Emerging ingredients – considerations for use in products

For the food and drink industry to remain innovative and competitive it is essential to be aware of emerging ingredients to allow market differentiation. In addition there is also a need to identify new solutions for delivering nutritious products that meet dietary needs or to reformulate to remove allergens (e.g. dairy or gluten free). However, as new ingredients emerge into the market, or enter from other sectors such as Asia and the US or from different product applications, there is a need for clear information on if and how they can be used in specific products. This project will address the industry need for anticipating and responding to regulatory and technical changes such as approval of new ingredients or approval for existing ingredients to be used in new categories. The overarching aim of this new project is to provide members with information on a wide range of ingredients emerging worldwide and provide information on their potential use. The project will consist of a mixture of desk–based work, analytical testing and practical trials (bench–scale development and small scale feasibility trials) to evaluate how ingredients perform within a range of systems.