Functionality a theme at I.F.T.
Scientists have been able to isolate and manufacture many of the nutrients into ingredients for use in functional foods, including dairy products. A number of exhibitors at this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo, to be held July 11-14 in Chicago, planned to showcase a variety of offerings using dairy applications.
For example, Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Tate & Lyle was set to sample a fiber-rich, reduced-calorie soft-serve ice cream. Made with soluble corn fiber, the chocolate and vanilla ice cream boasts an “excellent source of fiber” claim with 6 grams of fiber per serving. While the fiber adds a health benefit claim, it also helps reduce calories (20%) and sugar (30%) because it rebalances bulk and mouthfeel.
Sensus America Inc., Lawrenceville, N.J., planned to feature a new sweet chicory root fiber powder in a frozen Greek yogurt.
“Like all of our products, the new ingredient is a prebiotic fiber shown to have digestive health benefits,” said Carl Volz, president. “This clean label, low-calorie fiber can also help mask the taste profile of stevia.”
The company is using the I.F.T. to launch a customizable probiotic/prebiotic liquid delivery system.
“The liquid delivery system is a new innovation, as most probiotics are in a powder or frozen form,” Mr. Volz said.
To help consumers increase their consumption of fiber, Agropur Ingredients, La Crosse, Wis., planned to showcase its stabilizer system in an inulin fiber-enriched soft-serve lemon ice. And to appeal to consumers seeking new ways to increase protein consumption, Agropur was set to show how its specialty milk protein isolate (M.P.I.) may be used to create protein-enhanced tea lattes in both a black tea and oolong tea prototype.
The U.S. Dairy Export Council, Arlington, Va., was to feature a number of prototypes developed at its various research centers. Researchers at the Institute for Dairy Ingredient Processing at South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D., for example, developed a high-protein chai pudding. Made with 2% reduced-fat milk, the pudding is enhanced with M.P.I., which adds dairy protein and the milk minerals calcium, magnesium and phosphorus to boost the nutrition profile of this dessert.
The Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, was set to show new uses for inherently nutritious Greek yogurt. Product developers created a yogurt barley soup that delivers 8 grams of protein per one-cup serving. Protein-fortified soups appeal to aging consumers who enjoy the soup yet need protein to prevent such aged-related conditions as sarcopenia, which is loss of muscle tissue during the aging process.
Protein-enriched products, in particular beverage, were slated to be quite prevalent at the I.F.T. ICL Food Specialties, St. Louis, planned to showcase its stabilization expertise in a toffee caramel high-protein beverage made from 2% reduced-fat. The ingredient system protects the dairy proteins during heat processing and storage, resulting in a creamy beverage with 30 grams of protein per 12-oz serving.
“Health and wellness trends continue to penetrate the ready-to-drink (R.-T.-D.) beverage category as consumer demand drives growth for nutritionally fortified products,” said Dan Grazaitis, senior food scientist, TIC Gums, White Marsh, Md. “To capitalize on this trend, product developers are challenged to create products with increased protein and maximized nutritional value while still delivering a stable beverage with desirable textural attributes. Additionally, some consumers are leaning away from products that they deem as not clean label, which contributes to another layer of formulation complexity.”
TIC Gums planned to introduce a stabilization solution for use in R.-T.-D. beverages, in particular low-pH and high-protein, neutral applications. The planned I.F.T. prototypes included a cinnamon oat high-protein beverage and a raspberry yogurt probiotic beverage.
Long Beach, Calif.-based BI Nutraceuticals was scheduled to sample two functional beverages that processors may manufacture. One was a protein-packed chocolate coconut smoothie featuring pumpkin seed protein. The other was an energizing cherry limeade containing a water-soluble extract form of guayusa, an energy ingredient sourced from South America and considered an alternative to caffeine.
Immunity was set to be another trend at this year’s I.F.T. Biothera, Eagan, Minn., planned to showcase a number of dairy products in the marketplace that already contain the company’s proprietary baker’s yeast beta 1,3/1,6 glucan that is proven to boost key immune cells to keep the body healthy. The natural food, beverage and supplement ingredient has regulatory approval around the world, including Generally Recognized As Safe status in the United States and novel foods approval in Europe and China.
One in-market product is Gloria’s Pro Defensis drinkable yogurt from Grupo Gloria, the largest commercial dairy processor in Peru. The beverage marries the immunity-boosting ingredient with the gut health benefits of probiotics. There are also a number of recently introduced infant/toddler formulas made with the ingredient.
Fortitech Premixes by DSM, Schenectady, N.Y., was scheduled to exhibit to dairy manufacturers how to differentiate their products from the competition through fortification. Concepts included an R.-T.-D. beauty-from-within beverage featuring lutein. There was also a rice milk for bone and joint health.
St. Louis-based SensoryEffects, a division of Balchem Corp., New Hampton, N.Y., planned to showcase a number of functional smoothies, some using dairy proteins and others strictly plant protein based, both of which may be produced by a dairy manufacturer. A mixed berry smoothie containing 10% fruit and vegetable juice enhanced with 10 grams of protein from rice and peas was one example. A 25% fruit and vegetable juice smoothie containing 15 grams of mixed protein (dairy protein from whey protein concentrate and plant protein) and was an excellent source of choline. The drink was further enhanced with medium-chain triglyceride (M.C.T.) oil, which has been shown to contribute to weight loss by promoting fat oxidation and providing satiety. There was also a caramel latte containing 20 grams of the same mixed protein complex and includes M.C.T. oil.
Ingredion Inc., Westchester, Ill., has developed a number of beverage prototypes to showcase at the I.F.T. as well. A coffee almond nutritional drink based on pulse protein, delivering 7 grams of protein per serving, included short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides for digestive health and galacto-oligosaccharides for immunity. There were also two faba-bean protein-enhanced drinks: a chocolate smoothie and horchata.
World Food Processing, Oskaloosa, Iowa, prepared tacos made with a non-dairy sour cream alternative and vegan cheese substitute, both enhanced with pea protein. To wash it down, a non-dairy pea protein-enhanced pineapple coconut smoothie was to be offered.
