Ingredion, a leader in specialty ingredient solutions, has been recognized for excellence in Product Launches and Business Expansion in the 2024 Just Food Excellence Awards, highlighting its commitment to innovation and strategic growth.
The Just Food Excellence Awards celebrate the greatest achievements and innovations in the food industry. Powered by GlobalData’s business intelligence, the Awards recognize the people and companies that are driving change in the industry.
Ingredion won the Product Launches award for its introduction of innovative clean label ingredients, including FIBERTEX™ citrus fibers and VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD, which cater to the growing demand for natural and health-conscious products. The company received the Business Expansion award for significantly scaling its stevia production capabilities in Malaysia, meeting the increasing demand for sugar reduction solutions in the food and beverage industry.
Clean label innovations: FIBERTEX™ citrus fibers and VITESSENCE® pea protein
Ingredion’s success in the Product Launches category is attributed to its pioneering efforts in clean label ingredients and protein solutions. The introduction of FIBERTEX™ citrus fibers and VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD has significantly enhanced the company’s portfolio, offering versatile solutions that cater to the growing consumer demand for natural and health-conscious products.
FIBERTEX™ citrus fibers, including the CF 500 and CF 100 variants, are minimally processed and upcycled, providing superior texturizing properties and supporting popular on-pack claims such as “derived from natural sources” and “non-GMO.” These fibers are designed to replace more expensive ingredients like eggs and oils, offering cost-effective solutions without compromising on texture or stability. This innovation aligns with the increasing consumer preference for clean labels, as evidenced by Ingredion’s proprietary research indicating that 85% of consumers accept and prefer citrus fibers on product labels. Additionally, these fibers are versatile, finding applications across various food categories, including savory, dairy, alternative dairy, confectionery, bakery, meat, and alternative meat products. Their ability to emulsify and bind water enhances the eating experience by providing thickness and texture stability, crucial for vegan products that often rely on complex ingredient lists.
Similarly, the launch of VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD pea protein addresses the challenges faced by cold-pressed bar manufacturers, offering a solution that maintains softness and enhances texture throughout the product’s shelf life. This pea protein is non-hydrolyzed, ensuring a cleaner label and reducing negative consumer perceptions associated with hydrolyzed proteins. By delivering a minimum of 84% protein on a dry basis, VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD enables “good” or “excellent” source of protein claims, further enhancing its appeal to health-conscious consumers. The protein’s development was driven by consumer insights, focusing on taste, texture, and sensory attributes, which are significant contributors to consumer preference in the sports and nutrition bar space. Ingredion’s technical experts conducted extensive testing, demonstrating that VITESSENCE® Pea 100 HD offers desirable and predictably stable softness over shelf life, with a lower chalky and gritty mouthfeel compared to other protein sources.
Expanding stevia production: Meeting sugar reduction demands
Ingredion’s recognition in the Business Expansion category is a testament to its strategic investments in scaling its stevia production capabilities. The expansion of the PureCircle™ stevia production facility in Malaysia marks a significant milestone in Ingredion’s efforts to meet the growing demand for sugar reduction solutions in the food and beverage industry.
This expansion quadruples the capacity for bioconversion technology, enabling Ingredion to produce the best-tasting stevia leaf ingredients at scale. The bioconversion method mimics the plant’s natural production process, offering superior cost efficiency and minimal processing. This approach not only supports Ingredion’s sustainability goals, but also provides food and beverage brands with the tools to achieve 100% sugar reduction without compromising on taste. The expanded facility enhances the availability of stevia ingredients like Reb M, which are crucial for replacing sugar and artificial sweeteners across various food and beverage categories. This investment addresses the historical challenge of limited access to high-quality stevia solutions at scale, unlocking deeper sugar reduction possibilities and optimized taste performance for companies of all sizes.
Moreover, the recent approval by UK food safety authorities for PureCircle’s bioconversion-produced steviol glycosides further expands access to these critical ingredients, positioning Ingredion as a leader in plant-based sugar reduction. This strategic expansion aligns with consumer trends, as Ingredion’s research indicates that 76% of consumers prioritize limiting sugar intake for health reasons. The expansion also supports Ingredion’s broader portfolio of Clean Taste Solutions, which provide clean-tasting sweetness across several categories, including beverages, dairy, tea, coffee, sports nutrition, bakery, confectionery, savory, sauces, and dressings. By increasing the production capacity, Ingredion accelerates brands’ formulation efforts, enabling them to meet consumer demands for healthier, sugar-reduced products.
Company Profile
Ingredion Inc (Ingredion) is a provider of ingredients solutions. The company produces starches, sweeteners, and other ingredients from renewable raw materials such as corn, tapioca, the stevia plant, and others. Its product portfolio includes glucose syrups, high maltose syrup, high fructose corn syrup, caramel colour, polyols, dextrose, maltodextrins, glucose and syrup solids, food-grade starches, industrial starches, biomaterials, corn gluten feed, refined corn oil, concentrates, purees and essences, pulse proteins, hydrocolloids systems and blends. The company markets its products under Ingredion, Astraea, Novation, Nutraflora, Versasweet, Vitessence, Q-Naturale, Fibertex, Precisa, Purity, and Homecraft brand names. Ingredion serves food, beverage, animal nutrition, pharmaceutical, paper and corrugating, and brewing industries. The company has business presence across North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ingredion is headquartered at Westchester, Illinois, the US.
Contact Details
5 Westbrook Corporate Center
Westchester, IL 60154 USA
Tel: (800) 713-0208
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