The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is readying food and beverage professionals for the future of AI with several educational courses designed to provide instructions and insight on getting started with AI and how it might impact the industry moving...
Food science’s role in public health will play a more critical role in addressing increasingly nuanced dietary and nutrition preferences within a diverse and growing population. Big data and personalized nutrition offer solutions to fine tune these preferences...
Responding to rising consumer demand for functional foods that can help manage cholesterol and blood glucose response, ingredient supplier Beneo launched at IFT FIRST in Chicago last month a wholegrain barley flour that touts enough beta-glucans to justify...
During the 2023 IFT FIRST event, Bernhard van Lengerich, founder of the Seeding the Future Foundation, honored three of the 14 winners from its 2022 annual Seeding the Future Global Food System Challenge, as they discussed bridging the gap between the...
New research suggests bio-based ingredient company BioVeritas’ upcycled, clean label bread and tortilla mold inhibitor could be a “fundamental game-changer” on par with how Impossible Burger shifted the paradigm for plant-based burgers, argues the company’s...
The Startup Pavilion at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual Food Improved by Research Science and Technology (IFT FIRST) conference in Chicago this month will be twice as big as it was at last year’s annual conference, reflecting the urgency and...
Attendees at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual Food Improved by Research, Science and Technology (IFT FIRST) conference this month won’t have to wait until they return home to apply what they learn in the hundreds of academic sessions or see...
As consumers become more familiar with plant-based alternatives to animal products they are becoming more sophisticated in how they evaluate their options and less willing to compromise on nutrition, taste, texture and variety – pushing industry to find...
As the pandemic progresses and consumers delve deeper into how nutrition impacts their health, they are expecting more from the products they buy – pushing beverage makers to blur category lines to offer more benefits, according to Mintel.
The IFT First 2022 show floor was abundant with companies touting their upcycled ingredients and other exhibitors highlighting plant-based meat and dairy innovation. Take a look at some of the trends highlighted at the show this year.
Two incompatible trends – increasing interest in seafood and climate change – are opening the door for the alternative seafood market, but for this emerging segment to reach its full potential, stakeholders must better align their go-to ingredients with...
Well-known for sugar alternatives, including stevia and monk fruit, Layn Natural Ingredients has steadily expanded its portfolio with a full line of functional botanicals that can now easily be explored through a just-launched online ingredient library...
Through the merging of three companies with a combined 175 years of experience in innovation, Revela Foods debuted at IFT First in Chicago this month with the simple idea that “life is complicated – food doesn’t have to be.”
From more efficient production of rare sugars tagatose and allulose (and intriguing new possibilities with D-allose), to ‘enhanced’ sugars, and a mystery disaccharide that behaves like sugar, but is metabolized very differently, check out part one of...
While still a growing $7.4bn industry, plant-based foods have some significant hurdles to overcome around formulation especially in the area of fat content, according to Mintel.
The next generation of brands, ingredient suppliers and processors are placing sustainability at the center of how they do business and making it easier for their partners to do the same as illustrated by the companies showcasing in the Startup Pavilion...
Consumers who turned to functional foods and beverages to help reduce anxiety, improve their sleep and lift their spirits during lockdowns are likely to continue their new habits and rituals as they navigate an uncertain return to offices, travel and...
Should the food industry always yield to consumer demands, especially when those demands can be conflicting and at odds with other values, such as sustainability and environmental impact?
Food and beverage brands with ambitious sustainability goals to create more packaging with post-consumer materials face significant challenges, including supply shortages due to limitations of the fractured US recycling system, increased competition for...
The buzz around plant-based meat alternatives is strong, but what is the full consumer perception of plant-based protein products in terms of nutrition and healthfulness compared to animal meat, and what motivates consumers to buy plant alternatives?...
Food has become a way for consumers to ease their worries and anxiety in an increasingly stressful world, and they are looking for products that can answer their basic needs for control, community, and purpose, says Eve Turow-Paul, a writer and cultural...
By using wireless sensors to detect subtle changes in the quality of stored crops, the CEO of California-based startup Centaur Analytics says food and beverage companies will be better able to ensure supply chain continuity in the face of “unique or random...
Perceived health benefits remain the #1 purchase driver for plant-based foods according to new consumer research from innovation consultancy Mattson, although environmental factors, taste (in the case of plant-based dairy), and the sense that ‘I feel...
The uneven impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has underscored systemic inequalities, but it also has created an opportunity “to build back better” the food system, according to a panel of experts gathered on the opening day of the Institute of...
Brands struggling with plant-based snacks becoming excessively dry, chewy or crumbly over time or beverages designed to mimic dairy falling short of a desired creamy mouthfeel could improve the functional benefits of their products with the addition of...
Plant-based meat manufacturers can more easily mimic the texture, appearance and flavor of animal products while simultaneously simplifying their ingredient decks with the help of two new ingredients that Florida Food Products will unveil at the Institute...
Once primarily restricted to dietary supplements or powders used primarily by the most dedicated fans for at-home DIY smoothies or drink enhancers, collagen is now one of the fastest growing ingredients in the functional food space with countless applications...
To keep consumers who discovered center-of-the-store products during the early pantry-stocking days of the pandemic from reverting to their pre-coronavirus shopping preferences, brands that have not already done so should update formulas and labels quickly...
Often called the “Swiss Army knife of food formulators’ toolbox for their versatility,” eggs can help brands meet Generation Z’s, sometimes contradictory, demand for experimental flavors, elevated eating experiences and, yet, still comforting foods, according...
Mediterranean Umami – a clean-label sodium reduction ingredient combining sea salt, tomato concentrates, mushroom and seaweed extracts – is gaining traction in the plant-based meat space as firms come under increasing pressure to reduce sodium, says Israeli...
From plant-based protein trends to sustainable packaging, managing food waste, using artificial intelligence to track consumer sentiment, and the latest developments in cell-cultured meat and keto diet trends, here are some of the education sessions that...
As consumers concerned by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continue to seek immunity-boosting foods and beverages, manufacturers can magnify the appeal of their fortified and naturally nutritious products with the addition of flavors long-associated with...
The food industry has moved remarkably quickly to adjust to a sudden and spectacular shift in food consumption towards the home as America goes into lockdown. But there could be significant challenges ahead if more countries block food exports, while...
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) 2020 annual meeting & expo - scheduled to take place in Chicago July 12-15 - will transition to a virtual event, the organizers confirmed Monday, citing the need to "prioritize the health and safety of...
New research from strategic marketing and communications Charleston|Orwig firm suggests that younger consumers are open to the idea of cell-cultured meat, and milk and ice cream made from microbes rather than cows, even when they are described with far-from-neutral...
Synthetic biology specialist Amyris says it remains confident it can capture 30% of the global stevia sweeteners market by 2022 with purecane, a Reb M sweetener produced from cane sugar by a modified yeast strain, that it claims gives it a competitive...
Citrus fiber – a byproduct of the juicing process – has properties that make it an appealing alternative to methyl cellulose (in combination with agar, native starch, and psyllium) as a binder in plant-based meat products for brands looking for a more...
Freeze-drying strawberries may account for three-quarters of Chaucer Foods’ business, but according to the company’s CEO Scott Jacobson the company can offer much more to manufacturers looking to tap into consumer demand for healthier products that also...
At IFT earlier this month, banana fosters flavor was everywhere – on popcorn, in cookies, even in coffee – but according to the ingredient company Virginia Dare its star power status at the show wasn’t just because it is a traditional dish of the conference’s...
The acidulant company Bartek is marking its 50th anniversary with updated branding, increased capacity and an expanded and experienced management team that is ready to upshift the company from maintenance mode to drive new growth.
Consumers increasingly want products that are better for them, but also better for the planet – unfortunately, it is not always easy to tell which products are healthy or sustainable, which is why it is important to use claims that resonate with shoppers...
Staying ahead of the trends isn’t easy given how fickle consumers can be, but thanks to an exclusive partnership with StarChefs, the flavor and ingredient company Symrise is helping manufacturers remain relevant to consumers by identifying hot upcoming...
Dutch company Gabanna is creating a new market for Ugandan 'matooke' green bananas using the starchy, low-sugar flour in new product applications from pasta, cereal, and snacks to a standalone ingredient for food manufacturers.
When large food companies began cutting back on in-house R&D in favor of investing in startups’ with promising ideas, some either didn’t factor in or miscalculated the resources and time needed to scale-up their acquisitions before seeing returns...
CBD and other cannabinoids produced via fermentation can deliver the purity and reliability that the market is looking for at a lower price, claims Amyris, which is aiming to introduce its first products next year following a partnership with a newly...
Ever since FDA decided to exclude Tate & Lyle’s super low-calorie sugar allulose from the total and added sugar declarations on the Nutrition Facts panel, manufacturers across categories have been clamoring to learn how the ingredient might help them...
Despite the ubiquity of bug consumption in some parts of the world, the tools and techniques to raise and process insects as human food on an industrial scale are still evolving, and there are still no globally agreed standards about how to do it in the...
Grain Millers - an industry supplier of oats in various forms from oat bran to whole oat flour - is evolving to meet the year-round demand for oats, which were once a seasonally driven crop, says Grain Millers' VP of product development, Roberto...
CBD and THC are not the only buzz-worthy ingredients derived from hemp, according to Chad Rosen, founder of Victory Hemp Foods, who touts the plant’s seeds, which are packed with high quality protein and healthy fats, as an equally important “profit center”...
As the line begins to blur between food and beverage, consumers are looking for more than just hydration from their drinks – they also want function, but according to market research firm Mintel figuring out which benefits resonate with which consumers...