Combating pathogens: Corbion expands flavor-boosting, listeria-fighting portfolio to enhance food safety

11 Dec 2019 --- Biobased food ingredients specialist Corbion has launched six new ingredients within its Verdad and PuraQ Arome portfolios. The solutions enhance food safety, stability and flavor profiles across sectors including meat and seafood, bakery, ready-to-eat meals, sauces and dressings. All are marketed as natural alternatives to ingredients like sorbates and benzoates, helping manufacturers to create stable, safe and flavorful products. FoodIngredientsFirst was on the showfloor of Fi Europe 2019 (FiE) to meet firsthand with representatives of Corbion to discuss the latest ingredient development. Using the power of nature to improve both product taste and quality was a theme spotlighted at the trade show held in Paris, France.

“We aim to develop ingredients for our customers to help them keep their products safe, tasty and consistent from the day of production until consumption. Within that field, we continuously develop new ingredients, many of which are natural and based on fermentation. They help to control listeria and other pathogens, for example, as well as contribute to natural shelf-life extension in combination with taste optimization,” Simone Bouman, Sr. Industry Director, Sweet & Savory Food at Corbion, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Demand for natural ingredient solutions is only growing stronger, explains Marco Beltrao, Business Development Director EMEA at Corbion. “As a pioneer in biobased ingredients, we’re constantly developing and improving products and expertise that help manufacturers to develop the success stories of tomorrow, with ingredients that deliver – without compromise – on safety, functionality and taste.”

Corbion’s solutions help combat the spread of pathogens in fresh meats, while reducing discoloration and off-flavors.Ensuring safety in meat and seafood
With safety topping industry’s agenda, two of Corbion’s new ingredients have been developed based on the company’s expertise in preservation and Listeria monocytogenes growth control. Both are not only natural alternatives to traditional additives; they also extend shelf life, while enhancing color retention and maximizing flavor.

For fresh meat suppliers looking to offer simpler, more recognizable labels and shelf appeal, Verdad Avanta F250 is a naturally-derived preservative solution that reduces discoloration over time and guarantees a good sensory experience, notes Corbion. Meanwhile, Verdad Opti.Powder N350, a dry vinegar-based solution optimized for use during the curing process, is marketed as the “first ingredient of its kind on the market” for dry-cured smoked salmon producers to control listeria growth.

“Listeria control has been a focus for Corbion for many years. This means that we have developed a broad portfolio with a lot of application knowledge. We also work in the space of predictive modeling. When addressing listeria, we mainly refer to refrigerated applications as listeria can survive and grow in chilled temperatures. There are also meat applications, fish, ready-to-eat meals and prepared food. Within these spaces, we have different solutions that can help our customers control listeria in a more natural way. These solutions are tailored for the application. For example, customers will sometimes prefer powders over liquids,” explains Bouman.

Longer-lasting sauces, dressings and ready-to-eat mealsNatural alternatives to preservatives that promote food safety are in high demand, given the trending clean label theme.
Set to rise in value by around US$750 million in Europe over the coming five to six years, demand has never been higher for sauces and dressings, while the ready-to-eat food market is poised to grow at a CAGR of 4 percent by 2024, notes Corbion. 

Tapping into demands for taste improvement as well as prolonged shelf life, Corbion is introducing Verdad N335, a powerful yet natural antimicrobial ingredient for sauces and chilled dressings. Verdad N330, on the other hand, is specifically formulated to target lactic acid bacteria in low pH applications (3.5 to 3.8). 

For optimized flavor with natural ingredients in sauces and both packaged and freshly prepared salad dressings, Corbion’s new PuraQ Arome 110 improves organoleptic qualities by balancing sour notes, while also enhancing spiciness and other flavor profiles.

Freshly fruity fillings
Further expanding its portfolio for industrial bakers, Corbion also launched Verdad F340 at FiE this year. Designed to inhibit mold growth in fruit fillings, it is as effective as potassium sorbate, yet has scarcely any impact on taste, the company states.

“FiE 2019 was the culmination of many years’ development work at Corbion,” adds Beltrao. “We’ve leveraged our comprehensive market insights to inspire and guide our R&D team – with the result that we were able to introduce an unprecedented number of specialized ingredients at one trade show. Our innovations fit perfectly with European food industry trends and the feedback from visitors at FiE was excellent.”

By Benjamin Ferrer, with additional reporting by Missy Green