The spice of time is an integral ingredient on its own, used for millennia in fermentation processes to unlock new dimensions of flavor. Today, these biological mechanisms are used in natural solutions that include fermented soy for preventing heartburn, heat-stable probiotics in tea and amino-acid enriched yeast protein.

FoodIngredientsFirst speaks to key players in the fermentation space who are developing the next generation of ingredients – acting as both probiotics and natural preservatives – using this age-old culinary craft.

“As part of our food and beverage heritage, with earliest evidence in ancient Egypt (ca. 3150 BC) and Mesopotamia, fermentation is the oldest form of biotechnology and required several disciplines including microbiology, bioprocessing, engineering and biochemistry,” says Jacques Georis, global director of fermentation science at Kerry.

“It is a trusted age-old process and it is rightfully experiencing a revival due to increasing awareness of the health benefits fermented foods offer as well as for their unique taste profile.”

Misconceptions about fermented foods
Georis flags that while probiotics continue to increase in popularity, so do the myths and misconceptions spread throughout the general public, causing confusion on the topic.

“For example, many companies and consumers alike associate fermented foods with probiotic benefits,” he notes. “Products like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso and natto are often considered good sources of beneficial bacteria, which is not always the case.”

Notably, he explains that the strains in the product are typically not identified, characterized or studied for benefits. “Secondly, processes used to ensure safe products with adequate shelf lives – such as pasteurization – typically kill nearly all the “probiotic” bacteria in the product. 

“Even most raw, non-pasteurized fermented foods contain undocumented strains with little to no documented benefits in humans.”

Fermented soy for heartburn and digestive health
Lallemand recently completed a clinical study that demonstrated the positive effects of its all-natural Gastro-AD fermented soy for heartburn and gastrointestinal problems in adults. 

Fermented soy appeals to consumers who are acclimated to familiar foods such as tofu or natto.

When taken directly as a food supplement in a small, 1 g quantity, this ingredient functions to aid a “calmer after-meal rest” by reducing heartburn frequency, the occurrence of diarrhea and stomach bloating.

Karen Dhanraj, technical marketing and sales manager at Lallemand, details that Gastro-AD is a food supplement based on non-GMO soy, fermented by Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii (Rosell-187), a strain seleced by Institut Rosell.

“The system is inactivated after fermentation, so no viable bacteria remain. The resulting powder has a shelf life of three years at ambient temperature.”

As it is a natural food ingredient, Gastro-AD can be used in many food applications. It appears as a beige or tan-colored powder. “Although it is most often flavored and consumed as-is, in its powder form, it can be used as an ingredient,” highlights Dhanraj.

“For example, we have seen it used in a ‘season and shake’ application for spicy potato chips. The small pouch of chili pepper seasoning also contained Gastro-AD and was provided in the bag of plain potato chips,” she continues.

“The consumer would be able to season their chips with as little or as much spice as they wanted. Because of the Gastro-AD, the consumer would not have to fear any heartburn or acid reflux due to the spicy flavor.”

Lallemand recently completed a liquid stability study showing that Gastro-AD functionality remained very good for at least one year in an aqueous solution. It is therefore deemed suitable for liquid applications including beverages for digestive comfort or gut health.

Amino-acid enriched yeast protein
Biospringer’s latest fermented solution is Springer Proteissimo 101, used to develop meat and dairy analogs. It is a yeast protein, which has the advantage of being completely animal-free while containing all essential amino acids. 

“It has a high digestibility score, with a protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of 1 and a digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) of 1.02,” says Christelle Mouteyen-Migaud, marketing manager EMEA at Biospringer.

“from yeast, we can already get multiple products: yeast extracts (natural flavors), inactive dried yeasts (natural flavors or flavor carriers), yeast-based flavors with specific notes (chicken, beef, grilled, etc.) and now yeast protein. The possibilities with yeast seem unlimited.”

Heat-stable probiotics in tea
Kerry has reported a recent “leap in demand” for its GanedenBC30 ingredient, a well-researched, spore-forming probiotic. With a naturally protective outer layer, GanedenBC30 can survive most processing conditions and the path to the gut allowing it to provide the benefits consumers want most, while allowing for more innovative food and beverage applications. 

“GanedenBC30, is being used in many new exciting applications including granola – for which few probiotic strains are suitable – and tea bags, a particular challenging application for probiotics as they have to sur­vive the manufacturing process, the shelf life of the product, and the ex­posure to boiling water,” notes Goeris.

Kerry has also created a convenient dry kombucha blend using a combination of fermented brewed organic tea leaves and sustainable cane sugar with kombucha culture. This mixture is dried and blended with its branded fruit crystals and GanedenBC30 probiotic. 

“It is offering an excellent shelf-stable alternative to cold-chain kombucha, with consistent appearance and taste, low alcohol-by-volume (ABV) and it is a really convenient and effective way for consumers to enjoy real Kombucha on -he-go and foodservice restaurants to introduce Kombucha to their menu,” remarks Georis.

Top markets for ferments
Sustained interest in the gut health market remains bolstered in line with Innova Market Insights’ “In Tune with Immune” Top Trend for 2021.

Eastern European and Asian cultures are quickest to adopt fermented ingredients in their product portfolio, highlights Dhanraj at Lallemand. “This is presumably due to local consumers’ familiarity and comfort with fermented foods such as yogurt and cultured milk, wine, beer, sauerkraut, kimchi and many forms of fermented soy.”

“In terms of probiotics, Asia is currently the largest and fastest-growing market in terms of consumption,” says Georis at Kerry.

“While Europe is the second largest market, regulatory challenges have slowed progress in the region. Brands are not allowed to use the term ‘probiotics’ because it is considered a health claim by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),” he continues.

“Our 2019 proprietary consumer research revealed, however, that European consumers strongly associate the term ‘cultures’ with probiotic-like health benefits such as digestive health and immune health. As their awareness of cultures and probiotics continues to grow so too does the market.”

FoodIngredientsFirst continues to spotlight a plethora of emergent fermented solutions, which include novel sweeteners, yeast-based meaty flavors and protein produced using microbes from Yellowstone.