Ingredion Incorporated used the recent IFT19 Food Expo in New Orleans to showcase a variety of trend-connected ingredient solutions. 

The company—along with its divisions TIC Gums and Kerr Concentrates—shared formulation expertise and ingredient solutions through as many as 16 food concept prototypes. Officials said the goal is simple: to help support manufacturers’ creation of products that meet shifting consumer needs. 

The prototypes represent a mix of foods and beverages that support three major shifts in global consumer eating behavior: plant-based protein, sugar reduction, and clean and simple labels. 

IFT19 attendee visitors could view and sample new concepts featuring a number of on-trend ingredients, including functional flours and starches, plant-based protein isolates, sweeteners, texturizers and more. 

Ingredion’s IFT19 booth featured three different innovation stations. 

The company’s Snack & Savor station offered an organic and reduced sugar sauce, organic plant protein enhanced noodles, a vegan spread, and reduced-breakage crackers. 

The company’s Drink and Delight station let manufacturers try a pressed, not-from-concentrate juice mocktail, a plant-based protein beverage and a texturally-enhanced ready-to-drink (RTD) retort beverage.

The company’s Indulge & Inspire station sampled a reduced sugar frozen dessert along with a plant-based reduced sugar topping, a plant-based yogurt dip and a reduced added-sugar cake. This was all for visitors who needed to satisfy a sweet tooth—without the guilt.

“Plant-based proteins, sugar reduction and clean labels are among the top food and beverage movements for 2019,” said John Lazowski, Ingredion’s vice president of marketing. “This year, Ingredion is excited to bring our applications expertise and expansive portfolio of ingredient solutions from TIC Gums and Kerr Concentrates to help today’s manufacturers differentiate their brands, drive growth and create winning products for tomorrow’s consumer.”

Packing in plant protein

Ingredion offers manufacturers plant-based isolates, concentrates and flours for every type of formulation need and is committed to sustainable North American sourcing.

According to a 2017 report issued by the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), consumer demand for plant-based protein is growing. Ingredion’s new VITESSENCE® Pulse 1803 organic pea protein isolate provides key formulation functionality while helping manufacturers create in-demand, high-protein products that support consumer-desired claims.  

Squeezing out sugar

Mintel’s 2017 Sugar Reduction Trends report states that consumers are reducing their sugar intake and are checking labels for sugar content. Ingredion offers manufacturers a comprehensive sugar reduction portfolio, including ASTRAEA® Allulose. 

Launched at IFT19, the ingredient offers a similar sweet taste profile and functionality of sucrose without all the calories and no grams of sugar, helping manufacturers create foods and beverages with better for you appeal — and now fewer grams of sugar on nutrition labels based on recent FDA draft guidance.

ASTRAEA Allulose is about 70% as sweet as sugar and offers similar functionalities such as bulking, browning and freeze point depression. It adds only 0.4 calories per gram to formulations, helping formulators to maintain consumer-winning sweetness in low-sugar products.

Cleaning up labels

Ingredion’s comprehensive clean label ingredient solutions, ranging from non-GMO to plant-based to organic, help manufacturers create label-friendly products with consumer appeal. 

According to a 2017 proprietary Ingredion study, consumers are more likely to buy a product if they recognize all of the listed ingredients. 

Breakthrough NOVATION® Lumina functional native starches are specifically designed for light-colored applications, with more subtle flavors, and offer a neutral flavor profile, superior flavor release and neutral color. The texturizers, also launched at IFT19, offer the functionality of modified starches without artificial ingredients, helping formulators create the “natural” products consumers desire. Labeled simply as corn starch, the starches are also gluten-free, non-GMO and do not require allergen labeling.  

NOVATION PRIMA® 309 and 609 organic native corn starches enable manufacturers to create a superior eating experience that boasts extended visual, sensory and cost appeal. The starches are designed to perform in organic products that undergo harsh process conditions and require high freeze/thaw stability—such as organic savory foods, alternative-dairy products and baby foods. The organic functional native corn starches provide a comparable viscosity and gel strength to modified starches, yet qualify for a simple, “organic corn starch” label while providing cold- temperature stability.  

HOMECRAFT® Create multi-functional rice flours help food manufacturers respond to consumer demand for smooth, silky textures in clean label and gluten-free products. The rice flours enable manufacturers to convert to a highly desirable “rice flour” label while achieving the robust functionality, stability and shelf life previously associated with the use of hydrocolloids, modified starches and other ingredients not considered clean label.  

Ingredion’s full range of solutions enables manufacturers to find the right ingredients to meet consumer demand across a wide variety of applications. The experts at Ingredion’s Idea Labs® innovation centers use science-based problem solving to create ingredient solutions that support consumer-preferred claims and labels. Whether the goal is adding more protein, reducing sugar or simply reformulating for a cleaner label, Ingredion’s array of sugar reduction ingredients; plant-based isolates, concentrates and flours; and clean label ingredients has a solution to fit every product need.    

To find out how Ingredion’s technical, sensory, CULINOLOGY® and applications teams help food processors develop trend-connected, appealing foods, contact Ingredion at +1-800-713-0208 or na.marketing@ingredion.com and visit www.ingredion.us. 

About the Company

Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With annual net sales of nearly $6 billion, the company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant materials into value-added ingredients and biomaterial solutions for the food, beverage, paper and corrugating, brewing and other industries. With Ingredion Idea Labs® innovation centers around the world and more than 11,000 employees, the Company develops ingredient solutions to meet consumers' evolving needs by making crackers crunchy, yogurt creamy, candy sweet, paper stronger, and adding fiber to nutrition bars. 

For more information, visit ingredion.com.