T. Hasegawa Rolls Out Flavor Modifier and More Industry News

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Flavor Modifier Addresses Tomato Supply Shortages

Tomato crop supplies in the United States have been limited recently thanks to record summer rains that saturated California tomato fields, shortening the planting season and reducing yield. In addition, material costs for tomatoes have shot up by as much as 80% since 2021 as a result of previous U.S. droughts, among other challenges, T. Hasegawa USA reports.

To address the supply situation, T. Hasegawa developed Tomato BOOSTRACT, a natural flavor modifier that amplifies flavor intensity and enhances taste characteristics while decreasing reliance on tomato paste. Tomato paste is a key ingredient in a number of foodservice and CPG food products. The R&D team at T. Hasegawa determined that use of Tomato BOOSTRACT can successfully reduce use of tomato paste by nearly 25%.

The line was developed through three different mechanisms, including extraction, enzyme, and thermal reaction technologies, which can be used alone, or in various combinations, depending on the food or beverage product application. The result is a clean label, natural product that is not yeast-based and has the potential to be organic certifiable. The new line includes specific variations for dairy, butter, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, cheese, and mushroom applications, among others.

NEW PRODUCTS

Symrise launched a range of diana food chickpea and aquafaba ingredients. Chickpea flakes have a high protein and fiber content, making them a valuable nutritional ally for plant-based recipes. They bring texture and juiciness to a wide range of applications, including falafel, healthy snacks, and dips such as hummus.

Aquafaba—literally, “bean water” in Latin—describes the cooking water of chickpeas. Symrise has applied its technological skills to create aquafaba flakes, which act as a vegan alternative to egg yolk, allowing clear labeling and bringing texture to products while offering water and oil retention properties. Aquafaba flakes guarantee a vegan option that has texture and taste comparable to mayonnaise and salad dressings, Symrise says.

Anhui Shunxin Shenyuan Biological Food Co., a rice protein manufacturer based in Anhui province in Eastern China, and ZXCHEM USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Shanghai-based ZXCHEM Group, have announced the launch of HydroRice PA80 and HydroPR 80 protein powders. HydroRice PA80 is 100% rice protein, and HydroPR 80 is a 40/60 blend of rice and pea protein. Both products are produced with a new manufacturing process that uses no enzymes or hydrolyzation to change the protein functionality. Instead, the factory is using a combination of a high-pressure homogenization process and spray drying. Anhui Shunxin has assigned ZXCHEM USA the exclusive master distributorship in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

Univar Solutions announced an expanded distribution relationship with Kalsec for advanced hop ingredients in the United States. This latest agreement adds to the current partnership that includes distribution of Kalsec’s natural taste and sensory, colors, and food protection solutions in Mexico, Colombia, and Europe. Kalsec’s line of advanced hop ingredients now available through Univar Solutions includes hop acids, kettle aroma extracts, customized blends, neat hop oils, and hop flavoring. The company’s HopRival natural hop extracts uniquely craft blends of 100% hop-derived oils to deliver hop flavor and aroma to brewed beverages, reliably in every batch, every time.

United Natural Foods broke ground on a state-of-the-art distribution center just north of Sarasota, Fla. The new center will incorporate the latest in leading warehouse technology to increase efficiency in selecting, packing, and loading processes.

IFF completed its new North American Creation and Design Center in New Century, Kan. The IFF creative center includes the addition of two new flavor creation labs, the expansion of existing food application design labs for dairy, bar, culinary, and bakery products, and a new lab solely for pet food development. The New Century facility is the company’s second-largest creative center in North America and houses 10 labs and six state-of-the-art pilot plants, which serve two purposes: providing better customer support and enhancing innovative product development.

Univar B.V., a subsidiary of Univar Solutions, and Kalsec have expanded their food ingredients distribution agreement to include three additional European countries: France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Novozymes and Arla Foods Ingredients have agreed to a partnership to develop advanced protein ingredients using precision fermentation. Novozymes will contribute its expertise in the creation of microbial strains for the industrial-scale production of proteins by precision fermentation. This will be combined with Arla’s food technology know-how, in particular in relation to separation and drying processes, and its knowledge of the regulatory landscape. The initial focus of the collaboration will be a solution for disease-specific medical nutrition, a category in which protein is an essential component. Expansion into other segments is anticipated in the future.

In other news, Arla Foods Ingredients’ native milk protein, MicelPure (micellar casein isolate), has become the first Arla product to be certified by the Non-GMO Project, North America’s most comprehensive non-GMO certifier.

Kemin Industries opened a new manufacturing facility in Verona, Mo., to produce its Proteus line of clean label functional proteins that are used to increase yield and enhance the quality of meat and poultry products within the food industry. The Proteus portfolio of muscle-based protein ingredients can help food processors naturally retain moisture typically lost in processing. The Proteus production plant will have an initial capacity to produce enough functional protein to treat more than a billion pounds of protein-based applications.

Synergy Flavors celebrated the grand opening of its new savory innovation center at its U.S. headquarters in Wauconda, Ill. The new 12,500-square-foot savory innovation center features dedicated space for flavor development, laboratories where customers can work alongside Synergy’s technical team, and a state-of-the-art applications lab that replicates its customers’ commercial kitchens and processing conditions. The new culinary demonstration kitchen will host tasting and innovation sessions with customers, and the pilot plant features spray dryers and flavor reactors and vacuum drying and retort capabilities.ft

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