British starch specialist, Ulrick & Short has developed a new protein fortification ingredient marketed as having a neutral taste and minimal flavor impact. The new clean label ingredient, coined Complex 20 is the latest addition to the company’s protein range and may allow manufacturers to develop healthier products and advertise front-of-pack “Source of/High in Protein” claims without significantly altering the flavor profiles of their products.

Innova Market Insights reports a 188 percent growth in new products with a high/source of protein positioning from 2013-2017. In 2017, over five percent of new global food and beverage launches featured protein claims, with CAGR of 29 percent from 2013-2017. This space is increasingly looking at both animal-derived and plant-based proteins.

According to Ulrick & Short, in 2019, developing healthy foods is as much about proactively adding functional ingredients for nutritional enhancement, as it is about removing fats and sugars. However, capitalizing on the plant protein trend poses a series of challenges for food manufacturers, as proteins often unintentionally alter te flavor profiles of products.

ComplexTM 20 is clean-label, Non-GMO and vegan ingredient. It is suitable for a range of applications, including bakery and snacks products such as cereal bars and flapjacks, meat substitutes, vegan and vegetarian products and ready meals. A key feature is its very high protein content, meaning that it can be applied at a significantly lower percentage while still reaching those all-important 12 percent and 20 percent claim benchmarks.

“As consumer knowledge grows, consumers are demanding healthier and tastier products across all sectors. Protein claims are now no longer confined to niche products and the sports nutrition sector, they are in the mainstream with bakery, snacks and ready meal sectors all experiencing massive growth of alternative proteins and protein claims,” says Ulrick & Short Development Technologist, Emma Walker.

“When adding proteins there is often an undesirable impact on taste. The end goal is to be able to make protein claims and improve nutritionals without people knowing is it any different to the standard product. Complex 20 proves that protein fortification doesn’t have to alter the flavor of finished products,” she adds.

Other notable launches from Ulrick & Short
Ulrick & Short is a clean label ingredients specialist, supplying household name food manufacturers across the world with clean label and gluten-free, non-GM ingredients and innovating across a diverse range of food industry sectors including bakery, meat, dairy, soups and sauces. The company is AA BRC accredited and has a team of dedicated sector specialists and food technologists based in the UK and works hand in hand with customers to maximize value from product development.

The company recently launched a range of insoluble fiber ingredients coined “scilia” from a variety of base crops such as wheat, bamboo, pea and oat. Scilia can improve functionality and texture across several food applications, including baked good, meats, beverages and even sauces.

In November 2018, Ulrick & Short launched Avanté 9, a gluten-free substitute for sugar. The ingredient is touted as reducing the need for sugar in bakery formulations by up to 20 percent while retaining the volume and texture of cakes, muffins and other baked goods.

Previously the company also expanded its clean label ingredient range which promises to solve problems for manufacturers in achieving stability and thickening in gentle factory processes. The innovative ingredients provide the same functional properties and performance as a pregelatinized starch, without requiring high shear mixing. The cold swelling products, named synergie L726 and synergie 77, can be applied to very gentle mixing processes without clumping and therefore enables the full functional performance of the starch.