Highlight of Fi Europe 2013

Below some of the highlights of Fi Europe exhibition in Frankfurt:

Winners of the Fi Europe Innovation awards:

Most Innovative Food Ingredient: ROQUETTE - Roquette Microalgae High Lipid Algal Flour

Confectionery Innovation of the Year: IOI-Loders Croklaan - CristalGreen®

Bakery Innovation of the Year: ROQUETTE - Roquette Microalgae High Lipid Algal Flour

Beverage Innovation of the Year: Tate & Lyle - PROMITOR® Soluble Gluco Fibre

Dairy Innovation of the Year: Chr. Hansen - SaltLite

Savoury/Meat Innovation of the Year: DSM Food Specialities - MaxiPro HSP

Snacks/On-The-Go Innovation of the Year: Novozymes A/S - Novozymes Acrylaway® HighT

Sustainability Initiative of the Year: Symrise AG - simply vanilla(R) - Symrise Sustainable Vanilla

Some innovations as spotted by Leatherhead:

Mushroom salt reduction, award-winning algal flour and musical taste buds, Leatherhead takes us through the top three new products at this year’s Food Ingredients Europe (FiE)

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Leatherhead-s-top-3-new-products-at-FiE

2014 top 10 food and beverage trends list:

Innova Market Insights (http://www.innovadatabase.com/) presented its 2014 top 10 food and beverage trends list:

- Waste Not Want Not. For some time now manufacturers' sustainability efforts have been zeroed in on, with a more recent shift in focus being to reduce food loss or waste, wherever possible. Food loss during production and food waste at the retailer and consumer end of the food-supply chain will be heavily scrutinized. Ingredients derived from the waste stream will also hold enormous potential.

- You Can Trust Us. Recent food safety scares and scandals have crippled consumer confidence. Companies have their work cut out in order to regain consumer trust. Ingredient origin will be used as a marketing tool. The consumer should ultimately benefit from higher quality foods that are clearly traceable.

- Simpler Pleasures. Consumers are reassessing their needs and going back to basics, by finding more pleasure in simpler food. There has been a shift towards home cooking, with food bringing family and friends together. Where consumers shop has also been affected, with the so-called "hourglass model" still in effect. This relates to growth on the budget and premium sides, but the center ground being squeezed. Value packaging and "good value" claims on the products themselves and in-store value promotions are prospering.

- Look Out For The Small Guy. Small innovators are rising to the challenge, with the development of high quality and distinct products that have small-scale appeal, but big trend potential. Social media platforms have provided more opportunities for small companies to develop a market by directly targeting niches across their home market and abroad.

- Health is More Holistic. Nutrition is getting closer to being truly recognized as the answer to healthcare budget crises around the globe. Some big food manufacturers are looking to all areas of health for a more holistic approach in providing nutritious food and beverage solutions to consumers. Clinical nutrition is being eyed as a highly profitable platform along with health alternatives, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The other five trends identified by Innova Market Insights are: "New" Superfoods, Rise of the Hybrid, The Protein Horizon, New Stealth Strategies and Alternative Alternatives.

Flavor connections

Below some interesting reading from Nature and Scientific America magazine about global flavor preferences for anyone involved in flavor development, new product development or for amateur and professional cooks of course:  
"Julia Child famously said that fat carries flavor, but perhaps instead we should give thanks to 4-methylpentanoic acid. Unique combinations of such chemical compounds give foods their characteristic flavors. Science-minded chefs have gone so far as to suggest that seemingly incongruous ingredients—chocolate and blue cheese, for example—will taste great together as long as they have enough flavor compounds in common. "

"Scientists recently put this hypothesis to the test by creating a flavor map, a variant of which we have reproduced here. Lines connect foods that have components in common; thick lines mean many components are shared. By comparing the flavor network with various recipe databases, the researchers conclude that chefs do tend to pair ingredients with shared flavor compounds—but only in Western cuisine. Dishes from a database of recipes from East Asia tend to combine ingredients with few overlapping flavors"

Have a look and see which flavors go well together, as you will see beer taste great with almost everything !

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=flavor-connection-taste-map-interactive

Impressions of Fi-SA and International Conference for Clinical and Functional Nutrition

Find below some impressions of the International Conference for Clinical and Functional Nutrition (Frei Caneca Expo centre) and FI South America (Expo Centre Norte).

Starting with Fi South America, a good show, with most of the big national and international players present. Some of the key trend this year:

• Stevia and natural sweeteners
• Food fortification
• (Natural) aromas
• Sports nutrition
• Beauty solutions

In addition to Brazil exhibitors (national and international), American, European, Chinese and Indian companies were relatively well represented at the show. Brazil is still pretty much a distribution market, with a relatively low level of national innovation.

The winners of the industry awards 2012 were:

Food ingredients: PuraQ®Arome NA4 Purac Sínteses

Food application: Bolo de caneca Dr. Oetker

Functional Food application: Piracanjuba Zero Lactose Piracanjuba

A much smaller event was the International conference of clinical and functional nutrition, held at the Frei Caneca Conference centre. Core of the event was the three day conference programme, focusing on many different topic in the area of dietary solutions, clinical food and preventive and health food for different age groups and sexes.

The exhibition side of the event was relatively small, with predominantly sport and performance nutrition companies, natural food companies and beauty solution companies. The number of innovative health food applications presented was fairly low. Nonetheless a good event to attend.     

Central America Agro-Food Sector

Every once in a while I will write about my experiences during my visits to Central America for the CBI Central America Agro-Food programma.

My first visits have really been a positive surprise to me. Some of the highlights for me were:

• natural beauty: it is a beautiful region with vaste natural resources
• pleasant business culture: many ambitious entrepreneurs with an open mind, pragmatic operating style and drive to make a difference in their community
• Well developed agricultural sector: a wide range of tropical fruits and vegetables, produced with respect for the natural habitat, rich in flavour
• A food ingredient sector in development, especially Guatemala has some excellent ingredient companies with top quality processed fruit and vegetables. One good example is the Pitaya smoothie mix produced by Burke Agro from Nicaragua. A wonderful tasty product with a clear organic and fair trade vision implemented.
• Honey from the region is marvelous, excellent taste and as important, directly contributing to the development of many poor (single parent) families

Some photo impressions below:

 honey processing area of LaDulcemiel of Nicaragua.

A bee hive from El Nogalar from Guatemala, close to the Mexican border.

The production crew of Burke Agro presenting themselves to the camera.  

   

Honey health regulation

Below some relevant articles about health regulation in relation to honey:

Testing of honey takes on new momentum in fallout from GM ruling
Work is under way by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre to identify appropriate sampling and testing methods for the presence of pollen in honey.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/Testing-of-honey-takes-on-new-momentum-in-fallout-from-GM-ruling

Concern over children's exposure to toxins in honey
The EU food safety assessor has concluded that there is a possible health concern for toddlers and children who are high consumers of honey arising out of the possible presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA).
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/Concern-over-children-s-exposure-to-toxins-in-honey

GMO honey ruling can be challenged, claims legal expert
Honey producers and importers in the EU and elsewhere face legal and economic uncertainty arising out last autumn’s European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) ruling, claims a legal expert calling for an amendment of the Regulation to exclude honey.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/GMO-honey-ruling-can-be-challenged-claims-legal-expert