Today’s product developers are taking advantage of hundreds of available grain types and formats, from millet, quinoa, teff, and other grasses, seeds, to multiple rice varieties to wheat in forms such as couscous and freekeh.

Plant-sourced ingredients, are becoming increasing popular because of their sustainability, versatility, and relatively low cost, as well as their well-deserved health halo.

The need for attractive oils that provide or enhance a desired set of functions, from textural to organoleptic to metabolic, is driving technologists to develop multiple new takes on oils and fats for preparation and use in food and beverage formulations.

Grains are enjoying a renaissance arising from a confluence of the natural/organic push; a “back to bread” trend that has restored artisanal and artisanal-style breads to star status; and—from two opposing directions—the gluten-free wave.