Ingredients have always been an important constituent of food and beverage products, contributing the bulk of its costs, while shaping the end-product quality and nutritional value to consumers.
With rising consumer awareness on health, nutrition and food safety, food and beverage manufacturers are seeking to partner closely with ingredient suppliers to co- create products that fulfill the needs of their consumers.
AFBR has the opportunity to interview Mr Rohit Tipnis, Senior Director, Sales & Technical Service, ASEAN from Ingredion Singapore Pte Ltd to gain in-depth insights on the latest trends in food ingredients and customer demand. The meeting was conducted during Fi Asia 2023 in Bangkok and the following are the excerpts from the interview with him:
During Fi Asia 2023 exhibition, Ingredion highlighted 3 main themes namely Nutrition/ Health & Wellness,Textures & Affordability.What are the reasons for choosing these 3 themes and how do you strike a balance between these 3 themes?
Nutrition, Health and Wellness has become an ever-increasing theme for both food ingredients suppliers as well as food manufacturers. The Asia Pacific region has witnessed a notable increase (9.1%) in Nutrition, Health and Wellness claims in food products from 2018 to 2022, according to Innova research database.
The past 2 years of COVID has taught us a lesson on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and immune system. Consumers have become more aware of their health and are giving greater focus on building up their immunity. There is also a growing trend of reducing sugar and salt in their food.
Manufacturers are now approaching Ingredion to formulate their products to meet the complex needs of consumers. We do have solutions in which we can help where cost-in-use can be reduced. Even if we are adding value to the products, ‘Affordability’ is key especially in the ASEAN region.
If we look at SEA (Southeast Asia) demographics, there is a limited amount of money allocated to food and yet consumers are increasingly looking at healthy options. In response to this, Ingredion has come up with interesting concepts within the savoury and dairy, especially the cheese segments. Ingredion has also looked into the Essentials category for example ‘Noodles’, a popular staple diet of many Asians. Ingredion has developed noodles with fiber fortification using NOVELOSE® 3490, a resistant starch that enhances the dietary fiber content of products that not only include noodles but also a wide variety of products from pasta to pizza dough, bread and cookies amongst others.
In the Cheese category, customers are concerned about rising milk dairy protein prices which led to rising cost of production. Ingredion has responded by formulating specific texturiser solution resulting in the reduction in the use of milk dairy proteins while abling to mimic the cheese in texture and maintaining functionality in end applications. As an example, Ingredion offers SIMPLISTICA® stabilizer system which can reduce protein content in cheese.
Apart from cost reduction, Ingredion also has solutions that allow food manufacturers to create healthier food products through fat reduction. Ingredion’s FIBERTEXTM CF multi-benefit citrus fibers support the formulation of fat reduced baked goods and salad dressings, without compromising on the viscosity and texture of these products. In addition, it also enables cost reduction by replacing solids like tomato solids by up to 25%, lowering recipe costs while delivering the same desirable pulpy texture that consumers demand.
Touching on Nutrition specifically, what are the 2 major areas that Ingredion will focus on in the near future ?
The most important area for us is ‘Reduced Sugar’. Previously, Ingredion had a limited portfolio in sugar reduction solutions. Today, we have PureCircleTM by Ingredion, offering a comprehensive portfolio of stevia solutions to address sugar reduction challenges.
With the acquisition of PureCircleTM in early 2020, we have a lot of sugar reduction solutions now for the beverage industry designed to lower sugar content without compromising on taste and flavor. With the stevia option, we are now working closely with the formulators to reduce the sugar level, as sugar content is very high in beverages especially in this region.
The other major area on nutrition is ‘Gut Health’. This is an area in which we are still constantly evolving and where we want to focus on moving forward.
Another area that Ingredion is looking into is salt reduction. According to the WHO, reducing sodium (salt) intake is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve health and reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases in ASEAN countries.
In terms of geographical presence, which area/region in ASEAN is Ingredion’s main focus?
Sometimes we all think that ASEAN is a small region, but being in the food industry, taste varies even within this region. And this poses an opportunity as well as a challenge for Ingredion. We cannot come up with a ‘one size fits all’ solution. We have to tailor made solutions according to the varied tastes. For example, we understand that consumers in Indonesia and Philippines like their products to be very sweet, despite the growing awareness of the harmful effects of high sugar in their diet. These consumers are now seeking for healthier version of products that continue to retain the sweetness. And this is where Ingredion can come in. Our portfolio of sugar reduction and specialty sweeteners allows manufacturers to create consumer-preferred reduced sugar and no-sugar-added products — with just-right taste, texture, and label appeal.
One interesting reality is that “We can put all the health claims but if the products do not taste good, consumers will not buy.” As an example, stevia is often known for its unpleasant ‘off taste’ which could make the product undesirable. Ingredion has a stable of new versions of stevia which mask the unpleasant notes while making it taste ‘almost close to sugar’. Ingredion is continuously working on improving its formulations.
In Malaysia, its PureCircle plant has heavily invested in R&D and innovations to offer its customers in the region the optimal benefits from stevia.
In your opinion, what will be the 3 major notable trends in the food and beverage industry in 2024 ?
Ingredion has highlighted 3 major themes namely Nutrition, Health and Wellness, Textural Innovation, and Affordability as the upcoming trends in the food ingredients segment.
Nutrition, Health and Wellness
According to Ingredion’s 2023 ATLAS Ingredion Proprietary Consumer Research, nutrition or health benefits showed the greatest opportunity for consumers to accept higher prices.
Products with clean labels, health, and sugar- and salt-reduced claims also reflect the most robust growth over the past one year. In addition, 43% of consumers have started to check ingredient and nutrition labels, a significant increase from 36% in 2023.
Ingredion has the right solutions from 25% sodium-reduced sauces, to cookies that are low in fat or sugar yet not compromising on taste and texture. For the beverage segment, Ingredion’s sugar-free clear syrup crafted with natural stevia leaf extract can offer ‘0 sugar’ beverage, as an example, with clean and balanced taste yet not compromising on flavor and sweetness.
Textural Innovation
Textures are key to creating memorable experiences. Innova findings showed that 68% of global consumers agreed that textures contribute to a more interesting food and beverage experience.
Ingredion offers the broadest portfolio of texturizing solutions to help achieve the perfect texture – from crispiness in food products that lasts to cheesy sauces that offer a smooth and delightful ‘stretchy’ texture.
Indeed, visual appeal is also important in the current age of social media where food presentations are often depicted to connote good and delectable cuisines or food products.
Affordability
Food and beverage manufacturers are now facing with a myriad of market uncertainties from rising inflation, supply constraints as well as regulatory pressures which affect the cost of production. As such, they are constantly seeking to reformulate their products to lower costs while maintaining taste and texture of products.
Ingredion is able to offer multiple solutions from using lesser eggs to using non-dairy creamers and sweetened condensed creamers that are low in cost yet outstanding in terms of texture.
For more information, click on:
Ingredion Singapore Pte Ltd
