Baking & Snack - July 2015 - 62

INCLUSIONS, TOPPINGS

Baked items get extra sparkle from edible glitter
offered in popular star shapes.
Watson, Inc.

Playing the wow! card
For kids - and those adults who are
still kids at heart - the wow! factor is
paramount in baked goods. One way
to play that up is with edible glitter, a
colorful and sparkling opportunity to get
consumers' attention.
"We make our glitter out of several
different materials to suit the customer's
needs, but the most popular and least
expensive is gum Arabic," said Moira
Watson, vice-president of marketing
and communication, Watson, Inc., West
Haven, CT. "It does not melt, and it withstands heat well, but it is water-soluble
and will dissolve in a moist environment; therefore, we suggest using it
as a topping on most baked goods and
applying it late in the process.
"But it's also fun to add the glitter to a
dough or batter and allow it to dissolve,"
she added. "This way it can be used to
create a swirl of simply colored specks."
Edible glitter is exceptionally versatile.
"We can make the glitter just about any
color, including metallic, by using either
artificial or natural colorants to meet the
customer's labeling requirements," Ms.
Watson said. "We can flavor the glitter,
sweeten the glitter and even fortify the
glitter.
"We can even make glitter shapes,"
she continued. The company makes an
edible film and cuts out the shapes from
it. They come in many different sizes and
kinds: butterflies, daisies, moons, trees
and all types of geometric shapes, as
well as custom shapes. "Stars are the
most popular followed by hearts," Ms.
Watson said.

62 Baking & Snack July 2015 / www.bakingandsnack.com

free wheat-germ-based nut extenders and replacers as
well as a range of customized bits and clusters that deliver the crunch and tastes of nuts to baked goods without introducing a nut allergen into the system. "Our
100% nut-free nut analogs look, taste and crunch like
real tree nuts at less than half the cost and with no nut
allergens," Mr. Reid said. "Our clusters are very novel
and affordable. We also have formulated a range of new
products that are non-GMO and made from all-natural
ingredients." The initial interest came from Europe, but
there is also demand here in the US.
"We offer grain-based inclusions that can serve as
non-allergenic alternatives to nuts, delivering similar
nutritional and flavor profiles," said Ron Heddleson,
senior director of R&D, QualiTech Co., Chaska, MN.
"They are all-natural stabilized corn germ and come
in a variety of toasts and grinds. They are designed to
enhance appearance of multi-grain breads or tortillas,
chips and taco shells, while adding a nutty, whole-grain
flavor, stone-ground appearance and nutritional value.
"We also offer particulate alternatives to fruit or vegetable ingredients," he continued. "There's even a baconflavored option that can be used in kosher products."
Depending on the baked application, using cheese
alone as an inclusion can be technically challenging
from both a performance and sensory perspective.
"We offer inclusions that deliver cheese content and
intense cheese flavor, solving many processing issues
that may be experienced when 100% cheese toppings
or inclusions are used," Mr. Heddleson said. "For example, bagels, breads, batters and breadings benefit
from topical addition of such inclusions. The inclusion format encapsulates cheese flavor and protects
visual identity through abusive heat processing such
as baking, which can degrade formats such as powders or shreds. We can provide customizable melt
profiles to deliver ingredients that provide less sodium and fat than 100% cheese."
Cereal Ingredients Inc., Leavenworth, KS, uses patented extrusion technology to produce particulates
based on simple and complex carbohydrates. They can
be formulated to be all-natural, gluten-free and GMOfree. The particulates are designed to add flavor, texture
and color to baked goods and cereals. They also have
application in pre-blended bread mixes where they can
add flavor and colorful swirl effects.
"All of our particulates are specially formulated for
specific client needs," said Jim Thomasson, executive
vice-president, sales. "They are offered in a variety of
sizes, flavors and textures, and are produced using our
patented product and process technology."
The company's manufacturing facilities are all nutfree, which helped with the most recent development:

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Baking & Snack - July 2015

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