Lycored Joins Forces with New Product Guru, They Say Reducing Salt is Easy

07 Jul 2016 --- The FDA’s proposed sodium reduction targets will be challenging for US food manufacturers to achieve but are nothing to panic about, according to one of America’s leading product development experts.

Earlier this month, the FDA issued draft guidance on the voluntary reduction of sodium levels in processed and prepared foods. It said that Americans consume almost 50% more sodium than is recommended, and suggested cross-category short and long-term goals for sodium reduction to address this.

In the wake of the FDA’s announcement, Lycored has joined forces with leading chef Tony Lagana, the President of Culinary Systems Inc, who is nicknamed ‘the new product guru’. During the forthcoming IFT Expo 2016 in Chicago he will appear live on Lycored’s stand (4457) to showcase how food manufacturers and foodservice companies can use ‘real food’ ingredients to reduce the salt in their manufacturing formulas by more than 60% without comprising on quality or sacrificing a clean label. This can be achieved without any need for ingredients such as MSG, I+G, IMP and hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, which are unappealing to today’s consumers.

Tony commented: “When the FDA’s draft targets were published you could hear a sharp intake of breath across the food industry. And while there will undoubtedly be plenty of work to do once the targets have been agreed, it’s important not to panic. In fact there’s already a lot that manufacturers and foodservice companies can do right now to reduce sodium, and at the IFT Expo I’ll be demonstrating how Lycored’s ingredients can make this an easy and straightforward task.”

For IFT 2016 Tony has developed delicious sauces and dressings that contain over 60% less salt than typical standard products. Among the ingredients he will be using is Lycored’s SANTE, a natural taste enhancer derived from tomatoes. SANTE provides a high concentration of the natural compounds that produce umami and kokumi (the Japanese word for deliciousness) to accentuate existing flavor characteristics while remaining taste neutral. It enables product formulators to create deliciousness naturally and avoid ingredients that are undesirable on the label.

Speaking with FoodIngredientsFirst, Christiane Lippert, Head of Marketing at Lycored said: “Companies can cut down on sodium content and make food taste better by using natural ‘better-for-you’ ingredients such as Lycored’s SANTE.”

“Consumers do also need to take active steps to regulate the intake of salt in their diet, and some consumer education around that topic has been useful in other regions,” she explains. “Consumers fall into different clusters in terms of health awareness, lifestyle choices and their understanding around food ingredients. Some are very aware about salt and other artificial ingredients and avidly read labels and monitor their intake. Others show less concern both in terms of the products they buy and their lifestyle and health & fitness choices.”

In addition to the taste enhancement solutions presented by Tony, Lycored will showcase Dry Tomato Pulp (DTP), a 100% natural real food ingredient from tomato that can be declared on the label simply as ‘Tomato’. It adds a fresh, consistent red color to sauces (including pasta sauces), condiments, soups, ready meals, and processed meats with no risk of turning brown like some other colorants. In addition, it also provides an authentic cooked-from-scratch texture and healthy fiber content.

Other innovations from Lycored at IFT 2016 include Lyco-Fibers, which enable product formulators to modify the pulpiness, viscosity and mouthfeel of sauces, soups and meat products naturally. Not only do Lyco-Fibers deliver a cleaner label, but they also carry the positive benefit of fiber content.Their high stability means that they do not undergo syneresis when used in sauces. In addition, while alternative stabilizers such as gums and starches can lead to a slimy consistency, Lyco-Fibers deliver an authentic vegetable fiber texture.They also improve the juiciness of meat products and prevent burning of the meat when barbecuing.

Lycored will also present its range of Tomat-O-Red and Lyc-O-Betanatural colors – vibrant reds, oranges and yellows that make it easy for food and beverage manufacturers to stop using artificial ingredients. Natural colors from Lycored are certified Kosher and Halal, non-GMO, vegetarian and are heat, light and pH stable. At IFT 2016, Lycored will showcase the superior stability of its colors compared with artificial alternatives and highlight how well they perform when exposed to very high temperature processing conditions.

Visitors to IFT Expo 2016 are invited to visit the Lycored stand (4457) to meet Tony Lagana in person, sample his reduced-sodium product concepts and find out more about Lycored’s complete portfolio of ‘real food’ ingredients.

by Elizabeth Kenward