New Organic Ingredients Fuel Innovation

By Mark Crowell, CRC


“Just as energy is the basis of life itself, and ideas the source of innovation, so is innovation the vital spark of all human change, improvement and progress.”

—Ted Levitt, former editor of the Harvard Business Review

Innovation is the key to growth, and as the organic industry has forged its way into the food market, experiencing double digit growth year after year, there have been hundreds of innovators who have stepped forward to create products to meet the ever-growing needs of organic processors and consumers. These new products are usually featured in the Innovations section of each issue of Organic Processing Magazine, but in this issue we took this a step further to bring together an expanded list of some of the most notable recent innovations.

Because of these inventive ingredient pioneers, today organic food tastes better, lasts longer, looks more appealing and offers more value-added health benefits than ever before. And even more than that, these innovations have allowed processors to create more authentically organic products—offering certified-organic varieties of ingredients like flavors, colors and processing aids that can bring your product one step closer to 100 percent organic. These types of ingredients, as well as functional health ingredients, sweeteners and more, are highlighted below.

Flavors
Today there are more flavorful certified organic choices than ever—in fact, organic flavor companies can match practically any natural flavor profiles that exist.

This year Mooreganics/A.M. Todd took flavors to the next level by offering “functional flavors,” which combine flavors with other minor ingredients, ranging from nutrients to colors, and then delivers them in one single, flavorful system. Uniting these in one functional ingredient eliminates having to source all these ingredients separately and ensures that the flavor profile works in harmony with other ingredients in the blend. These functional flavors also limit operational overhead and liability, and help narrow information and origin trails. Mooreganics has also been a pioneer in bringing several fair-trade flavors and extracts to the market, including a wide array of tea, coffee, cocoa and vanilla varieties.

Another flavor development is Summit Hill Flavors’ new Chef’s Grill Organic Flavor, which can bring the authentic taste of outdoor grilling to your sauces, soups, meats and poultry. The new flavor is available in liquid or dry form and is 98 percent organic.

Elan Extracts recently launched a new line of certified organic spice extracts and oils including rosemary, oregano, thyme and basil. These products can work in both finished product applications and flavor formulations. They are 100 percent from the named source, have no added ingredients and are produced in a closed system to ensure that the whole spice or herb profile is preserved.

Colors
Sethness Products Company announced the launch of OC234, the first organic, powdered caramel color manufactured in North America. This dry color can improve the visual appeal of organic baked goods, dry blends, meat rubs and seasonings. In addition, the company has developed OC114, their second organic liquid caramel color which is more than 40 percent stronger than other commercially available organic liquid caramel colors, with the added benefit of being milder in taste than most Class I caramel colors.

Also new this year is Global Organics’ first and only authentic, organic certified, black cocoa powder made in the United States using traditional methods. It’s a necessary ingredient for manufacturers looking to make a traditional chocolate sandwich cookie, and has not previously been available as an organic ingredient. It is also useful in many other applications where a very dark cocoa color is desired.

Mooreganics also recently added purple carrot to their list of organic colors including hibiscus and turmeric. Unlike many other colors on the market that are oil-soluble, Mooreganics’ water-soluble colors are suitable for use in beverages.

International Foodcraft has an increasing base of certified organic colors in their Coloreze line. The company specializes in combining organic powdered colors with organic carriers enabling them to create a wide range of user-friendly liquids, pastes, dispersions and portion-controlled custom colors. Their available organic colors include beet juice powder, caramel, turmeric, berry juice and elderberry concentrate.

Preservatives
P.L. Thomas is the exclusive North American distributor for the recently introduced Inolens 4 and Inolens 15 deodorized organic rosemary extracts. These products are powdered for convenience, but liquid versions can be provided. The antioxidant benefits of rosemary may be applied to a broad range of products to extend shelf life in the oil and/or fat portions of formulas. This natural anti-rancidity agent can effectively replace synthetic preservatives such as TBHQ (banned in Europe). The Inolens line allows usage in products with mild flavors that would be impacted by typical rosemary extracts, including mayonnaise, meat marinades, spreads, oils, nuts and bakery products.

Gums
TIC Gums has added Caragum 200 to their TICorganic line of certified organic gums. The 100 percent organic stabilizer provides both hot and cold viscosity and excellent mouthfeel, and is often used to replace starch in finished products like soups, sauces and gravies. TIC Gums’ new organic gum system is also a cost-effective alternative to straight locust bean gum.

In addition, TIC Gums offers several other organic hydrocolloids that have been expanding in applications, such as its TICorganic Gum Arabic Spray Dry, TICorganic Guar Gum and TICorganic Locust Bean Gum. They have also developed specialty gums like TIC Pretested Dairyblend Organic IC for 100 percent organic ice cream.

Emulsifiers and Lubricants
Diehl Organics has introduced a new line of stable certified organic powdered systems, including Jerzee Organic Creaming Agents and Centennial Organic Powdered Vegetable Shortenings. Jerzee products add creaminess, opacity, body and a milky flavor to a wide variety of food and beverage systems. They can be used in formulating various dry-based organic foods and beverages from coffee creamers, cappuccino and hot chocolate to nutritional drinks, soups and sauces. Centennial Powdered Vegetable Shortenings allow a very high level of fat to be added to dry-based products, thus avoiding having to use liquid or plastic fats and oils. These shortenings can be used to create products like baking mixes (breads, muffins, pizza crusts), dry-based potato items, spice and seasoning blends, soups and sauces.

Organic lecithin was another breakthrough for organic processing as both an emulsifier and a lubricant. Now International Foodcraft has developed organic soy lecithin both liquid and granular forms. The granular form is an easy-to-use option for processors with powder-based formulas.

International Foodcraft has also developed Confecto-Lube and Confecto-Spred release agents to prevent organic products or ingredients from sticking to contact surfaces during the manufacturing process. Confecto-Lube is a thinner product that can be sprayed on, while the Confecto-Spred would be applied with a brush or cloth. They work in a variety of applications including certified organic candy, baked goods and meat processing.            

Coagulants
Danisco has introduced Marzyme Supreme Org DS, a double strength milk-clotting enzyme. It is a clear solution of heat-labile microbial coagulant derived from the pure culture fermentation of Mucor miehei. It is used to make cheddar, Swiss and Italian-type cheeses and has the same enzyme inactivation curve as calf rennet. Marzyme Supreme Org DS is Kosher and Halal.

Defoamers
Emerald Performance Materials recently announced two new defoamers specially designed for use in organic food processing. Foam Blast Organic 71 and reformulated KFO Organic 7605 have been certified to meet the new USDA requirements under 7 CFR, Part 205 for foods that carry organic certification. Foam Blast Organic 71 has been proven to be highly effective for a number of high-temperature processing operations and is especially suitable for soy processing (milk and tofu), which creates foam control challenges.

The newly reformulated KFO Organic 7605 is ideal for use with a wide variety of room-temperature processing operations, including vegetable washing and the processing of juices, jellies/marmalades and potatoes.

Sweeteners
Wholesome Sweeteners has recently added fair trade organic honey to their list of products, which also includes fair trade and organic certified sugar, syrups and nectars. Their new fair trade organic amber honey is a rich nectar with warm caramel notes. Perfect in beverages, baking and poultry glazes. Wholesome Sweeteners has already paid over $1 million in fair trade premiums to their cooperative partners.

Another sweet new product is Ciranda’s TapiOK Tapioca Fructose Syrup Clarified FO-DE 95. Made from manioc starch, TapiOK is hydrolyzed with natural enzymes. Because it is made from tapioca, this sweetener is not only color and taste neutral, but it is also allergen free. A number of ingredient labeling options are available including organic tapioca syrup, organic manioc syrup, organic cassava syrup or organic glucose syrup.

Another new syrup on the market is Tradin’s wheat-derived glucose syrup. Relative to other organic sweeteners, glucose syrup offers many benefits in a range of applications. In baked goods, organic glucose syrup promotes optimal browning and increased moisture retention. Used in chewy candies, organic glucose syrup contributes to longer shelf life and less hygroscopicity. In ice cream and frozen desserts, organic glucose syrup helps achieve the desired degree of sweetness, freezing point depression and texture.

Tradin also recently introduced an organic white cane sugar, Icumsa 100. This is a key ingredient for chocolate makers because it offers a neutral flavor that does not affect the taste of the cocoa and has a neutral color as well.

Lastly, Marroquin Organic International now offers certified organic lactose. Lactose is a milk sugar manufactured from fresh, sweet dairy whey produced during organic cheese production. It is a fine free-flowing powder, white in color with a clean, bland, slightly sweet flavor. It is used in dairy foods, infant formula, soft drinks, confections, bakery products, dry mixes, frozen and canned foods. Its small particle size incorporates easily into baked goods, confections and other food products to reduce sweetness by replacing sugar.

Antioxidants
The U.S. market for fortified and functional foods and beverages reached a combined value of $33.3 billion last year. Within this catagory, antioxidants are one of the top consumer-requested ingredients.

RFI Ingredients has recently introduced several freeze-dried “superfruits” including goji, acerola, açai, pomegranate and mangosteen. In addition, RFI has many antioxidant-rich extracts including blueberry, black currant and hawthorn berry.

Through their Partnerships for a Better World program, RFI supports initiatives including environmental education and action, organic farming education and promotion, organic farming development, bio-remediation, forestry, education, healthcare in poor areas and wildlife recovery. Customers are invited, through licensing programs, to become involved with these activities.

Another company introducing high-antioxidant ingredients is Botanical Synergies, which has launched BerryOrganics, a new line of organic whole-berry powders including raspberry, bilberry, blackberry and cranberry. The products are USDA and EU organic and OU kosher.

This year P.L. Thomas is on trend as well, with the introduction of organic acerola cherry extract. Acerola juice has 30 times the vitamin C content of pure orange juice—and this powdered extract has even higher levels of vitamin C than the juice.

The product is grown in Brazil and legumes are planted between the rows of acerola bushes, naturally providing nitrogen fixation and eliminating the need for fertilizer. The bulk of vitamin C production is synthetic and of Chinese origin. High-vitamin C organic fruits such as acerola allow manufacturers to fortify products with an organic fruit-derived concentrate instead.

Omega 3s
Omega fatty acids are another leader in the functional ingredients category, with benefits that include improved heart health, healthy cholesterol levels, improved joint mobility and bone density, and skin, nail and hair health. Flax oil provides the complete omega-3 nutrition resource. A creative twist on flax oil is Barlean’s Organic Oils’ new cinnamon and lemonade flax seed oils. The oils are available in drums or smaller quantities and can be blended into any oil-soluble formulation plus nutrition bars, granola and baked goods.

ADM also just launched a new organic whole-soybean powder which boasts an exceptional nutritional profile that includes omega-6 (LA), omega-3 (ALA), proteins, okara (insoluble fiber) and plant sterols. This product is easily dispersible and has a smooth mouth-feel, a dairy-like texture and no-waste functionality. An economic replacement for dairy, whey and caseinate proteins, this whole-soybean powder can be used in a wide variety of items, including RTD beverages, yogurt, frozen dessert. smoothies, soup bases, pudding, dips, liquid coffee creamer and cream sauce bases.

Navitas Naturals’ Flax Power is a new certified organic sprouted whole seed flax powder. Sprouting the flaxseeds increases the omega fatty acids, enzymes, amino acids and vitamins and enhances the bioavailability of the nutrients. Sprouted flax seed is also more shelf-stable than traditional flax seed, guarding against rancidity. In addition to this, Navitas has also launched Hemp Power, a raw organic hemp seed powder produced by cold-pressing the non-sterilized raw hemp seeds, and then milling them at low temperatures.

Greens
Today, “getting your greens” encompasses much more than grabbing a salad. Green foods include everything from beneficial algae to all sorts of grasses. RFI was one of the first to bring organic algae to market, including spirulina and now chlorella, just launched this year. These greens are very high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants and have been shown to help with digestion.

To answer the demand for greens, Synergy Production Laboratories is now offering an organic green superfood blend for companies wishing to easily enter the organic green superfood market. Containing 29 premium, certified organic, whole-food ingredients (vegetables, berries, algae, grass juice powders, sprouts and more), and sweetened with organic stevia, this blend is ready for use in powdered beverages, bars or capsule applications.

Proteins
Marroquin Organic International recently introduced whey protein concentrate. Marroquin has teamed up with Meister Cheese, which recently received organic certification. Meister is a third-generation family company manufacturing natural cheddar, colby and Monterey jack cheeses from fresh, farm-direct milk in Southwest Wisconsin. Organic whey products are an important byproduct of organic cheese production. Organic WPC 34 is manufactured from fresh, organic sweet whey, a homogenous, free-flowing, semi-hygroscopic powder with a bland flavor. Product applications include dairy foods, infant formula, confections, protein and nutrition products, bakery products, dry mixes, and frozen and processed foods.

Prebiotics
Both Ciranda and Tradin now offer certified organic inulin from agave. The powder is derived from the enzymatic hydrolysis of pulp of the ‘pina’ from Agave tequilana and microfiltered. Compared with inulin from chicory, inulin from agave is cold-water soluble. Inulin is a prebiotic that stimulates desirable Bifidus bacteria in the intestine. Bifidobacteria are linked with promoting regularity, reducing the gut pH, which improves calcium absorption, improving immune function, lowering total cholesterol, improving lipid/glucose profile and decreasing colon cancer risk. Due to its cold water solubility, it can be formulated into beverages, bakery or dairy products like yogurt and kefir.

In addition to their inulin, Ciranda and Tradin have also introduced organic fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS). FOS consists of the shortest polymers found in organic agave inulin and is often used in conjunction with inulin.

Future Innovations
What new ingredients will hit the market next? Manufacturers like you help determine the answer to that question. Let suppliers know what ingredients you need to create the most authentic, quality organic experience for your consumers. As with any market, supply follows demand. New organic ingredients do not become commercially available until companies believe demand has reached a threshold that exceeds the cost of production, plus a premium that covers their investment and business risk.

As the organic market continues to grow, support suppliers who are taking a risk to develop new products. By doing this, you will fuel further innovation and help encourage others to bring exciting new innovations to the organic processing industry.

Mark Crowell, CRC, is the founder and principal culinologist at CuliNex, a consultancy specializing in the development of organic and natural food products. Mark is the former director of product development for Olive Garden Restaurants and Starbucks Coffee Co. CuliNex specializes in assisting food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and multi-unit foodservice operators achieve their growth goals by developing and bringing successful products to market. You can reach Mark at mark@culinex.biz.