CHICAGO – Sartori Cheese’s signage announcing “Reduce costs by up to 50% with all-natural bold flavor” got the attention of food product developers at the IFT FIRST Annual Event and Conference last week in Chicago.
The Institute of Food Technologists hosted the world’s biggest B2B food expo, IFT FIRST, which stands for Food Improved by Research, Science and Technology.
As the food and beverage industry grapples with rising commodity costs, ingredient shortages, and supply chain issues, product formulators are looking at multiple ways to maintain profit margins. In addition to raising retail prices or downsizing the size of a package, companies can also reformulate products to reduce or eliminate some ingredients.
Exhibitors at IFT FIRST offered a range of cost-saving solutions in the areas of cheese, egg replacements, juices, and yeast products.
ALL-NATURAL INTENSIFIED CHEESE
By using Sartori’s Natureal Cheese with an intensified flavor, food companies can use 30 to 50% less cheese in the production of sauces, dressings, pizzas, and filled pastas, the company said.
The Natureal Cheese is a natural cheese made with four ingredients – milk, culture, salt, and enzymes – and ripened like its other cheeses. In addition to reducing ingredient costs, other benefits of using the Sartori Natureal Cheese could include cleaner labels (by replacing natural flavors and enzyme-modified cheese in recipes) and an improved nutritional profile with lower sodium, saturated fat, and calorie content.
EGG REPLACEMENTS
Egg prices jumped in the first half of 2022 due to the highly-pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. The Food Institute’s analysis of USDA data found that the prices for a dozen white eggs in cartons as of June 14 were up 129% compared to the prior year.
The rise in egg prices is prompting more food developers to look at egg replacements that can reduce costs, allow the final product to be labelled plant-based and vegan, and remove egg as an allergen.
Wacker’s CAVAMAX W6 alpha-dextrin is a starch-based powder and egg replacement. Wayne Howard, Wacker Biosolutions Senior Sales Director Americas Bioingredients, told The Food Institute that “CAVAMAX W6 can replace eggs in baked goods, a vegan alternative that would be cost competitive that works in a synergistic way with protein to replace eggs by acting as an emulsifier and as a whipping agent.”
Agropur sampled Cheesecake Bites made with its BAKIGEN 1061 Egg Alternative in the filling and a crust baked with its CRINO Deproteinized Whey. The company said the BAKIGEN 1061 Egg Alternative “can replace or extend liquid or dried whole eggs in your formulation” and “maintains rise and texture in baked goods.”
In bakery applications, Cargill’s Prolia soy flour can also offer partial egg replacement. The Prolia Defatted Soy Flour has a 50% protein content, offers a protein boost, helps create a better crumb structure, and increases the shelf-life stability of baked products.
JUICE
Ingredion is taking a holistic approach to aid its food and beverage manufacturer customers through its 360 Value program that launched in 2021. There are three dimensions of a total value approach – value creation (profit), consumer well-being, and environmental impact.
The company’s Kerr by Ingredion red raspberry type replacer addresses all three dimensions by offering a lower cost alternative to red raspberry juice to be used in beverages, a quality-tasting product for consumers, and using “ugly” raspberries that would not get sold at supermarkets.
John Lazowski, Vice President, Marketing at Ingredion said, “360 value is holistic, helping customers address consumers’ well-being and nutritional impact, the sourcing of ingredients helping farmers with value creation, aiding customers who are experiencing ingredients or supply issues.”
YEAST FOR TASTE BOOSTING
Leiber, a producer of yeast products, offers its Leiber-Aromor yeast extract powders as a way to taste-boost spices.
By intensifying the pungency of single spice profiles like cumin and nutmeg and enhancing and fortifying seasoning profiles like berbere and chipotle, food producers can save money by reducing the amount of spices in the final recipe while retaining the taste intensity of the original recipe.
Virginia Lee is a food and drinks trends explorer and market researcher. She has advised companies on innovation and market entry opportunities in consumer-packaged goods at Euromonitor International, Brightfield Group, and Innova Market Insights. Connect with Virginia on Twitter and Instagram at @VirginiaALee.
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