“What stood out to me most was that attendees came to IFT with a purpose! This year, that purpose seemed to center around two things – more productivity and more nutrition. More productivity meant finding ways to use fewer ingredients, more efficient ingredients, or more cost-effective solutions. More nutrition meant looking for ways to deliver more fiber and protein, or reducing sugar.” — Brook Carson, VP R&D
Protein + Fiber, Together
We received interest and questions around high protein, added protein, protein plus fiber, and added fiber. Customers are increasingly looking beyond traditional protein products and asking how to incorporate protein and fiber into everyday foods and snacks. There was interest in why protein + fiber is becoming a stronger formulation trend, as both nutrients provide opportunities to increase the nutrition of familiar products. Interest in protein plus fiber extends beyond bread into bars, crackers, cookies, donuts, granola, and beverages.
Rethinking Sugar Reduction
The Granola with GemPro Tack generated interest as an example of using functional wheat protein in a sugar-reduced binding system. This demonstrated that sugar reduction is not simply about removing sugar; it requires replacing the binding, texture, and structural functionality that sugar provides.
The Egg Question
Egg replacement was another discussion, with huge relevance to the volatility and swings in the egg market. Customers are looking for alternatives that can provide the functionality of eggs while improving formulation flexibility and reducing exposure to egg supply and cost fluctuations.
What We Showcased
- High Protein High Fiber Granola Using GemPro Tack to demonstrate how functional wheat protein can support a binding system while helping reduce sugar and increase protein. Added fiber in the cereal crisps further supports the high-fiber positioning.
- High Fiber Extruded Cereal Using FiberGem to demonstrate how resistant wheat starch can be incorporated into an extruded cereal while maintaining the desired fiber content and product quality.
- High Protein Blueberry Bagel Using Manildra’s proprietary protein blend to improve the PDCAAS score while maintaining the strength, structure, chew, and texture expected from a traditional bagel. Wheat protein provides the structure and functionality, while complementary plant proteins help improve the overall amino acid profile without compromising eating qualities.
- Eggless Cranberry Orange Swirl Brioche Using GemPro Nova as a 100% egg replacement in a traditional brioche bread, demonstrating that egg functionality can be replaced while maintaining the rich, soft texture associated with brioche. GemPro Shine is used as a 100% egg-wash replacement to provide the desired surface appearance and shine.
- High Protein High Fiber Pistachio Swirl Cake Using Manildra’s wheat proteins and resistant wheat starch to replace the flour in a breakfast-style loaf cake to increase protein and fiber content. This demonstrates how wheat-based ingredients can improve the nutritional profile of a breakfast-style loaf cake while maintaining the structure and quality consumers expect.
- High Protein Mini Cinnamon Rolls Using Manildra’s wheat proteins to increase protein content in a mini cinnamon roll without compromising taste or quality.
This year, we focused on demonstrating how Manildra’s wheat proteins, fibers, starches and functional systems can help customers achieve better-for-you nutrition targets, such as higher protein, higher fiber, and reduced sugar without sacrificing the structure, texture, appearance, or eating qualities of the finished product.
Trends From the Show Floor
- Protein added into everyday items and snacks, clear protein for drinks, fiber in easy ways to consume.
- Clean label solutions to accommodate ingredient bans, and consumers want simple, transparent ingredient statements.
- People are beginning to reformulate or formulate new products without eggs to accommodate the egg price swings and supply chain concerns.
Customer Takeaways
“A key customer conversation at IFT was how we can use FiberGem and GemPro Wheat Proteins to replace a portion of flour in everyday foods, increasing protein and fiber without compromising product quality. This is especially relevant as consumers look for more nutrient-dense foods, including those using GLP-1 medications who may have greater focus on protein and fiber intake.” — Sammi Meyers, Product Development and Application Manager, Manildra USA
“Another key customer conversation at IFT was that customers aren’t just looking to remove ingredients – they need functional, clean-label solutions that can replace what those ingredients do.” — Sammi Meyers, Product Development and Application Manager, Manildra USA
