According to Mintel, 12% of new food products launched in the UK in 2015 carried a gluten-free claim, up from 7% in 2011. However, Ulrick & Short states that food manufacturers should now be looking to the next stage of gluten-free NPD, including nutritional profile and label declarations, in order to keep up with market demands.

Trends such as gluten-free are influenced by progressive consumers who need to know that their chosen food products adhere to certain free-from criteria. In addition to coeliac disease, other influencers in the gluten-free trend are intolerance, lifestyle choices and celebrity influence.

Manufacturers are now adept at creating gluten-free alternatives that dont compromise on taste, texture or functionality, so the new challenge is to maintain the "no compromise" theme whilst further improving nutritional profile and simplifying ingredient declarations.

Ulrick & Shorts R&D manager, Danielle Schroeter, explains, "Gluten is a highly functional and unique protein which makes it exceptionally difficult to match and replicate in application. When removing gluten, the role of starch for providing structure and texture becomes far more prominent in a product. For example, it is gluten which gives the basis for the development of loaf volume and crumb structure in bakery and what holds the dough in shape throughout the whole baking process.

"At Ulrick & Short weve invested heavily in the development of a wide range of ingredients that can achieve the same functionality as gluten in cakes and other sweet products, as well as savoury applications such as sauces and glazes. With our expert technologists very much on the case, theres no end to the lengths we will go to help manufacturers meet demand for that level of sophistication in the free from market."