The US ingredients supplier has struck a partnership with Nu-Tek Food Science to exclusively sell and distribute Nu-Tek’s patented potassium-based salt replacer. Cain can also create and add Nu-Tek products to its line of functional bakery ingredients.
“The demand for sodium and salt reduction in grain-based foods is growing every day,” said Tom McCurry, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Cain Food Industries.
“The industry is being bombarded on a regular basis with study after study that positions baked goods as one of the leading contributors to sodium intake in the US diet,” McCurry told BakeryandSnacks.com.
Getting off the sodium black list…
On a serving by serving basis, grain-based foods are not necessarily high in sodium, he said.
“However, the average consumer has many servings per day of grain-based foods leading to a cumulative effect that puts our industry’s products high on the list of sodium contributing products.”
The bakery category has been identified by the Center for Diseases and Control (CDC) as the sector that has the biggest need for sodium reduction, said Don Mower, president and chief operating officer at Nu-Tek Food Science.
This partnership will enable bakery manufacturers to slash sodium with consistent results, clean label and cost effectiveness, Mower said.
“This new technology breaks the food industry paradigm for sodium reduction. It is no longer the old formula of reduce, replace and enhance that in the end dramatically increases cost while diminishing product taste and does little to reduce sodium levels,” he said.
Effective and well-priced
The technology offers a pound for pound replacement that can reduce sodium levels by 33-50% without the need for maskers or process adjustments.
McCurry said that importantly the salt replacer comes at a good price. “As soon as we tested the Nu-Tek Advanced Formula KCL we knew we had a winner. It was the perfect combination of a great sodium replacement product at an exceptional value.”