Kemin unveils clean label functional protein for breaded and fried foods at IFT FIRST

19 Jul 2023 --- Global ingredient manufacturer Kemin Industries is launching its new fat-block topical solution, InnoBLQ, in North America at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST expo in Chicago, which is ongoing this week.

Food Ingredients First is reporting live from the show floor, and we caught up with Courtney Schwartz, marketing director of Kemin Food Technologies (North America), who tells us that InnoBLQ is the latest addition to the company’s line of functional proteins. 

“InnoBLQ specifically is a micro barrier coating that goes on to battered, breaded and fried food items. It can help increase yield, which gives better quality and mouthfeel with products and it also acts as a micro barrier, reducing the amount of total fats absorbed when items are breaded and fried. Not only this, it can help lessen the amount of batter breading adhesion issues, so overall, it improves the quality of various items.”

“InnoBLQ is a game changer for the industry,” Schwartz underscores, adding that higher moisture and reduced oil provide an improved sensory experience for the consumer. 

Plant- and animal-based proteins
InnoBLQ is available in two different forms; a plant-based protein version labeled as pea and lentil protein, which depending on the application, could also be considered a processing aid, notes Schwartz. 

Courtney Schwartz, marketing director of Kemin Food Technologies (North America).“We also have animal protein versions that would be chicken- or pork-based. For example, that could be used on a chicken nugget and would just be labeled as ‘chicken protein.’”

“So, there’s a lot of versatility that meets the needs for consumer clean label. InnoBLQ can also help reduce oil and added fat by up to 50%. So that’s another great benefit,” Schwartz comments.

While InnoBLQ does help from a fat reduction standpoint, the cost savings that the processor has with the reduction in oil usage is significant, too.

According to Schwartz, everybody wants crispy or better breaded and fried items, and InnoBLQ enables this.

A better batter barrier
The clean label functional protein acts as a micro-barrier, allowing less waste in processing and improving batter adhesion for a crispier, more enticing bite.

By adding this chicken protein to chicken-based products, it acts as a barrier between the batter and the chicken, Schwartz explains. 

“InnoBLQ can be added right after the batter breading is applied. It’s a topical that can be used directly before entering the fryer. And so when you’re working with a chicken product, consumers expect to see chicken on a label. So that works very well. Additionally, when you’re working with maybe plant-based alternatives, cheese sticks or mozzarella sticks, that’s really where the pea and lentil protein product makes a lot of sense.”

Often coatings in fried food formulations don’t stick very well, but InnoBLQ has this micro barrier that helps lock in the moisture, Schwartz reveals. “That’s innately in the product. So when you fry it, if there’s no barrier, water will escape, leaving extra space to be filled in with oil.” 

InnoBLQ allows food manufacturers to lock in the moisture of the product, to begin with, ultimately improving the yield. “We sell the products as dry ingredients, but they can be rehydrated and used in these food formulations,” she adds. 

“Sometimes manufacturers use phosphates to increase yield,” Schwartz continues. “Of course, phosphates are effective, but InnoBLQ stands out on the market because frequently when you’re using batter and breadings you’re labeling those types of products already. So this wouldn’t add anything to the consumer label.”

It also benefits from a processing and cost savings perspective, notes Schwartz. “Everyone’s trying to increase their margins and be mindful of costs. So, for the increase in yield that a processor gets, it is a benefit. And overall, it’s a higher quality product with a crispier coating.”

Schwartz believes the functional protein space for alternative proteins is “kind of saturated,” adding that many soy, pea and lentil protein ingredients are already on the market. InnoBLQ is a clean label option available as both an animal protein and plant-based protein, depending on formulation needs.

“Kemin has been working for a long time to see how we could stand out in that aspect,” she comments, “so InnoBLQ provides different values for those products that aren’t just alternative proteins. It can go into a variety of things.”

Improving shelf life with cleaner labels 
At IFT FIRST, Kemin experts will also be highlighting the company’s complete line of clean label ingredient solutions, including antioxidant and functional ingredient technologies that assist the food industry in keeping production costs down and food waste to a minimum. 

“Oxidation is the culprit that shortens the shelf life of packaged foods and creates food waste,” says Schwartz. 

“Kemin offers label-friendly, plant-derived oxidation control solutions that significantly delay the onset of lipid oxidation to lengthen product’s shelf life while maintaining a simple ingredient deck of numerous applications.”

Kemin’s solutions help the food industry create better-tasting, better-performing and longer-lasting foods, including meat and poultry products, tortilla and bakery products, snack foods, dressings and sauces. 

“The Kemin team is excited to showcase our suite of practical solutions designed to address color, shelf life, food safety and yield challenges, including our newest functional protein solution, InnoBLQ,” Schwartz concludes. 

By Elizabeth Green, with additional reporting by Missy Green, live at IFT FIRST in Chicago