Food allergies are a fact of life for millions of Americans. The ranks of these individuals grow every year as health professionals learn more about allergies and do a better job of isolating and identifying specific types.
Although most food allergies cause relatively minor symptoms, some can cause severe reactions, and can be life-threatening.
Despite research efforts, there are no cures. Sufferers must adhere to diets that strictly avoid the food allergens that set off their symptoms. This reality has helped boost the natural foods and nutrition market and spurred research in better-tasting foods that substitute for the allergy-producing ingredients. This industry has leapt to the challenge, seeing a new opportunity to enhance the health of its customers while finding new markets in which to expand.
Typical allergy-producing foods include: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts and pecans, soybeans, wheat, fish and shellfish. Many of these foods are so ubiquitous in the American diet that the nutrition industry’s efforts and response to replacing them with substitutes is more than a smart business decision, it is actually a public service.
Manufacturers and Suppliers Partner to Meet Demands and Delight Consumers
According to Josh Hahn, marketing manager for MycoTechnology in Colorado, manufacturers are always seeking ways to make allergy-friendly foods taste better. He said suppliers are turning to companies like MycoTechnology to think differently about how to process foods. One example he cites is their mushroom-based food-processing platform which is a natural, sustainable, chemical-free, and non-GMO process that removes gluten from wheat while boosting the overall protein content by 40 percent. It also offers flavor profiles such as cinnamon and lemon zest.
Kevin Bael, product manager for rice specialty ingredients at BENEO in Germany, said their customers are interested in understanding the source, processing conditions and labeling options for ingredients they are considering for use. Additionally, their customers want to partner with them in mastering the art of balancing technological issues with a cleaner label. The key to this partnership is a well-defined combination of the right ingredients that meet or exceed the consumers’ requirements in terms of taste, texture and visual appeal.
Bael pointed out how consumers are increasingly looking at the nutritional profile before purchasing food and beverages products. In a BENEO survey of U.S. consumers, 69 percent of respondents indicated they look at nutritional labels for ingredients they are trying to avoid. This is why it becomes more and more important for manufacturers to provide allergy-free products with less sugar, less fat, less calories, etc. He credited this trend with the growing interest in his company’s specialty rice ingredients because they combine well nutritionally with dietary fibers or functional carbohydrates.
Thom King, president and CEO of Oregon-based Steviva Ingredients, stated how manufacturers look to their suppliers for product segregation documentation and good manufacturing practices to prevent cross-contamination. Additionally manufacturers seek field-to-factory verification and traceability.
King said suppliers increasingly look for greater levels of traceability and accountability from their vendors all the way down the supply chain. He said solid documentation in addition to touring farms and factories is paramount to ensure products are truly allergen-free and sustainably grown. Nicole Rees, business development manager, Glanbia Nutritionals (Wisconsin), explained that as manufacturers try to replace allergenic ingredients, they look for alternatives, such as proteins and fibers that can not only provide a good nutritional profile, but also replace functional properties.
According to Jean Shieh, marketing manager with Sensient Natural Ingredients in California, many food manufacturers are seeking clean-label ingredients. Manufacturers are demanding products with no artificial ingredients, additives, or chemicals, which can deter consumers. She cited, as an example, how monosodium glutamate (MSG) naturally occurs in many foods, and yet more manufacturers want to avoid it, or ingredients associated with MSG, in their products.
Gluten-free ingredients are also in high demand because more people self-diagnose food allergies therefore making gluten-free, or other diets that cut out whole food groups, more common, Shieh pointed out. This trend increases demand for gluten-free certifications from ingredient suppliers. As a result of this demand, she cited how sweet potatoes and onions have been elevated into “super foods.” She explained that Sensient Natural Ingredients certify all of its products as free from cross-contamination with gluten to provide the reassurance manufacturers and consumers seek.
In addition, she said, to keep up with demands, manufacturers are not waiting for government regulations but are responding voluntarily to consumer’s needs.
Ingredients Gaining and Losing Popularity
Ingredients’ popularity wax and wane depending on research, new developments and the changing concerns of natural food customers. Manufacturers work hand-in-hand with their suppliers to develop and modify new ingredients so they meet the demands of their consumers.
Hahn said that he sees an increase in demand for plant-based sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit as well as plant-based proteins. He explained that sugar and many artificial sweeteners are falling out of favor.
According to Bael, his company’s 2013 U.S.-commissioned market research showed 65 percent of polled consumers considered natural products as better for health with 47 percent actively looking for natural products. In addition, the poll showed 45 percent consider non-GMO products as “better.” Consumer demand for healthier products includes ingredients with natural or intrinsic health benefits (e.g. fiber, wholegrain, protein).
Bael pointed out that consumers avoid ingredients that appear to be modified, unhealthy or artificial (e.g. fat, sugar, GMO ingredients, artificial preservatives, additives).
King said he and his company are also seeing steady popularity growth in stevia and monk fruit as sweeteners because they are naturally low-glycemic as well as clean and free from allergens. He concurred with Bael that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, AceK, and sucralose are quickly falling out of favor with consumers and therefore, manufacturers.
The fast-changing perception of healthfulness creates opportunities to develop and innovate, Rees noted. In the gluten-free market, for example, consumers expect to see chia and ancient grains in everyday foods to add a nutritional boost to common products. In addition, consumers now expect good fats, such as coconut and flax seed oil, to be incorporated into gluten-free foods for additional nutrition.
She added that manufacturers have started using grains such as flax to create the same moisture management properties as gluten in baked goods. This use of flax has also encouraged consumers to choose gluten free for the additional health benefits that flax provides because it affords nutritional components such as omega-3 ALA, protein, fiber, antioxidants and lignans.
According to Rees, the avian influenza epidemic has helped to make egg replacers popular in the bakery industry. A large number of manufacturers are now looking to completely remove eggs from their products and move toward whey protein-based ingredients. These ingredients provide a good texture and replace other allergens including milk and soy flours, as well as help to reduce the fat and cholesterol content in products.
Soy is the newest ingredient to fall out of favor, she said. There is a movement from soy to whey, although both are still considered healthy ingredients, despite their allergen properties. Manufacturers’ chief challenge is to create a “one-size fits all” allergen-free ingredient that appeals to everyone.
Sweet potatoes are naturally gluten-free and are great sources of beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin C, Shieh added. “We are now seeing many gluten-free baked goods made with sweet potato powders,” she said. “Beet roots are also gluten-free and are sources of potassium, phosphorus, iron as well as vitamin A, B and C. Beet root powder is used in many fitness-related products now,” she pointed out.
Overall, Shieh said, ingredients currently falling out of favor are artificial ones. She pointed out how enhanced awareness of artificial ingredients has resulted in many companies removing them from their products. She singled out partially hydrogenated oil as most often being removed from many products since the recent FDA ruling on this substance’s contribution to raising the level of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood. “All of these efforts help the drive toward cleaner product labels.”
Challenges Presented by New Non-allergenic Ingredients
Many new ingredients present challenges that manufacturers are currently working to overcome or change. Continued research and testing will allow them to find ways to improve the taste, texture and selection of non-allergenic ingredients that will please consumers and enhance their nutritional intake.
For example, Hahn said stevia has a bitter metallic lingering aftertaste that had previously hindered its growth. He explained that MycoTechnology has developed a natural, non-GMO and chemical free mushroom bitter blocker that removes this bitterness while maintaining pure sweetness.
In other examples, Hahn described how pea protein also has a flavor defect which limits use in certain applications. He also pointed out that monk fruit has a citrus flavor profile that contains a noticeable astringency in higher concentrations. Another drawback for this ingredient is the fact that it is also relatively expensive compared to other natural sweeteners.
King explained that some high-intensity sweeteners could be inexpensive and readily available from low-cost Asian suppliers. However, the quality of these sweeteners can be questionable. But they are cheap and manufacturers look for low-cost solutions to keep the cost of manufacturing goods down. He said that while natural and allergen-free products are always going to cost more, cost should never outweigh the need for quality.
Better Gluten Free
The lack of gluten in recipe formulations for gluten-free products, Bael said, caused these products to gain a bad reputation for being dry, bland, powdery, and badly textured. In addition, gluten-free foods are often viewed as lacking vitamin fortification and therefore poor in B vitamins, iron, folate and dietary fiber than gluten equivalents. These products also often have a shortened shelf life, creating challenges for manufacturers and retailers alike.
He pointed out that over many years, Beneo has developed gluten-free formulations with improved taste and texture, as well as additional nutritional and technical benefits. One such formulation is their non-GMO specialty rice ingredients. These are popular because they add a pleasant mouth feel, improved freshness and nutritional content to gluten-free products. In addition to gluten-free these functional ingredients from nature are lactose-free.
Also noting the numerous challenges in formulating gluten-free products, Rees said texture is one of the central concerns. She explained that gluten-free products tend to be crumbly because it is difficult to mimic the texture of traditional flours. In response to this issue, her company has created whey and flax-derived ingredients, which offer moisture retention, protein, freeze-thaw stability and enhanced texture. These qualities improve the flavor, pleasant mouth feel, shelf life and nutritional profile of gluten-free products.
According to Rees, “When used in conjunction with gluten-free flours, Glanbia Nutritionals’ OptiSol 5000 and OptiSol 5300 (flax-derived ingredients) help food formulators overcome the traditional challenges of gluten-free applications.”
She cited gum mucilage as a unique property of flaxseed and explained how it helps baked goods retain moisture and overall structural integrity. The range of uniquely processed flax-based ingredients can optimize moisture retention and maintain quality over a longer shelf life.
“The flax-derived ingredient in OptiSol 3000 contains a natural ingredient that blends the hydrocolloidal functionality of flax with a specialty whey protein so it can be substituted in the same amounts as dried whole eggs in baked items.” In addition, Rees pointed out Glanbia Nutritionals’ egg replacers, OptiSol 3400 and OptiSol 3900, are specifically formulated to replace eggs in muffins and chiffon cakes respectively. In comparison studies on muffins using OptiSol 3400 and those using eggs, the resilient, moist texture in both recipes is comparable.
Shieh was most concerned with product quality control that she maintained is crucial for allergy-friendly ingredients. To be certified for gluten-free, she pointed out that the finished product and the production site must contain no more than 10 parts per million of gluten the same percentage applies to similar proteins including rye, barley, and hybrids of these grains.
While no testing method exists currently that can measures to zero percent, Shieh said the industry has established high standards. She maintained that throughout her company’s entire process, from fields to dehydration plants to packaging facilities, they deliver the highest level of confidence that comes with the commitment to gluten-free certification. NIE
For More Information:
BENEO, (973) 867-2140
Glanbia Nutritionals, (608) 316-8500
MycoTechnology, (949) 433-2870
Sensient Natural Ingredients, (209) 667-2777
Steviva Ingredients, (310) 455-9876
Extra! Extra! – Stevia Ingredients
Extra! Extra! – Sugar Reduction
