Functional Beverage Trends, New Products, and Industry Updates

NUTRACEUTICALS

Functional Beverage Trends

An Insights report from Florida Food Products, Meet the Demand for Function and Flavor in Today’s Beverages, indicates that nearly three-quarters of consumers are choosing drinks that provide functional benefits.

Trending health and wellness areas include the following: Mood Enhancement (benefits such as calming, relaxing, and improving mood); Immunity Boosters (trending ingredients like green tea, hibiscus, mushrooms, and acerola); and Clean Energy Drinks (natural sources to boost energy such as yerba mate extract, green tea extract, guayusa leaf, and green coffee extract).

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Black Elderberry Has Prebiotic Benefits

Recent research demonstrated prebiotic benefits of a black elderberry extract ingredient (ElderCraft, Artemis International), providing evidence of the relationship between black elderberry polyphenols and overall digestive health.

The study involved 30 human participants who took 300 mg of ElderCraft twice a day for six weeks. The results demonstrated that the polyphenol-standardized extract made from European black elderberry induced profound changes in microbial diversity measures and resulted in elevated and lasting levels of Akkermansia muciniphila, a gut bacterial strain associated with human health.

INGREDIENTS

Crispness From Calcium Carbonate

When it comes to crisp baked goods such as wafers, the sound while eating is key to consumer acceptance. Perception of product quality, and even taste, are closely connected to acoustics. To demonstrate how calcium carbonate can easily improve mouthfeel without negatively impacting taste, Omya carried out a sound analysis that showed a clear correlation between audible crispness and the content of calcium carbonate (Omya Calcipur) in a wafer.

The sound analysis demonstrated that the addition of calcium carbonate significantly elevated the number of sound peaks detected during the structural breakdown of the wafers, and thus the crispness of the wafers.

NEW PRODUCTS

Ecolab launched Active OX+ (EPA Reg. No. 1677-275), a no-rinse food contact sanitizer listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute. The new, Environmental Protection Agency–registered sanitizer is ideal for use on hard, nonporous and pre-cleaned food contact surfaces such as pipelines, tanks, vats, fillers, evaporators, pasteurizers, and associated equipment in facilities including dairy processors, beverage and food processing plants, and breweries.

Nexira launched its new range of natural and efficient texturizers under the brand naltive for dairy and plant-based applications. The naltive brand includes three types of hydrocolloids, with locust bean gum being its flagship ingredient, and tara gum, and guar gum specialties. The locust bean gum line has been designed to fit manufacturers’ industrial needs and to fulfill consumer expectations for sensory experiences, clean label, and organic plant-based foods and beverages.

ChickP Protein, a food tech startup, introduced chickpea protein isolate for plant-based ice cream. ChickP developed a prototype in cooperation with Vaniglia, an international ice cream chain headquartered in Israel. In ice cream applications, ChickP’s protein isolate provides important functionalities, such as emulsion stability, prevention of icing and crystallization, and the creation of an ideal melting profile. It also provides whipping capabilities and has a fresh, neutral taste suitable for merging with any desired flavor.

Layn Natural Ingredients has extended its portfolio of tea extracts with its Instant Tea Extract Powder line. The tea extract powders are produced using a simple water extraction method that helps to retain both the flavor and functionality found in the tea leaves; the powders are hot- and cold-water soluble. The line includes caffeinated and decaffeinated versions of Instant Black Tea Extract Powder, Instant Green Tea Extract Powder, Instant Pu-erh Tea Extract Powder, Instant White Tea Extract Powder, and Instant Oolong Tea Extract Powder.

Royal DSM announced the launch of Vertis CanolaPRO canola protein isolate. When used as part of a protein blending strategy, Vertis CanolaPRO is highly complementary to proteins from legumes and cereals and fills in gaps in essential amino acids. The company also launched Vertis Textured Pea Canola Protein, which offers a complete protein with more of the meat-like texture consumers want from plant-based alternatives. It is a blend of pea protein and Vertis CanolaPRO.

FerriUp from Glanbia Nutritionals is a whey protein concentrate rich in lactoferrin and vitamin B12 that supports active women, a group that may experience depleted iron and energy levels. The whey protein is produced using Glanbia’s selective transfer membrane system, which concentrates the key nutrient components of whey. FerriUp naturally contains abundant levels of lactoferrin and vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and 80% protein, providing a strong nutrient foundation that supports iron modulation, energy levels, and immune health.

Following the acquisition of Meatless B.V., BENEO will expand its portfolio in the second quarter of 2023 with its first ever semi-finished product: plant-based chicken chunks. The semi-finished plant-based product will come in fresh or frozen form and is made from ingredients such as mycoprotein and pea protein combined with flavoring. With a carbon footprint three times lower than regular chicken, this plant-based alternative caters to the increasing consumer interest in more environmentally friendly solutions.

Kemin Industries added BetaVia Pure WD and BetaVia Complete WD, two new water-dispersible forms, to its BetaVia™ line of algae-sourced beta-glucan, which has been clinically validated to support the immune system while protecting against oxidative stress.

Merit Functional Foods’ first USDA Certified Organic protein ingredient, Organic Peazazz C 850, offers an option that is fully traceable back to the farm, grown on Canadian soil with organic peas, and produced at Merit’s Winnipeg-based facility.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

AIDP announced an exclusive agreement to distribute LUZIXINE, a concentrated extract of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), developed by L-RD (France). It is rich in omega-3, contains all the essential amino acids, and has a protein concentration of 54% compared with non-concentrated alfalfa at just 20%.

IFF announced plans for entry into the personalized nutrition sector through a strategic partnership with Salus Optima, a British-based, digitally enabled personalized nutrition, health, and wellness company. By leveraging Salus Optima’s core technology with IFF’s portfolio of health-enabling ingredients from its Nourish and Health & Biosciences business divisions, brand owners can offer consumers a differentiated and engaging personalized nutrition experience that addresses the aspects that influence metabolic health.

Ingredion signed an exclusive commercial distribution partnership with InnovoPro, a leading food tech chickpea solutions company, to distribute a chickpea protein concentrate in the United States and Canada.

GNT has successfully petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to amend the Code of Federal Regulations rule that had limited the use of spirulina extract as a natural blue coloring ingredient to certain foods and powdered beverages. With the amendment, use has been expanded to include all nonalcoholic beverages as well as alcoholic beverages below 20% ABV. GNT has developed a patented formulation technology that allows spirulina extract to remain temperature- and acid-stabilized in beverages.

ICL Food Specialties has joined forces with Protera Biosciences, an AI-driven food tech startup and designer of novel proteins. Through this partnership, ICL and Protera will develop and commercialize sustainable protein-based ingredients using precision fermentation.

Millwood Inc. acquired Southworth Wood Products, which will be referred to as MillTree East: A Millwood Inc. Company. MillTree East is a circle mill that is currently cutting material that is resized with band saws for pallet material. Custom crates and pallets are also built at this new location.

Hillenbrand has completed its acquisition of Peerless Food Equipment. Peerless will be a part of the Coperion Food, Health & Nutrition Division, joining previous acquisitions, LINXIS Group and Gabler Engineering.

MycoTechnology and IFF have entered a partnership to co-develop alternative proteins and next-generation food and beverage products for the European market. The two companies have already partnered in the United States.

By combining MycoTechnology’s novel mycelial fermentation platform with IFF’s technical expertise and capabilities, the companies plan to develop innovative solutions for food and beverage products throughout Europe.

Olam Food Ingredients (“ofi”) opened its new Customer Solutions Center in Singapore.

BASF and StePac Ltd. have joined forces to create the next generation of sustainable packaging specifically for the fresh produce sector. Supplying StePac with its Ultramid Ccycled, a chemically recycled polyamide 6, BASF will provide its partner greater flexibility to advance contact-sensitive packaging formats to a higher sustainable standard within the circular economy. StePac will pioneer the use of chemically recycled plastics for the packaging of fresh perishables.

Bunge plans to invest approximately $550 million to build a fully integrated soy protein concentrate and textured soy protein concentrate facility. Construction of the facility, which will be adjacent to and integrated with Bunge’s soybean processing plant in Morristown, Ind., is expected to start in the first quarter of 2023 and to be commissioned in mid-2025, creating about 70 full-time jobs. The new facility is expected to ultimately process close to an additional 4.5 million bushels of soybeans.

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