietary analytical methodology that is used to identify and isolate components that provide outstanding masking properties. LC Taste enables SymLife MASK to successfully address troublesome off-flavors, helping to eliminate astringency, bitterness, chalkiness, saltiness, and medicinal and metallic taste sensations, including off-notes and “throat catch” unpleasantness. Using LC Taste allows Symrise to create proprietary, specific masking solutions to overcome undesirable tastes, the company claims. Symrise North America, 201-462-5637, www.symrise.com

Safe and Natural
A sprayable, natural antimicrobial for baked goods is now available from Danisco. As part of the Care4U™ range of natural protective solutions, new Nata-max® B from Danisco gives bakers a naturally derived antimicrobial that inhibits yeast and mold, adding extra days to shelflife. Using Natamax B allows bakers to replace in-dough antimicrobials, such as calcium propionate, which are known to adversely affect flavor. With Natamax B, baked goods are produced with a clean flavor. Produced naturally in a bacterial fermentation process, its active compound is natamycin, an antifungal that has been used commercially in foods, such as shredded cheese and beverages, since the 1970s. Danisco, 913-738-3436, www.danisco.com or www.natamax.com

Pros of Proteins
The April 26, 2010, issue of E-dition, Prepared Foods’ electronic newsletter, noted that manufacturers, following consumer interest, have increasingly touted the protein content of their foods. However, much remains to be learned about proteins. While evaluating the efficacy of proteins has its obvious benefits, work is also being done to improve the taste of certain protein-derived ingredients. A recent study from Brazil, for example, found spray-drying casein hydrolysates with gelatin and soy protein isolate may help reduce the bitterness of the protein hydrolysates. Reflective of consumers’ health interests, other research has sought to discover whether whey protein hydrolysates (WPH) could be used as a source of whey-derived antioxidants. According to Czech Republic researchers, “antioxidant properties were enhanced by hydrolysis in most of the cases,” with hydrolysates hydrolyzed by neutrase demonstrating the best antioxidant properties, as determined by ABTS assay measurement. It is also said hemp protein processed from Cannabis sativa seeds is growing in popularity. Compared to other commercially available plant proteins, only soy is said to have a higher total protein content, while hemp protein is rich in amino acids, methionine and cysteine, and a good source of arginine, which has a variety of vascular benefits. To subscribe to E-dition, go to www.PreparedFoods.com/enews. To see the original E-dition feature, search for (with quotation marks) “The Pros of Protein” in the search field at www.PreparedFoods.com.pf