Trifecta for children’s nutrition: Hydrosol unveils clean label line of healthier F&B

08 Feb 2022 --- Stabilizer specialist Hydrosol has rolled out an array of healthier F&B for children leveraging its sister companies’ expertise within the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe. The formulations range from sugar- and fat-reduced sauces to novel milk-juice hybrids and vitamin-fortified ice cream.

“In the clean label systems, we have eliminated E-numbers and used various vegetable fibers instead. This is how we could significantly reduce the fat content in french fry sauce,“ Katharina Schäfer, product manager for dairy and deli products, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

The high-fiber french fry sauce is also very stable, notes the company, and does not require powdered egg yolk. 

“Sugar has been reduced and in some cases replaced by agave syrup. Apart from that, certain natural flavors, for example, were used to support a sweeter taste impression.” 

A first for the sisters 
The new line of product concepts marks the first major campaign that Hydrosol, SternVitamin and OlbrichtArom have carried out together as sister companies. 

“Reformulations of this type always require a compensation of mouthfeel or also an adjustment of viscosity. This is clearly an area in which Fibers play a critical role in replacing the functionality of sugar and fat in the latest line of healthier children’s products. Hydrosol is specialized,” continues Schäfer. 

“However, the use of synergies within our company group create clear advantages, as everything for reformulation can be obtained from a single source.”  

The new concepts notably leverage fiber while avoiding high-intensity sweeteners. Several concepts also bring unexpected combinations, such as strawberry flavor to processed cheese snacks. 

Subsidiaries bring their share
Hydrosol leverages its expertise in hydrocolloids and vegetable fiber to substitute the beneficial technological properties of sugar and fat. This gives the various final children’s products a pleasant texture and familiar mouthfeel. 

Enrichment with vitamins and minerals, meanwhile, come from SternVitamin, and OlbrichtArom provides children-friendly flavorings. 

The collaboration resulted in a diverse range of reformulations designed to meet the needs of children.

Moreover, the use of vitamins and minerals allow for certain health claims, such as “Vitamin D contributes to the normal function of the immune system in children.”

Dairy in focus
One focus in the new line is on stabilizing systems for dairy products intended for children aged 5 and above.After confectionery, dairy products are the second-largest category of new products for children aged five to twelve, notes Hydrosol. 

After confectionery, dairy products are the second-largest category of new products for children aged five to twelve, notes the company, with milk mixed beverages and drinking yogurt leading by a large margin. 

Hydrosol’s latest flexible system enables manufacturers to make milk drinks for children in diverse flavors, from chocolate and strawberry to coconut and caramel.

The stabilizing system prevents sedimentation even with cocoa, where it keeps the particles suspended. All of the milk and cocoa drinks are sugar- and fat-reduced, are sources of fiber and can be enriched with vitamins and minerals. 

The company has also unveiled a hybrid milk-juice prototype, which are sugar-reduced and fat-free. They also contain fiber, vitamins and minerals.

“Milk juice drinks are not a very established product category so far, but since it combines two products that are popular with children, we decided to develop a concept for this as well,” adds Schäfer.

Cheese snacks take on new flavors
In the cheese category, Hydrosol has developed a stabilizing system for “squeezable” processed cheese preparations in tubes, pouches and similar soft packaging. 

The declaration-friendly final product contains 50% cheese and needs no melting salts or table salt. 

Flavorings like vanilla, banana or strawberry can be used to give the products variety and novelty to conventional processed cheese. 

“The combination may sound strange at first, but cheese harmonizes very well with fruity components, cheese and grapes being the best example,” says Schäfer. 

“A few children of our colleagues have tried these fruity processed cheese preparations and found them very good, so the critical testers were convinced.”

Fortifying desserts 
Clean label systems have also been developed for ice cream and puddings, enabling sugar-reduced, low-fat, fiber-enriched products that are lactose-free and micronutrient-fortified. 

The ice cream also has prebiotics that allow it to be declared as high-fiber, while the added vitamins and minerals support the normal functioning of the immune system.

The clean label system for ice cream forms the basis for a reformulated product with 30% less sugar. 

Adding more veggies to the mix
Schäfer notes that a key challenge was maintaining a sweet taste sensation that most children like. “Through certain natural flavors and vegetable fibers, the sweetness impression could be supported in the product range.” 

These additional vegetable fibers in products like sugar-reduced ketchup also allow parents to feed their children a wide variety of vegetables in hidden form. 

By Missy Green 

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