28 Nov 2023 --- At this year’s Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) trade show, Roquette is presenting some of its latest concepts in nutritional and culinary creativity. The company is bringing to life its portfolio of plant-based ingredients through prototypes designed to address three key areas of food development: positive nutrition, new cuisine and transparency. 

Speaking to Food Ingredients First live from the show floor in Frankfurt, Germany, Christine Beauvois, head of European customer technical service at Roquette, talks us through an indulgent no-added sugar cookie fortified with Roquette’s Nutriose 10 soluble fiber.

“This concept showcases management of sugar content while also being rich in fiber and protein,” she says. “These claims are important to consumers who are cautious about their nutrition but who want indulgent foods, so we have integrated these great ingredients to improve the nutritional characteristics of our recipes.”

Beauvois adds that hitting the fiber recommendations daily can be challenging. “Even if you have a healthy diet with lots of vegetables, it can still be very difficult to consume 25 g of fiber each day,” she says.

“With our Nutriose range, it makes it easy to add fiber into bakery items.”

“For our no-added sugar claims, there has to be a reduction of at least 30% sugar, which is what we have been able to achieve by swapping out ingredients that can replac sugar and also adapting to our customer’s needs.” 

Nutrition for mindful indulgence
Bakery and snack producers can sample positive nutrition concepts that meet consumer needs for clean labeling, nutrition improvement, gut health, prebiotic effect and immunity, as well as sustainable manufacturing. 

These solutions include crunchy healthy bites and biscuits formulated with Roquette’s Nutriose 10 soluble fiber and Nutralys texturized pea protein, alongside no-added sugar biscuits made with Nutriose 06 soluble fiber and SweetPearl maltitol to meet the rising demand for indulgent sweet treats with low sugar content. 

“We have very specific pea proteins, which have been adapted to bakery applications,” says Eva Esparza Guijarro, head of marketing Europe, Core Food Specialties at Roquette. 

“They also don’t interact with the gluten network, so we can make gluten-free specific innovations that are also high in protein, thanks to our Nutralys range,” she tells us.

“Pea protein is also a very sustainable crop with a very nice nutritional intake, with no allergenicity.”

Plant-based ingredients for new cuisine 
Meanwhile, for brands looking to appeal to the reported 74% of global consumers craving unusual and exotic flavors, Roquette is showcasing its plant-based “nemossa,” which also features Nutralys plant protein and supports the demand for Asian-inspired cuisines.

To complement this dish, the company is serving a tangy, sweet and sour sauce featuring its Cleararm cook-up starches.

“This is a plant-based fusion concept based on our texturized protein,” says Esparza Guijarro. “We are using lemongrass, garlic and carrot ingredients, which are also low in fat.” 

“The sweet and sour sauce uses a starch, which gives it a shiny texture that can also be used to make a shiny texture for soups, and the nemossa has a nice chewiness.”

Plant-based is definitely set to grow in 2024, comments Beauvois: “It is really a trend that all consumers are now keen on — more than 25% of consumers are moving to flexitarism, so its something we see a clear future for.”

Transparency for guilt-free confectionery

Also demonstrating a novel approach to sustainable and transparent formulation, Roquette is presenting TiO2-free gums made with Pregelflo pregelatinized starch, helping to meet consumer demand for friendly labeling. 

Visitors can sample plant-based jellies and wine gums made with Cleargum LG thin boiling starch — highlighting an innovative approach to creating gelatin-free sweets with an improved texture. 

“We are seeing a significant move to gelatin-free recipes, which is having a huge impact on the confectionery markets,” Beauvois notes. “With this prototype, we have managed to be as close as possible to a gelatin-based gummy without using any gelatin.”

“Our concepts are designed to help food manufacturers meet consumer demand for budget-friendly nutrition at a time of increased economic uncertainty, as well as providing scalable solutions to today’s regulation challenges, all while providing great taste and an indulgent experience,” she explains. 

“We look forward to collaborating with attendees to inspire the next generation of plant-based products that tick all the boxes.”