National Starch Food Innovation introduced, at the Institute of Food Technologists’ Food Expo in Anaheim, a wide range of new optimized texture systems for the North American market. These products will enable manufacturers of soups, sauces, dressings and dairy products to transform the texture profiles of many foods or build back texture and the eating experience when there is a need to reformulate. The new Precisa Cling and Precisa Cream texture systems, the first outputs of the company’s unique Dial-In Texture Technology, can assist processed food producers in creating consumer-appealing textures and also in reducing the use of costly ingredients while maintaining excellent eating qualities.
The Precisa Cling family has been targeted for soups, sauces and dressings, while the Precisa Cream products were designed for dairy-based foods. The texture systems introduced at IFT include:
- Precisa Cling 20 – A texture system for extremely demanding process conditions, including high temperatures (>190°F), high shear and low pH.
- Precisa Cling 50 - A texture system for mild to moderate process conditions, including temperatures of 150°F - 190°F), moderate shear and low pH.
- Instant Precisa Cling 20 – An instant texture system for cold process, demanding applications that involve high shear and/or low pH processes, such as colloid milling.
- Precisa Cream 20 – A texture system for extremely demanding process conditions, including high temperatures (>190°F), high shear and low pH.
- Precisa Cream 50 - A texture system for mild to moderate process conditions, including temperatures of 150°F - 190°F), moderate shear and low pH.
“We developed these systems for two primary purposes – texture transformation and building back texture,” says Suzanne Mutz-Darwell, marketing manager, texture. “Sometimes food processors want to transform the texture of new or existing product to match an industry benchmark, enhance positive textural attributes or reduce negative textural attributes.”
The Precisa Cling systems provide the viscosity, cling, and suspension needed to achieve the target in soups, sauces and dressings. Precisa Cream systems can deliver mouth-coating, creaminess, viscosity and opacity, and act as a fat mimetic in reduced-fat applications, primarily for dairy products.
“Now, more than ever, we’re seeing manufacturers replace ingredients for cost optimization, nutritional improvement or labeling requirements,” says Mutz-Darwell. “With our Precisa Cling texture systems, we can help them build back texture and the eating experience, to ensure their brands continue to be desired by current and future consumers.
Dial-in Texture Technology, from National Starch Food Innovation, is a comprehensive new approach that enables food and beverage manufacturers to target the precise texture they desire in their product, in a fraction of the time it takes for typical texture explorations.
“Dial-In Texture Technology was created to deliver rapid, robust, cost-effective solutions,” says Joseph Light, head of global development for National Starch Food Innovation. “It’s the shortest path to the perfect texture. The technology is based on our proprietary, data-driven modeling approach to texture understanding and formulation.”
The process is derived from the unique integration of National Starch’s core capabilities in consumer insights, material science, sensory evaluation, application and processing knowledge. It enables the company to rapidly optimize the texture system in an application by selecting or “dialing-in” the appropriate level and intensity of the individual textural attributes desired.
“Ultimately, this technology combines the art and science of food formulation, translating consumer needs and sensory preferences into food systems that elevate the ‘eating experience,’” says Light. “This results in an optimized, robust texture solution that minimizes the time involved with trial and error, reducing time to market and product development costs, and delivers a consistent eating experience to your consumers.”
At the IFT Food Expo, the Precisa systems were demonstrated in a fat-reduced ranch dressing, a tomato-solids reduced barbecue sauce and two rich-tasting, low-fat Alfredo sauces. Booth visitors compared a 20% oil-reduced ranch dressing made with Instant Precisa Cling 20 against a benchmark light dressing. There was also a comparison between a 35% tomato solids reduced barbecue sauce made with Precisa Cling 50 and an industry standard. “The objective,” says Mutz-Darwell, “was to show how we can help reformulate for ingredient cost reduction or nutrition improvement and then build back texture for an excellent eating experience.”
During scheduled demos, National Starch Culinologist Agnes Jones served two Alfredo sauces made with Precisa Cream 50 to demonstrate how a dramatically fat-reduced sauce can still have appealing taste and texture. The mushroom Alfredo sauce was served over tri-color tortellini, and the chipotle manchego sauce was paired with a black bean goat cheese ravioli.
National Starch Food Innovation
www.foodinnovation.com
