New deal to drive sales of health and calorie control products
The company has partnered with Viachem to manage products including Sub4Salt, which it claims allows manufacturers to cut salt content by up to 50 percent without losses in taste, and the sweetener erythritol.
Its citric acid esters Citrofol, along with sodium diacetate and sodium gluconate products will also be managed by Viachem as well as new products to be introduced to the US.
Peter Luck, director sales for Jungbunzlauer, told FoodNavigator-USA.com: “Besides Europe, North America is Jungbunzlauer’s second most important market enjoying impressive growth rates every year.
“This growth has been accelerated by developing a manufacturing base in North America for citric acid in 2002.”
Luck added that Jungbunzlauer continues to follow the health and wellness trends for bone and heart health, as well as for calorie control ingredients, such as potassium, calcium and magnesium citrate/gluconate, Sub4Salt and erythritol.
He said: “As competition increases and the cost of manufacturing and goods go up, producers have to find and exploit opportunities to become more efficient with everything. That includes sales and marketing.
“Viachem’s strength is in creating the awareness and the sales channel to get our products to the businesses that will benefit from them.”
Vichom uses market intelligence and technically trained sales staff to manage the sales and distribution of specialty chemical products. It will work with Jungbunzlauer’s customers in both the food and personal care markets and aims to add a sizeable amount of new business. Its services to purchasers include quality control and formulation assistance.
Salt in the diet
Jungbunzlauer, which has its headquarters in Switzerland, is a leading manufacturer of citric acid, xanthan gum and gluconates, but it has also targeted salt reduction products.
In August last year, Jungbunzlauer used the IFT show in Chicago as a platform to introduce Sub4Salt to the US food industry. Applications include soups, bakery products, sauces, snack seasonings and meat products.
With excess sodium linked to an increase in the risk for hypertension, heart disease, and stroke, finding ways to reduce the salt content in food products has been a priority for ingredient and food manufacturing firms in recent years.
It has so far remained voluntary but the US Food and Drug Administration has launched a public consultation on whether to remove salt's GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status following repeated petitions from interest groups highlighting the alleged danger of salt consumption.
Product range
Among the products targeted for the US are Citrofol, which is a permitted food additive. It can be used as a carrier for flavors and a processing aid to whip dried egg white, as well as being used in food contact material.
The food grade plastisizer is also said to provide a healthy and safe alternative to phthalates in cosmetics, plastics and specific food applications. Luck said that as concerns about phthalates in the US continue to grow and regulations are put into place, the company was able to provide a food grade solution.
Sodium diacetate is used as an anti-microbial, flavoring and pH control agent in various food products, mainly meat and bakery while sodium gluconate, the sodium salt of gluconic acid, can inhibit bitterness in foodstuffs. Applications include meat and dairy products, as well as herb and spice blends.
Viachem will focus in the personal care market segment, but also will complement Jungbunzlauer’s direct sales activities of the other products in the food industry on a project basis.
