Bringing Home the Bacon (Flavor)
by Donald E. Pszczola
A natural concentrate from Butter Buds Food Ingredients, Booth 5823, can impart bacon flavor along with fatty richness and mouthfeel. The new product, Butter Buds Bacon, is suitable for vegetarian food products as it contains no animal fat. It may be labeled as a natural flavor, and has been granted the Kosher Parve certification.
The highly concentrated bacon flavor, spray dried on a corn starch carrier, is based on the same technology used to make the other Butter Buds natural concentrates (butter, cream, cheese, cocoa, and beer). Flavor characteristics for this latest addition can be described as savory, meaty, bacon flavor with fatty background notes.
According to the company, the concentrate is effective in such applications as snack seasonings, processed cheeses, salad dressings, and dips. It may also be used in a brine solution or meat marinades to add rich, savory notes to poultry and lunch meat. Usage level is recommended at 0.25–2.0%. Formulas using the flavor are offered at the booth. These include Bacon Chip Seasoning, Chili con Carne Soup, and Bacon Alfredo Sauce Mix. Representatives are on-hand to provide technical data and product samples.
Bacon continues to be a leading savory flavor and on the show floor you can find other signs of its presence, in addition to this natural concentrate. For example, Bell Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Booth 3870, is highlighting a bacon-flavored chocolate. And David Michael & Co., Booth 3609, showcases a turkey burger slider made with a smoky bacon flavor.
And I suspect one can find other pig-in-the-expo groupies out there as well. I mean what would life be without bacon flavor?