IFT First 2024 live: HealthTech BioActives’ flavor solution to replicate sugar functionality
17 Jul 2024 | HealthTech BioActives
HealthTech BioActives’ general manager North America & Global Food Division head Jordi Ferre, talks to us from the show floor about the company’s sugar reduction solutions that taste close to sugar and retain the mouthfeel in beverages, dairy, bakery and confectionery. He also highlights the ongoing consumer demand for natural food ingredients and the role of technology in formulating them.
So Finning Grins first reports from IFT 2024 in Chicago.
We are here at the Health Tech Bioactives booth with Jordi Frere, who is the general manager of North America and Global Food division head.
Welcome to you.
Thank you very much.
So what have you chosen to highlight today at the show?
The highlights of our offering in the show is to actually present our taste solutions range and especially new solutions that we just launched.
We just launched a new high purity natural solution.
There's actually an FMP that's actually approved by FEMA to be used as a flavor and those in combination with what we have already, that actually gives provides fantastic solutions for.
Formulations that use natural ingredients to actually taste better.
So it's like an enabler for good tasting products to do that.
And what sorts of applications and and markets are you targeting?
So it's across a variety of applications, but I would say that our sweet spot would be beverage in general across all categories as as dairy.
This is our sweet spot, but obviously it could be used in bakery, confectionery, or or sauces.
Salad dressings, etc.
So it's pretty ubiquitous where it can be used.
OK.
And what type of consumer trends are you noticing and trying to tap into with your solutions?
There's an overriding trend that's not a one year trend.
I think it's a trend that's been at least for 20 years, which is basically people would like to have less sugar.
Because of all the knowledge now and awareness that too much sugar can really create, issues with your health, etc.
That's one thing.
Second, they still like though to keep the right taste, so they were not ready to compromise, even if they want less sugar on something that doesn't taste good.
And the third thing, which is very important is it has to be natural.
I think clearly today the natural, trend is unstoppable.
You can see it everywhere.
I don't even have to go back.
Anything that's artificial today takes a second bench.
It's not really that important, so.
That's the biggest trends that you still see this and that we also are participating in addressing.
What are the main challenges associated with reducing sugar while maintaining that taste quality that you mentioned?
Because the molecules are different and so there's no such thing that tastes like sugar.
And if you want to find something that's identical to that without the calories, it's a big ask.
So can you do that?
I think over time, technologies and food ingredients have improved to be closer to this, but when you replace it with natural ingredients like a stevia or even a monk fruit, you know, now you have all these sweet molecules, etc.
That don't have exactly the same taste as sugar.
That's where our solutions come in and trying to get that gap close and so be closer in sweetness profile to sugar.
That's what we do.
We actually make those natural, reduced sugar formulations, among other things, stays closer to sugar.
Not only from a sweetness.
Perspective, but also when you take out sugar, you lose mouthfeel, so you kind of recover mouthfeel and things.
So that's what we do.
We kind of are the icing the cake in formulations that are naturally.
OK.
And as a final question, what can we expect from your company in terms of R&D and innovation going forward?
What's the next aims and objectives?
So the objective is obviously we are a primary extraction company.
We we do all the extraction ourselves.
We control our supply chain.
We do fantastic molecules, high purity, great quality, but I think what you're going to see us doing is producing new molecules that can go along our palate.
But also focusing more in providing solutions that specifically address very concrete problems.
We do that now, but we offer the, the, the different range.
What we're going to do is the range is going to be already addressing issues that they have and be much more laser focused in solving those.
OK, Jordy, finish your time and enjoy the show.
