Chr. Hansen Join Organic Wave

The company has introduced an organic ingredient portfolio that is complex and functional.

The organic market in the USA is growing at about 20 percent annually, creating a rise in demand for organic ingredients. Sourcing and formulating organic ingredients can present challenges and unexpected results for food processors, as organic ingredients can significantly impact the product development process, as well as the finished product quality and shelf life.

More consumers are choosing organic food products, and manufacturers are trying to meet this growing demand. However, finding organic ingredients that perform consistently and conveniently in formulation can be difficult for manufacturers, according to Chr. Hansen. The company has therefore introduced an organic ingredient portfolio that is complex and functional.

New portfolio
Chr. Hansen joins the market and introduces an ingredient portfolio of colors, flavors, seasonings, and dairy and probiotic cultures for use in foods labeled "made with organic ingredients," as defined by the American National Organic Program (NOP). For these applications, the company formulates its ingredient products to be NOP compliant, which is a self-assessment that involves a thorough review of its suppliers and processes that include purchasing, regulatory, development, and manufacturing.

Derived from natural sources
Organic colors – for example Annatto for Cheddar cheese - must be derived from natural sources, which can make them less stable and more difficult to produce specific hues. As the world market leader in natural colors, Chr. Hansen has developed a range of hues that are acid, heat, and light stable in organic foods and beverages. Some of these colors also can be used as phytonutrients.

Flavors allowed for use in organic foods must be from nonsynthetic sources, and must not be produced using synthetic solvents and carrier systems or any artificial preservative. Chr. Hansen formulates customized flavors and seasonings that meet not only the client's organic needs, but functional and taste requirements as well.

Chr. Hansen's NOP compliant dairy cultures for use in organic cheese, yogurt, and other fermented milk products offer acidification, gas formation, flavor, texture, and phage resistance characteristics.

The company's premier probiotic cultures for dairy, BB-12 Bifidobacterium and LA-5 Lactobacillus acidophilus, are also NOP compliant. These cultures have proven to exert certain health benefits, and can be used in a variety of applications such as yogurt and smoothies.