“Our products have been really well-received in America,” Dinnie Jordan, director and founder of Kudos Blends, told FoodNavigator-USA. “We are proud to be seen as thought leaders on sodium reduction in the baking industry.”
Indeed, Kudos posted an 85% increase in sales of its low-sodium products in the United States compared to last year. This has come largely through use in tortillas (end products and premixes), biscuits, pancakes and baking powders.
Worldwide, about half of the company’s business is in low-sodium products, as sodium reduction gains momentum everywhere. It also supplies product to over 80% of the UK baking industry.
Kudos Blends uses a patented process to produce tiny, free-flowing particles of potassium bicarbonate that have the same functionality as sodium bicarbonate, without compromising functionality. The particle size has been optimized for a wide range of bakery applications—from cake batters to chemically leavened doughs.
Sodium bicarbonate can be replaced 1:1 with Kudos potassium bicarbonate for up to 50% reduction in sodium. Bakers can achieve additional reductions by cutting added salt.
More focus on potassium
The company is also benefiting from growing awareness about low levels of potassium intake in Americans. Indeed, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes that just 2% of the US population gets enough dietary potassium. The potassium bicarbonate substitutes sodium ingredients to help reduce sodium levels, bringing the two minerals back in balance.
“Potassium is very widely accepted in the US,” Jordan said. “There is the feeling that increased potassium consumption will help to improve health and can help with many hypertension-related disorders. The American Heart Association say that increasing potassium is a good way of preventing heart attacks and strokes.”
Most customers and potential customers who contact Kudos are already tapped into sodium reduction and potassium targets; they’re most keen to figure out formulation challenges. “On the customer service end, we want everything personalized. “We like talking to customers about the chemistry behind our products,” Jordan said.
That’s largely why Kudos built an onsite testing facility where bakers and scientists can develop new products, tinker with existing formulas, conduct trials, and even work with customers onsite to overcome formulation challenges.
In the near term, Kudos aims to grow sales beyond its existing customers in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia (with new distributors in Chile and South Africa) as the demand for sodium reduction increases.
“The UK is still working on further sodium reductions, and now it is picking up momentum in the USA, Mexico and other areas in that region,” Jordan said. “It’s a really exciting time for us.”