Baking & Snack - May 2015 - 76

FLAVORS

Elevate flavor, add heat
with new spray-dried flavor
Fifty-six percent of US households
have hot sauce on hand in their kitchens, according to The NPD Group, Port
Washington, NY. Its growing popularity
has bakers looking for innovative ways to
give their products a flavor kick to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. New
opportunities are now possible with the
introduction of a spray-dried version of the
original Louisiana hot sauce, Tabasco.
"Our new spray-dried flavor can readily be used in dry mixes for the baking
industry, said Judson McLester, execu"
tive chef and manager of ingredient sales,
McIlhenny Co., Avery Island, LA. "It can be
applied topically to snack foods or baked
into biscuits, crackers and even cookies. It
can even be included in a glaze or filling, or
a breading or batter.
"
The new ingredient made its official debut on March 18, at a media- and customertasting event at Kendall College, Chicago.
This concentrated flavor enhancer delivers
the signature taste of aged Tabasco-brand
Original Red Sauce in a dry format.
Showcasing the new ingredient in a number of foods, McLester emphasized that in
some applications, Tabasco ingredients are
added solely for the umami taste. "At low
usage levels, you don't really get the heat;
rather, the ingredient functions as a flavor
enhancer, he said. "It's flavor followed by
"
heat. That heat measures up at 2,500 to
"
7
,500 Scoville heat units.
Made with Tabasco pepper mash, salt,
premium distilled vinegar and maltodextrin, the new spray-dried version does
not add moisture to applications. The
fine-sized particles provide greater surface contact and flavor distribution. The
ingredient is completely soluble and has
enhanced surface adhesion. McIlhenny
recommends usage levels of 0.15 to 1.0%
of the spray-dried form in finished products and 2.5 to 15% in seasoning bases.
The kosher parve, halal certified, glutenfree, fat-free and low-sodium ingredient
comes in 50-lb bag-in-box packages.
- Donna Berry

76 Baking & Snack May 2015 / www.bakingandsnack.com

While sriracha came onto
the scene hard and fast, it
leaves many questioning
its staying power.
marketing manager, Flavorchem. "An innovative flavor,
and, if needed, the proper masking agent, is the solution,
and with that, there's no limit to creating products that
are both delicious and healthy."
As consumers become less willing to sacrifice taste for
calories, fat or sodium, "flavors can provide an indulgent
or 'retreat' experience on a variety of substrates, including
low-fat and low-sodium products," Mr. Augustine said.
Ms. Edmonson agreed that flavors can mask the bitter or off tastes that might be associated with whole
grain or reduced-sodium products or the off notes that
come with fish oil or stevia applications. "The inclusion
of flavor modifiers enables food manufacturers to create
healthier products that still taste great," she said.
The use of flavor and masking agents allows formulators the freedom to use more functional ingredients
such as vitamins or proteins, but innovation doesn't have
to be strictly reactionary in terms of health and wellness.
Certain ingredients already wear a healthy halo, and this
often includes natural flavor, despite the fact that, by
Food and Drug Administration standards, its primary
function is flavor and not nutrition.
Using natural ingredients, however, gives formulators
a chance to take more non-desirable items off the ingredient legend, according to Mr. Swenson. For example,
beet root can replace red food coloring, and sweet potato powder can take the place of sugar, he suggested.
"You could go anywhere from a true-to-the-name flavor like natural lemon flavor in a lemon pound cake to
a more complex flavor profile for savory snacks," added
Julie Clarkson, senior research chef, savory flavors,
Sensient Flavors, Hoffman Estate, IL.
"One of the greatest benefits to using natural flavor
ingredients is that they offer not only a clean label but
also a complexity of flavor and added health benefits,"
Mr. Swenson explained. "Replacing salts, sugars and
starches with spices and vegetables adds many promotable benefits to the finished product and ultimately the
consumer." Not to mention that a cleaner label and a
healthier profile give consumers the sense that a product
is remaining true to form.

Keeping it real
As consumers become ever more educated about the
food they eat, it's not just about what's on the label.

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Baking & Snack - May 2015

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