Posts Tagged ‘beverages’

IFT Food Expo Provides an Array of Themes—Part 2

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

Imagine an oasis … not in the middle of the dessert, but rather on the IFT Expo floor. That is just one of the many exciting (or in this case relaxing) themes that can be experienced by attendees. Yesterday, we looked at several of these themes, and now here’s the second installment.

• “Flavor Oasis.” Attendees can sit by a waterfall while enjoying a refreshing, healthy, lightly flavored spa-type beverage. At Virginia Dare (booth 2521), trendy new flavors, varieties of vanilla, various masking flavors, and new teas and coffee concentrates are featured for all you “nomad” food professionals out there. Quench your thirst with a ready-to-drink iced tea made from tea concentrate and fruit flavors. The company recently developed new chocolate flavors coupled with natural black tea that impart a distinctive chocolate scent and taste. Several prototypes made with new coffee concentrates are being introduced, including several roasts and popular flavors. Or visitors can sample a refreshing healthy frozen dessert designed with masking flavors and made with natural fruit flavors. And then there’s vanilla’s delicate aromatics and complex, full-bodied flavor profile that can be experienced in a beverage formulation. As you enjoy, just remember one thing: Please leave your camel parked outside.

• “Developing Kid-Friendly Foods.” New ingredients and prototypes that illustrate kid-friendly food and beverage products are showcased by Cargill (booth 1721). These products do not compromise on taste, while containing less sodium, calories, and fats, and more whole grains, fiber, and protein. For example, Blueberry Breakfast Cookies with Yogurt-flavored Drizzle, feature white whole wheat flour, inulin, a stabilizer blend, and a yogurt-flavored compound. Mini burgers—Soy Sliders—are formulated with textured soy flour and served on a white whole-wheat bun. Chicken Quesadillas contain a new sodium reduction system (SodiumSelect™) that has less sodium than traditional chicken quesadillas, and the tortillas offer whole-grain nutrition benefits. Sugar-free Mint Patties are a sweet treat made with erythritol and maltitol syrup for a 50% calorie reduction compared to full-sugar mint patty candies. Other formulations include fiber-containing pretzels, a reduced-sugar raspberry juice beverage made with sucromalt, and beverages that feature omega-3 oils. Kristen Dammann, the company’s Regulatory Senior Scientist, is conducting live presentations at the booth on Tuesday, June 26, at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, June 27, at 11 a.m. to help product developers better understand how the regulatory environment is changing in regard to children’s nutrition.

• “The Color House.” Almost sounds like a new Las Vegas casino, but actually it is the theme of D.D. Williamson/colorMaker Inc. (booth 1551). Come visit The Color House to see the newest innovations in color, including certified organic annatto powder, oil-dispersible caramel color, low 4-Mel caramel color, and acid-proof Class One “Plain” caramel color. A variety of food and beverage prototypes made with naturally derived colorings are available for sampling, such as lemonade tea, non-alcoholic mango margarita, snack/cereal bar, processed cheese shaped for children, panned confections, potato chips, popcorn, breakfast cereal, and crackers.

• “Finger Food Fusion.” Finger foods that capture the eye and the palate are available for sampling at Gold Coast Ingredients (booth 1435). The prototype formulations demonstrate the use of both sweet and savory flavors from the company’s extensive portfolio.

• “Salt Inspiration Station.” Morton Salt (booth 2559), is displaying its specialty products at its Salt Inspiration Station. Visitors can learn more about how these products deliver on three important fronts for food manufacturers—shape, size, and stickiness or adhesion—and experience for themselves different salt particles and their functionality across a range of product categories. Specialty products include Morton California Pure Salts, Star Flake® dendritic salt, and Top Flake Coarse Salt. Newest addition to its line of sodium-reduction solutions is Fine KaliSel Potassium Chloride.

• “How to Build a Better Burger.” Bringing value to every layer of a hamburger is demonstrated through the use of a broad range of potato-based ingredients by KMC (booth 138). Let’s start by giving your buns a lift by adding potato flakes, potato granules, or FiberBind, which can help delay the staling effect in yeast-based dough and keep those buns fresh and appealing for longer. Representatives show how potato-based ingredients can improve the functionality of beef patties, cheese, and dressings.

What theme are you interested in? Most likely, you’ll find it at the IFT Food Expo.

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Creating Winning Sustainability Initiatives

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

by Mary Ellen Kuhn 

Odwall Dasani BottlesThe relationship between return on investment (ROI) and operating sustainably was a recurring theme in Session 230, “Sustainability: How Beverage Innovation Award Winners Did It,” held Tuesday morning, June 14, at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo.

Speakers in the session, all of whom represented companies recognized for their initiatives by the International Society of Beverage Technologists, pointed out that often operating sustainably also produces economic benefits for a company. 

In a presentation on a technology from a company called Trustwater, Christopher Hoemeke of the company pointed out that Trustwater’s Electrochemical Activation technology—which allows for the elimination of all chemicals in processing equipment clean-in-place (CIP) systems—also allows the companies that implement it to achieve substantial savings on water and energy expenditures. 

“If the ROI is not there, it doesn’t matter how big the green footprint is,” said Hoemeke.

At Coca-Cola, which last year introduced the award-winning PlantBottle produced with 30% plant-based PET materials, the project would not have moved forward if it had not been economically viable, explained Robert Kriegel of Coca-Cola’s packaging operation.

Using the plant-based PET reduces dependence on petroleum and lowers carbon impact, but it also makes sense from a business and consumer satisfaction perspective.

“No other material can meet our quality standards,” Kriegel said. “We have the infrastructure for PET and PET recycling.”

It was important for the new material to be cost-effective, compatible with the company’s existing packaging equipment, and recyclable, Kriegel continued. Having a cost-effective technology is critical because the company is committed to keeping its price points stable. Making a change that would require a massive change in equipment would not be either cost-effective or sustainable, he emphasized.

“It’s still PET,” said Kriegel. “Make no mistake it’s still polyethylene terephthalate. … Because it is still PET, it is still recyclable, and that is critical for us in the big picture.”

Coca-Cola is working with the H.J. Heinz Co., which later this summer will begin the rollout of Heinz ketchup in the plant-based packaging Coca-Cola developed. “We have to have these partners that can share our vision and provide scale,” said Kriegel. “Ultimately, we want the entire industry to be using (plant-based) PET.”

Also in the session, Nels Anderson of Ecolab talked about the process of driving sustainability into the innovation process. He urged those developing a sustainability program to be aware that program drivers will evolve continually. “Reassess your market,” he urged, “because the factors influencing it will be changing.”

It’s also important to realize that ideas can come from many different sources. “You have to take ideas from everywhere,” said Anderson. At Ecolab, for example, the idea for the company’s award-winning innovation came from a field employee in Mexico—located more than 2,000 miles from the company’s closet R&D facilty.

To help ensure sustainable operation, it’s also important to set sustainability goals upfront. “What we have done is state our sustainability goals early in a project,” said Anderson.

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Cargill, Booth 6039

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Trend: Taste Modification

Product: TasteWise™ Reduced Calorie Beverages

Beverage manufacturers can make their reduced-calorie drinks taste better than ever with an innovative new approach by Cargill. TasteWise™ reduced calorie solutions uses Cargill’s patent-pending technology, application capabilities, and ingredients to enable beverage makers to deliver better-tasting, reduced-calorie products. Stop by Cargill’s booth 6039 to take the TasteWise™ challenge and see if you can tell which lemon-lime soda is zero-calorie.

Cargill

www.cargill.com/food

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Balancing Sweetness and Mouthfeel in Reduced-Calorie Beverages

Monday, June 13th, 2011

by Donald E. Pszczola

A new approach, developed by Cargill, Booth 6039, enables beverage manufacturers to deliver better-tasting, reduced-calorie products. With this approach, which integrates patent-pending technology, application capabilities, and ingredients (texturizers, sweeteners, and flavors) from the company’s diverse portfolio, reduced-calorie solutions, TasteWise™, are created to provide the right balance between desired sweetness and enhanced mouthfeel.

The secret to delivering a superior taste experience to consumers is in optimizing the balance between texture, sweetness, and mouthfeel, explained Andy del Rosal, Team Leader of Cargill’s North American beverage application scientists. When producing reduced-calorie beverages, manufacturers typically lower sugar content. To compensate for losing sweetness, it is common to add zero- or mid-calorie high-intensity sweeteners and taste-modifying flavors. Although this effectively addresses the loss of sweetness, the resulting beverage is likely to deliver a thinner mouthfeel and a different taste profile.

Using its new approach, Cargill claims to remedy this problem, as the company explained in a presentation given at a Special Events Pavilion (Booth 8153) on Monday, June 13, 10:30–11:30 a.m. Brian Guthie, Research Fellow in Cargill’s Global Food Research Group, and del Rosal delivered the presentation, “Great Science Meets Great Taste: A Revolutionary New Approach for Formulating Great-Tasting Reduced-Calorie Beverages,” which reported on the preliminary results of Cargill’s multi-year research and development program to understand how beverage ingredients interact to affect taste, sweetness, and mouthfeel to ultimately drive overall consumer liking.

The presentation then described the company’s new approach for optimizing taste in reduced-calorie beverages such as a zero-calorie lemon-lime soda. According to Cargill, it uses “tribology” (the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion) to more accurately mimic and measure what goes on inside the mouth when a beverage is consumed. The company emphasizes that it is a pioneer in the use of tribology in the food and beverage industry, and through its use can predict and shape mouthfeel with an accuracy previously unknown in the industry.

“With this new approach, Cargill not only provides the ingredients to achieve desired sweetness and enhanced mouthfeel, but the science and expertise to achieve the right balance,” said del Rosal. “This is the culmination of years of scientific research to help our customers develop reduced-calorie beverages that also taste great.” Sensory and consumer testing of Cargill’s measurement and ingredient technology, conducted at North Carolina State University’s Sensory Science Center, validates the connection between key mouthfeel sensations and consumer liking.

The new approach also helps customers to save time and reduce costs. TasteWise™ reduced-calorie solutions helps speed product development through the utilization of its special prediction capabilities and new ingredient components. These components may include new texturizing blends that make possible the use of less sweeteners or other ingredients to achieve the same mouthfeel; the use of sweetener developments such as stevia-based, zero-calorie sweetener Truvia; and the use of taste enhancing and masking flavors. At Cargill’s booth, attendees are able to take the TasteWise challenge to see if they can tell which lemon-lime soda is zero-calorie.

Cargill has filed several patents on its TasteWise reduced-calorie solutions, and is working to extend its capabilities into food products including dressings, sauces, and soups.

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Sipping on New Beverage Ideas

Monday, June 13th, 2011

by Donald E. Pszczola

Fruit-flavored frozen coconut water.  Stevia-sweetened drinks. New color emulsions for enhanced water applications. And a tropical beverage made with a transparent soy protein. These are just a few of the innovative prototypes found at IFT Food Expo that might be of special interest to beverage formulators.

Let’s sip for a moment on some of these beverage concepts:

  • CoconutTropical flavored coconut water ices are available (for sipping or slurping) from David Michael & Co., Booth 5217. Using coconut water as a frozen treat base offers consumers a refreshing healthy alternative without compromising taste. As you sample these drinks, cookies made with a partial cocoa replacer are provided as well.
  • Beverage prototypes feature a number of innovative solutions from National Starch/Corn Products, Booth 6839. For example, a fortified, citrus-flavored vitamin water is crystal clear because of a Q-Naturale encapsulating system. The beverage is sweetened with Enliten A stevia and fortified with Aquamin® calcified mineral source and Nutriose soluble fiber. Other prototypes include sweet tea and raspberry powder beverages sweetened with Enliten A and fortified with Aquamin, Nutraflora prebiotic fiber, and Purimune high-purity GOS for digestive, immune, and bone health.
  • A number of natural flavor distillates, part of the Treattarome™ line from Treatt, Booth 7213, are showcased in beverage prototypes.  Visitors can sample the latest additions to this range of sweet and savory flavor ingredients. These include, honey, ginger, mango, spearmint, green tea, and habanero pepper. Clear and entirely water soluble, these products are suitable for applications including beverages, alcoholic drinks, juices, and dairy formulations.
  • A tropical beverage, Orange Mango Protein Cooler, is made with Clarisoy, an isolated soy protein product that is 100% soluble, transparent, and very low in viscosity. Use of this protein allows for the production of transparent, protein-fortified beverages such as juices, soft drinks, and sport drinks in the low pH range. Recently, ADM, Booth 6539, entered into a license agreement with Burcon NutraScience Corp. for the worldwide production, distribution, and sale of the soy protein.
  • SmoothieIdyllic beverage prototypes can be enjoyed in a park-like setting at Virginia Dare, Booth 6130.  These prototypes include a fortified smoothie made with masking flavors and natural fruit flavors; refreshing iced teas made from tea concentrates (black, green, Assam, oolong, and white, as well as Rooibos); a beverage highlighting vanilla’s delicate aromatics and complex, full-bodied flavor profile; and a lightly flavored spa-type drink.
  • A “Symrise Happy Hour,” features Mixologist Junior Merino, who will concoct special cocktails—the kind of creations that have crowned him as “the liquid chef.”  The event is held by Symrise Inc., Booth 5015, on Sunday and Monday, from 2–4 p.m. Also, the company will showcase its new line of tropical fruit flavors—mango, guava, papaya, pineapple, lychee, passionfruit, pomegranate, and coconut water fruit flavors.
  • Natural water-soluble colors for beverages can be created without opacity. The clear color emulsions are developed by Wild Flavors, Booth 6813, using new delivery systems. They have bright appealing color and can be made in a variety of shades without imparting a negative taste to the end product. The emulsions also have a high stability over shear forces and phase separation such as ringing or sedimentation, and are heat and light stable. They not only provide bright natural color in enhanced water applications, but can be easily incorporated into most beverages and other products.
  • Reduced-calorie solutions, TasteWise, optimize the balance between taste and mouthfeel in beverages. The solutions are developed by Cargill, Booth 6039, based on a new approach using “tribology” (the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion). Attendees are able to take the TasteWise challenge to see if they can tell which lemon-lime soda is zero calorie.
  • The wellness benefits of whey protein are infused in a variety of beverage concepts demonstrated by Hilmar Ingredients, Booth 4942. Prototypes include a clear, high-protein sports drink, a whey-protein-fortified tropical fruit and veggie smoothie, a low-fat chai spice protein shake, and a chocolate dairy drink designed for markets where a lack of refrigeration and supply infrastructure limit fresh dairy. Working on healthy beverages? This may be the booth for you.
  • Sip on a refreshing, effervescent pomegranate beverage at Grain Processing Corp., Booth 7239. The prototype is made with Maltrin® maltodextrins for building body and mouthfeel while adding a clean-tasting, non-sweet energy source into beverages.
  • A “Happy Hour” is held daily from 3–5 p.m. by GNT USA, Booth 7039. Frozen cocktails, such as rum punches, are served, made from fruit juice concentrates. Also virgin frozen mocktails are available throughout the day. Learn more about the company’s fruit-derived natural colors and fruit and vegetable extracts.

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Prickly Pear Quencher

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

Prickly PearS&P Marketing Inc.’s (booth 4807) Prickly Pear Quencher is an all-natural, prickly pear and lime beverage that is 100% sweetened naturally by fruit. Prickly pear is high in fiber and soluble fiber and rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C, betalains, and quercetin. It is also a good source of magnesium and is low in fat and calories compared with other, more common, plant-derived ingredients, as well as being a dietary source of taurine.

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