The natural way to be R214-compliant

Supplied locally by WCA Life Science Services, the condiment was the winner of the IFT17 Innovation Award – announced during the 2017 Institute of Food Technologists conference.

Consumers want to recognise ingredients included in products. Food and beverage manufacturers most likely to thrive in this rapidly-changing environment are those who can respond to these consumer desires. This is especially true in demand for clean-label products.

Consumers are gravitating towards healthier, “natural” products. Items that include comparatively higher sodium levels will face significant challenges. This is very true considering increasing regulation limiting the amount of sodium in food. The challenge lies in the fact that consumers are not necessarily willing to forgo craveable and flavourful food in pursuit of healthier options.

It is possible to satisfy the trends of flavour and health by leveraging the power of plants, allowing food developers to create clean-label products with simple ingredients that retain robust flavours.

With Mediterranean Umami, food and beverage manufacturers can satisfy this desire while reducing sodium by as much as 45% and sugar as much as 25%. The ingredient works well in proteins (wide variety of processed meats and vegetarian ‘meat’ options), soups and sauces, RTE meals and savoury snacks.

The food and beverage manufacturing industry remains hyper-competitive. It seems likely that as consumers become more invested in clean label and plant-based products, they will not want manufacturers to forgo flavour and craveability.