Gluten-free NPD: Ulrick & Short expands portfolio

03 May 2018 --- In the last few years, the gluten-free sector has grown from a fringe sector to one of the fastest growing in the western world. In 2015, no fewer than 12 percent of global product launches carried the claim “gluten-free” according to Innova Market Insights, up from just 5 percent in 2010 and this continues to expand. This consumer trend has been reflected in NPD, specifically in the bakery sector which has seen exponential growth.

Clean label specialists, Ulrick & Short, have developed an extensive range of ingredients based on extracts of various crops including tapioca, maize, rice, pea, bamboo, oat and sweet potato and many more being continually added. These can help achieve a variety of results from improving functionality, enhancing texture and nutritional profiles to maintaining product integrity. The product range is proven to work in a variety of applications, from sweet and savory bakery to gluten-free rusk replacement in processed meat, and all of the products are clean label, non-GM and vegan.

The Ulrick & Short gluten-free range snapshot:
•    avanté – Range of starches for sugar reduction & nutritional enhancement.
•    synergie – Range of starches for thickening & stabilizing.
•    delyte – Range of starches for fat replacement & nutritional enhancement.
•    eziglaze – Range of starches for glazing.
•    ezimoist -Range of starches for phosphate replacement in meat.
•    scilia – Range of fibers for texture enhancement & nutritional enhancement.
•    complex – Range of proteins for binding, emulsification and nutritional enhancement.
•    ovaprox – Range of starches for egg replacement.

Ulrick & Short R&D Manager, Danni Schroeter said: “The gluten-free sector is one that we have been focusing on for some years now, and is only becoming more and more relevant. We have developed gluten-free solutions for a range of applications, to accommodate this vastly growing market, with the newest addition being gluten and allergen-free bakery glaze.”

She adds: “In the past, there was an acceptance that the gluten-free product would be substandard, but as the trend has continued, there is now an expectation amongst consumers that the gluten-free equivalent is as good as the standard.”

Last month, FoodIngredientsFirst met with Robert Lambert at Foodex 2018, Birmingham, UK. He said: “The debate around sugar has become a lot more industry relevant for applications such as cakes, muffins, sauces, and soups. At this years' show, we have seen a lot of inquiries for vegan applications, free-from, gluten-free, it’s a case of keeping up with those trends that were fads maybe a year or so ago, but now are moving into the mainstream. Consumers are more informed now than ever before, label transparency and ethical supply chains are more relevant now than they ever have been.” You can view the full video interview with Lambert here.