Page 24 - Food&Drink Magazine Aug-Sep 2021

INGREDIENTS
Tech, trends and tactics: getting new
New ingredients give brands a competitive edge. Impact Innovation Group managing director Brian Ruddle looks at the key motivators driving ingredient innovation and inclusion.
around Australia, delivers probiotics directly to the digestive system via food-grade microgels — tiny natural beads encapsulating the friendly living bacteria in probiotics.
Progel is the problem-solving platform technology developed at The University of Queensland that makes this protection possible. It enables the alternative delivery of a range of ingredients that improve the effectiveness of ingredient benefits to the consumer, such as masking bitterness and controlling intestinal release.
I worked with the researchers to commercialise the Progel method and explore other functional food opportunities. One was encapsulating omega-3 fatty acids, which
have been shown to increase protein synthesis.
FERMENTED FATS FOR FAVOURITE FLAVOURS
By backing Canberra-based startup Nourish Ingredients, CSIRO’s venture fund Main Sequence has accelerated the development of another platform technology, one that claims to ‘bypass biology’. The company is producing animal- free lipids to sustainably manufacture plant-based products without compromising flavour or feel – a common issue with meat and dairy alternatives.
Fermenting biomass deploys microorganisms to rapidly and efficiently produce protein in large quantities.
Precision fermentation can produce specific functional ingredients traditionally found in animal products, such as fats which, according to Nourish Ingredients, are what make alternative proteins taste like the original meat- based product.
Mainstream consumer acceptance of plant-based diets for health and animal rights reasons is motivating the
market. The Good Food Institute claims that fermentation as an enabling technology is commanding an increasing share of all alternative protein investments, attracting more than US$435 million in 2020.
HEMP HIGH IN YIELD AND HEALTHY NUTRIENTS Hemp is on the rise as a commodity crop because it can produce high yields and be manufactured into a wide range of food and fibre products with sustainable practices.
Both the stalk and the seed can be turned into new products – the fibrous stalk for industrial uses like building and industrial products, and the seed for a range of food products. As an ingredient, hemp is a popular option for food brands targeting a waste-woke, environmentally conscientious market.
Also driving demand for hemp-based ingredients are increasing consumer health consciousness and growing awareness about the potential nutraceutical benefits of hemp seed, such as properties that boost immunity, enhance metabolism, and reduce inflammation, insomnia and chronic pain.
GETTING INGREDIENTS INTO THE VALUE CHAIN Finding the funds to develop a new ingredient such as microgels (Progel), animal-free lipids (Nourish Ingredients) and
THE reasons for developing new ingredients are many, ranging from improved nutritional value for the consumer to providing a novelty factor
for the marketing, but
four common motivators
are solving a problem, consumer trends, sustainable resource management,
and differentiation.
I’ve chosen three very different examples to highlight how such drivers influence what ingredients go into food trends, like alternative protein options. The first is a technology that enhances nutrient delivery; the second is a product and process combination for enhancing taste; and the third is an emerging crop.
I also identify some common barriers to market entry that delay ingredients or technologies being able to capitalise on trends and what food innovators can do to overcome them.
PROGEL: THE PLATFORM TECH INSIDE PERKII
As knowledge grows about the role of gut health in managing well-being, so does consumer demand for probiotic-enriched foods, especially non-dairy options. It’s quite a challenge, however, to fortify foods without diminishing nutritional efficacy, taste or texture.
PERKii, a non-dairy beverage now available in supermarkets and fuel stops
24 | Food&Drink business | August/September 2021 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au