Emerging ingredients – considerations for use in products

New member–funded research is addressing industry’s need to anticipate and respond to regulatory and technical changes, such as approval of new ingredients or approval for existing ingredients to be used in new categories.

For the food and drink industry to remain innovative and competitive it is essential that it remains aware of emerging ingredients to allow market differentiation. There is also a need to identify new solutions for delivering nutritious products that meet dietary needs and to reformulate to remove allergens (e.g. dairy– or gluten–free). However, as new ingredients emerge into the market, or enter from other regions such as Asia and the US or from different product applications, there is a need for clear information on if and how they can be used in specific products. In short, what new ingredients are available, what products are they allowed in, and will they work?

This project is already providing members with information on a wide range of ingredients emerging worldwide and their potential use, as seen with the recent publication of two research reports*. A mixture of desk–based work, analytical testing and practical trials (bench–scale development and small scale feasibility trials) will continue to evaluate how ingredients perform within a range of systems.

*R&D 408 and R&D 409