Clean label innovation: Advances in natural flavors, botanical preservatives and “smokeless smoke”

21 Feb 2024 --- Food formulators are often required to perform a delicate balancing act, bridging performance with label friendliness, in line with growing appetites for taste experiences without any “nasties.” Food Ingredients First speaks with ingredient suppliers on the latest innovations in the “clean label” sphere, which now includes a host of new flavoring techniques, botanical preservatives and even food grade smoke essence without actual smoke.

“The consumer definition of clean label remains subjective,” remarks Bert de Vegt, global vice president, Food Protection & Preservation at Kerry.

“Given the variety of global labeling standards, education and familiarity with ingredients and common misconceptions, I don’t know that there will ever be a universal standard,” he adds.

“We often survey consumers around the world to capture their attitudes in this space and the variation by region, age group and evolution over time are truly fascinating. The feeling of trust varies by purchase setting, product category, packaging, price point among many other things.”

“In short, the spirit clean label is about shorter ingredient declarations achieved using mostly familiar ingredients that you would find in your kitchen cupboard such as salt, sugar, flour, spices, flavors and recognizable processes such as fermentation.”

 Sensient recently launched the Nacre range of umami solutions.In consumers’ minds, De Vegt notes may go beyond this to include the presence of positive nutritional values such as low sodium content, sugar and fat, especially in regions where there are front-of-pack warning labels and sustainability credentials or packaging.

Smokeless smoke and layered heat profiles
In its clean label flavorings portfolio, Sensient recently launched the Nacre range of umami solutions. Declared as a vegetable protein extract, or a natural flavor, the solutions “tick many boxes” when it comes to sustainable product design and flavor impact.

“Indeed, Nacre provides a rich umami, mouth-watering, round effect with a pleasant lasting flavor, while being completely neutral in taste and working in synergy with the tastes and flavors which are already in the base in all savory and some sweet applications,” Nandrianina Raboanason, marketing specialist Sensient Savory Europe, tells Food Ingredients First.

“Plant-based products can benefit from its efficient masking off-notes attribute and allow consumers to have tastier me-too alternative products. It can also help with salt modulation by strengthening the salt perception despite being low, almost no, salt – which is also an important aspect of a clean label.”

Another recent Sensient launch is SmokeLess Smoke — introduced ahead of a potential ban of primary smoke flavors in the food industry in the EU. Raboanason notes regulation in the EU about smoke flavorings is quickly evolving. 

“SmokeLess Smoke offers clean alternatives to align once more with consumers’ shifts toward more naturality and health.”

“What is also falling perfectly into those trends are our extracts solutions,” she continues. We are continuously expanding our range as we have quite a long history of expertise in the different technologies used to produce them.”

Botanical, herbal and heat profiles are gaining momentum, particularly among younger consumers like Millennials who crave novelty and “a little something extra” at every bite, she notes.

“The extraction technology used will influence the taste of the extract for sure, but depending on the provenance of the raw material extracted as well, aromas can be completely different. Think of a ginger extract taste which can actually be very distinctive between Nigerian and Chinese origins.”

“Chili extracts are also a must wherever hot and spicy is buzzing in food: sauces, dressings, snacks, cocktails and other beverages, ready meals, etc,” she highlights. 

“What’s interesting is that consumers are now keen on discovering different varieties of chilis on top of the heat — ancho, habanero, green jalapeño, for instance. Extracts allow those to be declared in the name and reinforce the provenance expectation which can go along with clean label ones.”

Synthetics phased out
De Vegt at Kerry expects consumer concern over sodium nitrite will continue to be high year-on-year.

“There is a huge push within the industry to crack authentically nitrite-free solutions for cured meat applications that can deliver food safety as well as color and flavor across a wide variety of applications (think bacon, ham, hot dogs and frankfurters) without any residual nitrites present, due to health concerns,” he says.

De Vegt at Kerry expects consumer concerns over sodium nitrite will continue to be high year-on-year.

He adds the opportunity is greatest in Europe, where markets like France are cracking down on nitrites and ingredients like cultured celery have not been allowed as natural alternatives.

“It is the beloved pink color that has been hardest to crack across all applications, we have seen some shortcuts that won’t stand up to scrutiny or products that leave a gray appearance in certain applications, so Kerry have taken the time to get it right,” he comments.

“Benzoates also often come under fire, they are used in beverages and some prepared meal and baked good applications. Benzoates leave a chemical taste which the industry has to reformulate around and can also come under fire due to health concerns if dosages are higher than recommended.”

In September 2021, Kerry completed the acquisition of Niacet, strengthening its portfolio of clean label food protection and preservation solutions.

“As a large player in vinegar, vinegar salts and buffered vinegar in both liquid and powder form, we are in a great position to help the industry harness and improve upon the great food safety benefits of this naturally derived, clean label ingredient that is familiar to consumer’s kitchen cupboards,” says De Vegt.

“Buffered vinegar replaces lactates and diacetates, mostly in meat applications as a preservative or antimicrobial ingredient for food safety, protecting from things like Listeria monocytogenes and spoilage bacteria,” he highlights.

“Vinegar can be buffered with sodium, which can add to the final sodium content of a product, or it can be buffered with other salts such as potassium enabling low- and no-sodium vinegars for shelf life. Vinegar as a technology can also be used in combination with other clean label ingredients to further extend shelf life and offer additional antimicrobial benefits in application.”

Cleaning up colors
Many colorants, such as FD&C Red #3 (specifically in the US) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), are under scrutiny. However, ADM highlights alternative solutions can often pose formulation challenges, resulting in less vibrant and stable colors.

The supplier has developed its Colors from Nature portfolio helping manufacturers find the right stable color solutions, derived from natural sources, that can overcome pH instability, solubility, color interactions, heat, light, packaging and shelf-life limits.

“Our proprietary and patented micronization technology enables our color solutions to have unique plating characteristics that help ensure color uniformity and mitigate flashing, streaking and bleeding in powders, mixes, liquids and more,” Bastian Hörmann, global marketing director, Sweet Goods, Dairy & Specialized Nutrition, ADM, tells Food Ingredients First.

“For example, our black carrot and red-beet derived color solutions can provide vivid shades – ranging from hot pink and reddish-pink to red blush, red violet, deep red and true red – for beverages, frozen treats, snacks and more. Our PearlEdge line of brilliant white solutions provides an excellent alternative to TiO2 that can help meet clean label targets.”

Each solution within ADM’s PearlEdge line has been designed to support specific characteristics and formulation requirements needed to elevate visual appeal, ensure uniformity and deliver stability in finished applications.

“Furthermore, a heat-stable and water-soluble blue has long eluded the industry and puts limitations on the creation of foods and beverages that need a bold blue. We've developed a highly sought-after fruit juice blue from the Amazonian huito fruit,” Hörmann highlights.

“Our naturally derived blue is acid-, light- and heat-stable, and it also supports the creation of purples, greens and browns. Plus, our blue solution enables a true-blue color that remains stable across different pH systems, including neutral and low pH, and any pH in-between.”

Cargill highlights sugar reduction remains a prominent facet of clean label reformulations. Consumers crave sweet and simple
Cargill highlights sugar reduction as another prominent facet of clean label reformulations. Two-thirds of surveyed EMEA consumers reported checking the ingredient lists when shopping for packaged food or beverages they have never purchased before, with sugars continuing to be the most important thing on the nutritional label.

“Yet while consumers are trying to reduce their sugars intake, sweeteners continue to be scrutinized as well,” Doriane Duhamel-Saccone, texture marketing specialist at Cargill, tells Food Ingredients First.

“Creating reduced-sugars foods and beverages that taste great and can be considered ‘label friendly’ can be a challenge for manufacturers, but we have found that stevia is a natural fit for consumers seeking nature-derived alternatives to sugar. Our proprietary research shows that ingredients which are nature derived — such as honey, stevia sweetener and steviol glycosides from the leaf — boast positive health perceptions.

Offering brands a new alternative to artificial sweeteners, Cargill will soon be bringing EverSweet stevia sweetener to the European market, which has just received positive safety opinions from the European Food Safety Authority and UK Food Standards Agency. 

“EverSweet stevia sweetener brings to life the sweetest and cleanest tasting components of the stevia leaf – steviol glycosides Reb M and Reb D. 

“It allows for significant reduction in sugars while maintaining a high-quality sweet taste for reduced and zero calorie food and beverages, enabling food manufacturers to meet the rising demand for healthful and more sustainably produced products.”

By Benjamin Ferrer