The golden age of food science at ISM 2020: Nick's low-calorie ice cream launches in Europe

05 Feb 2020 --- This is the golden age of food science. We see food science driven by consumer demand and this is redefining what clean label means, Niclas Luthman, Co-Founder and Head of R&D at Nick's tells FoodIngredientsFirst, from the show floor of ongoing ISM 2020 in Cologne, Germany. He underscores how consumers want food innovation that is better for every aspect of life, from sustainability to health. What used to be looked upon as a clean label before is changing,” he notes. 

“You see Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods launching products that three years ago consumers would say ‘oh these are processed and not good.’ We are starting to trust who is behind these companies and what are they doing,” Luthman explains.

“To achieve all these sustainability goals that we have as a society, we need to turn to food science and it is up to the consumers now what they perceive as clean label. Sooner or later consumers will realize that not everything sounding like a chemical is bad for you. Organic chemistry exists,” echoes Erik Lennartsson, Head of Innovation at Nick's.

Luthman and Lennartsson at ISM 2020 in Cologne, Germany. The team presented its low calorie ice creams in a compelling floating set up.Nick's was founded in 2017 by Luthman, who was diagnosed with diabetes and refused to give up indulgent confectionery. Today Nick's is a fast-growing confectionery brand, sold in over 10 countries, with all of the products being free from gluten, palm oil and sugar. The brand is financially backed by several long-term investors.

Reducing fat to boost mouthfeel?
The brand is launching a new creamy, sugar-free, low-calorie ice cream that contains one-third of the calories compared to other ice cream brands in the market. The ice cream launched successfully in the US in 2019 and will launch in Europe in 2020 under redesigned branding.

“We are presenting ice creams for our European market, which are slightly different in composition than our US launch, as some formulation issues are preventing us. In the US our very low calorie and no added sugars ice creams are set to be re-released in March across 3,500 stores,” Luthman says. 

“Mouthfeel is the one thing that sets us apart from the rest of the industry. But to achieve the taste and texture of real ice cream is where the challenge lied,” he asserts.

Nick's has the rights to an innovation called Epogee Fat Replacer (EPG). It is the one and only solid alternative fat that can safely and “dramatically” lower calories. “This allows us to use fat when making the ice cream, without the added calories. Usually, low-calorie ice creams will have to use less fat and that is a problem in texture. If the fat is low then the texture is not creamy and pleasant. So the mouthfeel of low-calorie ice creams is usually very icy. What we do is a creamy version that taps into that indulgent feeling consumers request,” he says.

According to Lennartsson, the EPG is only part of the reduction of calories. “We have also eliminated all added sugars. From this, we achieved an added calorie reduction as well. We are using primarily erythritol, stevia, soluble corn fibers and monk fruit. This way, we offer the full experience of an ice cream, but with significantly fewer calories,” he notes.

The reduced calorie content of the ice creams is in line with consumer demands for healthy indulgence.As far as the texture and flavor combination goes, Lennartsson explains that it is all about chemistry and “you have to know how the ingredients work.” “You need to know how to work with the different polyols and fibers to build a nice structure in the ice cream. You need to look at the whole picture and build the ice cream from A to Z. Especially when trying to achieve sugar reduction.”

Plant-based ice creams need reformulation
The plant-based and vegan ice cream space is booming with NPD but Nick's founders believe that flavor and texture need improvement still. The company’s current offerings are dairy-based but in the future, it aspires to launch a vegan line as well. Sugar content and mouthfeel are important in this case as well, they say.

“Plant-based is also another huge trend and we aspire to soon have a vegan ice cream on shelf that will taste great,” says Lennartsson. 

Some vegan ice creams are packed with sugars to mask unpleasant flavors from vegan proteins, he says, and these hurdles require food technology to step in. “Vegan or plant-based ice creams are now floating with sugar, and plant-based ice cream with a creamy mouthfeel, no added sugars and possibly a good protein content, is something that I look forward to seeing,” he adds.

“As vegan diets rise, manufacturers and food technologists are looking into improving that space. The technology will really help in this segment and very soon we will see very nice vegan products on shelf,” Lennartsson adds.

Beyond a line of vegan ice creams, the brand plans further market expansion. The company’s reach in Europe and the US is well established but it is now also looking to the Middle East. “We are just adding countries as we go,” Luthman concludes.

By Kristiana Lalou, reporting from ISM in Cologne Germany