KEY INTERVIEW: TIC Gums Challenging Trends, Making the Move Towards Clean Label

Faced with limited time and resources to provide these clean label options, manufacturers must look to new technologies to balance consumer demands and changing industry trends with their own product development objectives.

FoodIngredientsFirst caught up with Greg Andon, CEO of TIC Gums, who explained that changes in the food industry are why manufactures are being so purposeful with their labeling. “The biggest thing that is changing is labeling and at TIC Gums we see these changes as a really great thing,” claims Andon, “Whether it be clean or clear label, these specifics about what is and what isn’t on the label has been a foremost point of differentiation for most food companies.”

 

“For us at TIC Gums, it’s not just about the eating experience anymore, it’s more than just taste and texture, and making sure its stable through its shelf life. It’s still those things, but now it’s also about being organic, non-GMO, natural, and also how the customer defines what these things are,” he says.

 

Andon believes there is no better time than now for the industry to take on these challenges. “Negative consumer perceptions of certain ingredients have been playing very well to what our strengths are which is why this is a really interesting time for us,” says Andon.

 

“When you look at all the effort that’s going on with clean label at the moment, some of it with new ingredients or alternative proteins, those present their own challenges.”

 

“Although there are new challenges, people still want to have a great texture. And a great texture will be personalized and unique from one manufacture to another,” he adds. “However, the stability challenge becomes compounded as other ingredients are added for various health reasons, like high levels of protein or fiber and reduced levels of fats and sugars. These all present texture and stability challenges, and when you have these design constraints you have to think about what exactly the customer is asking for,” he states. “This is where we provide the most value to our customers, as these are the types of challenges we like to take on.”

 

“We use a texture mapping methodology that breaks down complex consumer terms to address formulation challenges in a more concise manner. For example we will take a common consumer term  such as “creamy” and simplify it into more actionable lexicon such as mouth clearing, mouth coating and viscosity. With these basic terms in hand, we can then develop the best texture and stability solution while adhering to any clean label restrictions.”

 

How challenging is it for TIC Gums to remain relevant with trends moving toward clean label? “It is an exciting time for us at TIC Gums. We have been a leader when it comes to organic gum, for many years and we are seeing as much interest in that, so that’s one aspect in which clean label has been great,” he says. “For us, we are good at designing texture and stability within these clean label constraints, when you put on the constraints it makes it a tougher project, frankly.”

 

Andon explains the importance of design systems: “If you want to take out an ingredient and replace it with something that’s better for your label, no two ingredients are exactly the same so it really requires this design approach. A formulator has to take into account what functionalities the product they are looking to replace is responsible for and build back those functionalities accordingly, many times with a combination of hydrocolloids.  In many instances to take advantage of available synergies among different ingredients, our experience and extensive hydrocolloid knowledge has to be used, and made accessible in all of these different applications,” he says.

 

“When it comes to application, we are really great at being reactive to our customers’ needs,” claims Andon, “Our business is built around fulfilling the texture and stability requirements for our customers while answering to design challenges such as clean label.”

 

Andon adds that they are seeing common needs in the food industry and TIC Gums is investing pro-actively as they see trends leaning toward increasing the level of protein in beverages and using alternative protein sources such as, rice, grains and nuts. “We are increasingly interested in new innovations in the marketplace and are proactively suppling solutions for these manufacturers so they are able to formulate their products accordingly,” he says.

 

At IFT this year, TIC Gums will be showcasing a product they launched a few months ago, called Ticaloid PRO 181 AG, which uses Acacia as its emulsifier.  Meant for dairy alternative beverages Ticaloid PRO 181 AG not only replaces other gum systems that may not be natural but also removes the need for lecithin. Andon says: “Ticaloid PRO 181 AG uses the textural components that we may need as well as emulsification. These ingredients have been around for a long time but the way that we are leveraging it, as an extremely effective, natural emulsifier, is the part that is really exciting.”

 

What other products are TIC Gums developing this year? “Clean label solutions for gelatin replacement within the confections markets is something we have been keeping a close eye on,” says Andon. “Gelatin may or may not be in everyone’s definition of clean label but for the vegetarian and various religious markets, this kind of labeling is important. In addition, for some markets like China, gelatin has had a lot of food scares, there are many different reasons why consumers want an alternative to gelatin. At TIC Gums we have developed Ticagel Natural GC 581 B which is not only a clean label, natural solution suitable for a variety of gummy confections but it also replaces the textural attributes gelatin is iconically known for.”

 

“There are some other things which are in the works, around ingredient replacement, in a variety of different applications. There’s a lot of activity going on at the product level and what ties it all together is really achieving these clean label targets that customers are asking for,” claims Andon.

 

This is certainly a momentous time for TIC Gums, Andon believes it’s their philosophy that helps with development in these areas. “Our philosophy is around using whatever tools and ingredients are current and best for building texture and stability and best our customers. We are always looking at new ingredients and ways to leverage these ingredients. There has been so much development and it has been a great time to explore these avenues,” he says.

 

“The basic needs of texture, stability and methodology will remain the same, so we have  very open and curious minds and we want to be at the forefront of exploring new ingredients even before they are commercialized to see where things are moving in the future,” concludes Andon, “So it should be a fascinating time for years to come, when it comes to texture and trends.”