Steve Osborn, business innovation manager at Leatherhead Food Research, joined FoodNavigator on the floor of the industry event’s new product zone to take us through his launch highlights.
Salt and MSG out, mushrooms in
Scelta Mushrooms has developed a line of natural vegetable extracts for sodium reduction and MSG, I+G and autolyzed yeast extract replacement. The product enables natural sodium reduction in various applications such as meats, sauces and baked goods while purporting to maintain the function and taste profile of salt.
Its manufacturer says that only small concentrations are needed to achieve salt reductions of up to 50%.
Osborn said that the product's use of traditional umami techniques was a “positive step in the whole of the salt reduction agenda”.
“It’s taking a step back to some good old culinary traditions in building complex flavours for salt reduction to really achieve that robust, round savoury flavor that [consumers] desire without necessarily being lazy by adding salt or MSG to achieve that desired savouriness,” he said.
Roquette's award winning microalgae flour
Roquette's microalgae high lipid algal flour – an alternative to traditional lipids – was the winner of this year’s overall award for most innovative ingredient at FiE.
Osborn said that the product was impressive in its protein and carbohydrate content as well as its emulsifying properties.
It was recognised at the awards as a new tool in baking and savoury reformulation for fat calorie reduction, fat profile optimisation and allergen removal.
Osborn said that because the ingredient is from a microalgae source it is being promoted as sustainable and renewable, which he said addresses some of the recent questions over food supply against the backdrop of a growing global population.
Sing for your supper
Osborn said that his final choice, a range of flavours inspired by music, is not just a gimmick. The range – which includes maracas, remix, swing, sonata and Alegria flavours – is the creation of France-based flavour and fragrance firm Jean Niel.
Osborn said that this product was interesting when considering sensory perception as a holistic process.
“You use all of your senses all of the time to taste and enjoy products,” he said. “So it might be that the texture is important from a mouthfeel point of view but also if you think about a snack product then
the sound is important from a crunchiness or crispiness point of view and then also the smell and how it looks is important.”
Osborn said that building on from this idea by having a taste associated with a sound is a “nice idea". “There is some real science and thought that’s gone behind this,” he said.
The range’s Alegria flavour is described by the company as “the beat of the cajon”, combining the taste of sangria, saffron, chicken, cinnamon, meanwhile the remix flavour (“the energy of the youth”) brings together the taste of lollipop, cola and rum.
The flavours are advertised for application in drinks, desserts, soups and other natural and indulgent applications.