Lycored unveils natural taste enhancers for sugar and salt reduced pizza sauces and crusts

22 Feb 2022 --- Lycored, a producer of natural lycopene-based taste-enhancers for F&B, has unveiled tomato serums, Sante, and Clear Tomato Concentrate (CTC) for the pizza industry to reduce the amount of sugar and salt in sauces and crust recipes.

“Through our patented process, we concentrate the umami and kokumi characteristics within the tomato, creating a proprietary flavor solution rich and balanced with natural savory and meaty flavors, and the hearty mouthfeel and lingering craveability that is Sante,” Tammi Higgins, senior vice president of Food at Lycored tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Sante is a natural, clean label taste-enhancing tomato serum produced from non-GMO tomatoes that are mechanically separated and concentrated to 60% Brix, the degrees of sugar content in the solution.

Proprietary to Lycored, CTC is a 100% natural tomato serum concentrate also mechanically separated and concentrated to 60% Brix. 

Tomato taste enhancer
Sante and CTC can be declared as either “tomato concentrate” or “natural flavor.” Sante and CTC reduce sodium by 30% and remove the sugar from pizza sauce altogether. In addition, Sante reduces sodium by 30% in pizza crust.

“Sante can provide a roundness that creates a dynamic and complex flavor experience allowing for reduction of sodium in some applications and reduction of added sugar,” says Higgins.Sante and CTC are ideal for tomato-based applications.  

“Ideal for tomato-based applications due to its natural tomato flavor and acidity with tinned tomato notes, saltiness and umami characteristics, it is utilized for tomato taste addback,” explains Higgins.

The serums have a high level of Brix, due to naturally occurring sugars in tomatoes which works to create roundness and balance combined with taste intensity. “Together, these flavor characteristics act as a taste improver for food,” says Higgins.

Sugar and sodium reduction in pizza sauces 
Reducing key structural ingredients like tomato paste in pizza sauces and similar recipes can be challenging. Lycored research and customer experience have shown that with LycoFibers, manufacturers can extend tomato paste supply by up to 25%, deliver a smooth texture to sauces and eliminate less attractive ingredients such as starches and emulsifiers.

Lycored has been developing its products for over 20 years. Still, it has become increasingly sought after over the last five years “as consumers have become more focused on the impacts of the diet to a healthy relationship.”Lycored's tomato concentrates reduce sugar and sodium in pizza sauces and crusts.   

“This trend has grown beyond consumers, gaining momentum as global pushes from various government initiatives around the world are aimed at reducing the amount of sodium and added sugars consumed and through updated labeling requirements, taxation of goods and an increase in studies focused on the results excessive amounts of these products have on the body,” Higgins outlines.

“We deemed the creation and focus on Sante and CTC necessary because, at Lycored, our guiding principle is something we call cultivating wellness. This is the idea that all people have a right to wellness,” she says.

Lycored also provides customized taste enhancement solutions for plant-based meat applications, soups, sauces and juices.

Earlier this year, the company opened a new processing plant in New Jersey, US, to maximize its ingredients' quantity and quality. Carotenoids, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and natural food ingredients will be processed at the facility.

By Inga de Jong