Sensient Develops Better for You Ice Cream Flavor Solutions

FoodIngredientsFirst spoke with Simon Daw, European Marketing Director at Sensient Flavors: “Ice cream is an indulgent category and will never be as healthy food as fruit and vegetables. However using our technology and solutions we are able to provide healthier options - the added bonus is that the brand and products do not compromise the required 'taste of indulgence',” Daw adds, “We are able to maintain flavor profiles and therefore maintain an 'indulgence' positioning.”

 

High quality botanical extracts derived using state-of-the-art technology to closely match the sensory characteristics of the raw materials are the fundamental building blocks of both ranges. In combination with Sensient’s comprehensive expertise in flavor technology and application know-how, authentic signature taste profiles come to life.

 

APSS and DairyBoost can be used as single solutions to lower either sugar or fat, and in combination to reduce both. By lowering the sugar and fat content, Sensient’s innovative ingredients enable significant calorie reductions while maintaining the indulgent, rich flavor and creamy mouthfeel of traditional ice cream. Both systems can be tailored to meet customer-specific requirements.

 

APSS flavorings evoke and enhance the sensation of sugar, and emulate the body and mouthfeel that are often lost when developing low calorie products. Bespoke variants are available and can be engineered to enhance specific taste profiles. Furthermore, APSS can be used to mask the unwanted aftertaste of sweeteners such as Stevia, which is being increasingly used as a zero calorie sweetener in the ice cream segment across Europe.

 

Sensient’s DairyBoost range is designed to deliver the rich mouthfeel and authentic characteristics of full fat dairy products. Working parallel, the non-volatile components emulate the authentic dairy mouthfeel and the volatile components capture the true dairy flavour profile. The result is a full fat organoleptic sensation for low fat ice creams or frozen yoghurts. Each DairyBoost variant has a rich, heat-stable dairy base with signature top notes, and can be used individually or in combination with each other. The range is available in different flavour profiles, including Cream, Coconut, Condensed Milk, Dulce de Leche, Fresh Milk and Yoghurt.

 

“Better-for-you options are becoming more popular in the ice cream segment, but they are still niche products – and this is exactly what allows for interesting positioning possibilities. Our solutions enable manufacturers to set the highest benchmarks by developing low calorie ice creams with premium indulgence”, says Daw.

 

He adds: “Gluten free is becoming more prominent and we are increasingly being asked for gluten free options. It is not always possible to cover every trace allergen due to the practical challenges but we always try to meet our customers needs.”