Before purchasing a product, consumers sift through the nutritional information displayed on food labels, such as the number of calories, fat and sugar content, etc. Three out of four people in the United States make food purchase decisions based on the nutrition claims on the packaging of food products²: low in salt, low in calories, sugar-free, vegetarian, organic, etc.
A score for each product
Nutritional scoring systems and mobile apps were introduced to help consumers with their food purchase decisions. In France, for instance, consumers can rely on the Nutri-Score nutrition label displayed on the packaging of food products, where A reflects the highest nutritional value and E the lowest. All products are given a score, from beverages to cheese and ready meals. Foods that are high in calories, salt, sugar and saturated fat have a low score. Implemented by the French government in 2017 as a public health measure, the Nutri-Score system is now set to become an EU standard.
Natural flavours derived from fermentation
Agri-food producers are looking to reduce the calorie, sugar and fat content in their products. But recipes have to be altered in order to change the composition of products. And foods with less fat or sugar will have a different taste and texture. So to prevent this from happening, food manufacturers can count on new ingredients such as natural flavours derived from fermentation, where natural flavouring substances are produced in a sustainable way. To meet the specific needs of food producers, Ennolys by Lesaffre has developed a range of aromatic and functional blends made from its natural vanillin, which is obtained through fermentation.
Today, the Ennallin Solutions & Mixes range offers the following products:
- The Ennallin Mix, which adds a strong note of vanilla combined with milky and almond-like notes, as well as a smooth and powdery facet.
- The Ennallin Butter Mix, which adds buttery and caramelised notes.
- The Creamy Mix, which adds buttery and creamy notes, as well as roundness and fullness to the palate. It can be used to replace some of the fat.
- The Coco Mix, which has a strong coconut taste.
Taste, nutrition, dietary requirements
These blends can be used to make soft and delicious brioche bread that is lower in fat, chocolate-flavoured desserts that are lower in calories, yoghurt with a vanilla-like note and no acid flavour, or jams that are lower in sugar but still taste delicious. On the taste front, they add vanilla, almond-like, caramel and milky gourmet notes, and can also enhance the perception of sweetness. They can mask off-notes, which are unpleasant notes associated with reduced-fat or -sugar products. On the nutrition front, these intensely-flavoured blends can help to reduce the amount of sugar and butter which are added to certain food products. “Our Ennallin Butter Mix can be used to reduce the amount of butter in brioche bread by 30%”, explained Thomas Rager, Sales & Marketing Director.
Our blends are vegan, halal- and kosher-certified. They also enable food producers to tap into the “clean label” trend, which has become increasingly popular in mature markets.
Lastly, Ennolys by Lesaffre is responding to consumer concerns about the environment: it offers a range of sustainable, non-GMO blends made in France that comply with EU and US regulations on natural flavouring substances (labelled as “natural flavours”).
Ennolys by Lesaffre extends its range of aromas
Always attentive to market developments, Ennolys by Lesaffre is adjusting its offer to cater for the changing needs of food producers. “When we come up with an idea for a new blend, we conduct formulation trials and test it in our sweet recipes. We carry out a sensory analysis to assess and guarantee the quality and stability of our solutions”, explained Axel Clin, flavourist at Ennolys.
Sources:
1 Ipsos – 2021 In-Store Media Shopper Barometer.
2 L.E.K. Consulting’s 2018 food and beverage survey.