Natural Salt Reduction Solution Scoops Fi Europe 2015 Innovation Prize

02 Dec 2015 --- Scelta Mushrooms has been announced as the overall winner of the Food Ingredients Europe 2015 innovation award, at this year’s FiE in Paris, which started yesterday. In an interesting and welcome departure for the industry competition, a relatively small company has been awarded for a truly innovative technology: Scelta Taste Accelerator (STA).

The ingredient solution from the Dutch company uses the natural power of umami to increase flavor – as an alternative to MSG/I+G/AYE – and reduces sodium up to 50% in processed foods: “without compromising taste and function.” Although made from mushroom, Scelta has succeeded to reduce the distinct mushroom flavor from these powders and concentrates, without using chemical processes. The product can be declared as natural aroma and can be used in many different savory solutions.

Before announcing the award, Peter Wenstrom, chair of judging panel, said of the winner: “The motivation for the most innovative food ingredient overall was something that we would like to signpost for the future. Combining a true entrepreneurial approach with co-innovation and sustainability, as strong signs to create truly functional and health promoting ingredients from waste products from industry, it meets societal and consumer demands. With disruptive foresight in their innovation pipeline, it makes Scelta one to continue watching in the future.”

After being revealed as the winner of both the overall competition and the category award for “Best Functional Innovation,” Floor Kessels at Scelta Mushrooms told FoodIngredientsFirst: “I believe we won because we have a unique product that can be used in a wide range of applications. The main goal of the ingredient is to reduce salt, which is a major topic in the world.” While STA is still a small scale product, she noted that you only need a small dosage to get a powerful effect, which is why it’s not very high volume.

Kessels believes that the award will help to boost the commercialization of this product, with further innovation to follow at the company. “We will get some good publicity following this announcement, so we are very happy. We are always keeping innovating, so probably next year you will see another new and innovative product.”

STA meets a major industry need for natural sustainable alternatives to reduce salt in products. In the Western diet about 80% of salt intake comes from processed foods, such as bread, meat and cheese. Food companies are responding to this and have made salt reduction a top priority. Unfortunately, reducing salt in food products also reduces flavor and palatability in the initial phases of the reduction of salt intake.

“We have developed a salt reduction product to aid the food industry in the quest to lower sodium intake without losing taste through the natural power of ‘umami.’ Umami flavor compounds have the ability to improve the palatability and increase perceived saltiness. As such, taste enhancers with umami-enhancing properties are able to compensate for the loss of taste when sodium is reduced and are able to enhance the hedonic tone of a certain product,” says Jeroen Dekkers of Scelta, in explaining the technology.

STA, in liquid and powder version, works extremely well in all kind of savory flavors, for example, sauces, meat, stocks and gravies. STA for bread has also developed especially for baked goods, such as bread, crackers, tortillas, pitas and bagels. The company also use their STA to reduce the salt content of chips, nuts and savory crackers.

In commenting on the commercial rollout, Dekkers noted: “Our initial introduction has been made with a Dutch producer of savory cookies and biscuits. The first products are in the market and will be complemented by much more new products in the coming years. Testing on meat, chips and salted nuts is in a commercial stage now, expecting to have good outcomes by the beginning of 2016. The main target markets are the UK, Netherlands and Scandinavia.”

By Robin Wyers in Paris

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