Spicing up convenience foods

COMPANIES in the ingredients and additives sector view themselves as more than suppliers of goods; they also offer information and expertise. In addition to a focus on product safety, it is also necessary to have a good feel for consumer trends. Things move fast in today's markets, which is why it is necessary to turn innovative ideas into marketable products as quickly as possible. Consumer awareness of 'good, healthy' nutrition is growing, yet pleasure also plays a central role. Along with calories, fat and sugar, table salt is increasingly drawing attention. Salt is essential for many of the body's functions. It also rounds off the taste experience for many of our foods, improves the binding properties of meat and helps to extend shelf life. Yet too much salt over the long term can damage the human organism. For this reason, the supplier industry has been taking another look at reducing salt levels and using table salt substitutes. Whilst a noticeable reduction in the use of salt is evident, spices are in high demand for food production, particularly for their unmistakable flavour, as well as for their appearance. Spicy foods and special flavours are a popular trend amongst many consumers, and not just in exotic dishes. Today it is not uncommon for 'hot' versions to be included in the standard product range for items containing meat. Herbs and spices are also increasingly being used to season the exterior of meat products in order to improve their appearance. Spice foils which have been coated with decorative mixtures of herbs and spices can make it easier to produce such things as cooked cured products. During production, the spice foil is laid in the mould and the product is cooked in the usual manner. Once the cooking process has been completed, the external foil can be easily removed, whilst the herbs and spices remain, evenly spread on the product to create an attractive exterior. A number of different decorative herbs and spices are now used in this manner. 'Clean label' over classic preservatives 'Clean label' is a hot topic for many producers. This interesting field involves the use of natural extracts in order to replace additives that must be declared or to avoid their use entirely. A number of the components of spice extracts, e.g. rosemary extract, have proven antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The emergence of such natural extracts is both a response to growing consumer demand for preservative-free products as well as to tighter food regulations. Over the past few years, various manufacturers have added organic spices to their product range. Organic natural spices, organic spice mixes, organic barbecue preparations and organic marinades are all on offer. Amongst these companies is Hydrosol (part of the Stern-Wywiol Group), which has developed organic preservatives that greatly prolong the shelf-life of fresh and cooked meat and fish products. Classic preservatives have the disadvantage that they only prevent the proliferation of the microbes that cause decay, but Hydrosol's newly developed organic preservative systems, Hydrolon, contain additional plant extracts that actually reduce pathogenic bacteria like Listeria species and Salmonellae, or even kill them completely. Tests with Hydrolon Fresh, for example - a combination of sodium acetate, citric acid and ascorbic acid - indicate it is possible to extend the shelf-life of vacuum packed products by 50 per cent. With Hydrolon EverFresh, which contains special plant extracts that kill certain pathogenic bacteria, the improvement was as much as 200 percent. These results were achieved under suitable standards of industrial hygiene and with a continuous cold chain of 4癈, for even antimicrobial substances cannot compensate for inadequate cleaning and disinfection or for contamination during production, processing, transportation or storage. IndepeAir Jordan IV 4 Running Shoes