The new ingredients will be unveiled at Food Ingredients Asia 2011 in Bangkok from September 23, and a Premium Ingredients spokeswoman told DairyReporter.com that the principal target market for its new Premitex products was Asia.
She said:“We see extremely high growth rates for pizza toppings in the BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India and China] countries India and China. Other potential regions are the Middle East and Latin America.”
Protein reduction
In addition to India and China, the spokeswoman said, Mercia-headquartered Premium Ingredients was also seeing high growth rates for its pizza toppings within Africa, albeit “coming from a low base”.
The latest additions to its Premitex range, XLK-8031 and XLK-10003, both blend hydrocolloids and melting salts to facilitate reduction of high protein content, which the company said was “ideal for low-cost pizza cheese recipes”.
Referring to XLK-8031, the company said:“This product partially replaces the rennet casein, and is optimal for melting and shredding.”
XLK-10003 was designed to form part of a “high quality pizza cheese topping with 20% cheese content,” the company said, with end-product attributes including a quick melt, high stretchability and excellent shredding.
Asked what the new pizza products would add to Premium Ingredients’ portfolio, the spokeswoman said: “These products are specially developed for pizza cheese topping applications.
“Both targets – to reduce raw material costs (reducing protein content) and keeping the special properties of a pizza cheese (shredding, melting and stretching) are crucial factors for industrial producers.”
Casein allergy issue?
Quizzed as to whether one factor behind the drive to develop products with lower casein levels was consumer concern about allergies to the protein, the spokeswoman added:
”Although protein allergies might be an issue, the customer demand for these new products is clearly driven by cost-saving issues.”
In Bangkok, Premium Ingredients will also launch a pectin-based stabilizer for the manufacture of acidified milk and soy drinks, Premigum XLB-8033.
Key advantages of the product, according to the spokeswoman, included its ability to provide“protein stabilization at a low pH, creaminess and mouthfeel without high viscosity increase and an excellent flavour release. It is clean label”.