Healthy eating is driving the rise in better-for-you food formulations, but taste and texture remain indispensable in keeping consumers engaged, according to global ingredients powerhouse Ingredion.
The company was out in full force at IFT FIRST in mid-July, demonstrating its broad portfolio of ingredient solutions and promoting its new AI-powered formulation decision-support tool, Ask Ingredion.
From “crispier fries” to “creamier yogurts,” texture is laying the groundwork for CPG success across the food manufacturing landscape, said Patrick Kalotis, executive vice president of Textures and Healthful Solutions at Ingredion.
Texture on display
Ingredion highlighted a range of product prototypes that illustrated its work reducing sugar and increasing protein and fiber without sacrificing texture and flavor.
Those included reduced- or zero-sugar products such as a citrus fig drink, black garlic apricot barbecue sauce, mango passion yogurt and fruit smoothie, among others.
The company describes texture perception as a dynamic and multi-dimensional experience that unfolds and shapes consumers’ sense of quality, satisfaction and value. That’s why texture cannot be an afterthought for CPG companies, according to Joseph Lake, vice president of Product Development and Food Design at Ingredion.
“Texture is not easy to achieve,” Lake said during a presentation on texture at IFT FIRST. “We would argue that it has to be designed early on. It needs to be there right at the beginning. It’s not so easy to add it at a secondary phase.”
The language of texture
Because many consumers prioritize aroma and taste, articulating specific texture preferences can be challenging for them, according to Curtis Luckett, director of Global Sensory at Ingredion.
This language barrier issue, which Luckett describes as a “tip of the tongue problem,” makes it harder for developers to understand what consumers want.
Scent is easier to break down because flavors can be more easily identified as fruity and then reduced further to citrus and even further to orange, for instance, Luckett said.
“Words like chewiness or creaminess have none of that hierarchical language structure,” in describing texture, Luckett said. “So it’s all coming from every different direction, and they’re almost independent of each other.”
This presents a deeper question of how these multiple textures and sensations affect one another, he said, adding that some foods, like chocolate, can elicit different textures and flavors over time.
“It starts out hard, crunchy and then transitions into a smooth, silky food, so you get this dynamic across time and texture-contrast, even though the actual food itself basically looks like a block of chocolate,” he said.
Formulation trends
Consumer preference is driving the better-for-you trend, but reduction in sugar not only impacts taste but also the product’s structure, according to Kalotis, who explained that lowering or removing sugar can change texture at a molecular level, and although small, consumers can tell the difference.
That can cause a drink to become a little thinner or a food to lose the mouthfeel that consumers have come to expect, he said.
Protein-fortified products can introduce a gritty or chalky texture to foods, so CPG companies are working to reduce those sensations, Kalotis said.
Irrespective of texture or mouthfeel, many companies are looking to reduce the number of ingredients in their products to meet consumer demand, he said.
“They’re looking to remove some of the artificial ingredients and replace them with more natural and healthier options,” Kalotis said.
Ask Ingredion
Ingredion is working to keep CPG companies ahead of the curve with the launch of its AI tool, Ask Ingredion.
The new tool guides CPG companies through various levels of formulation decision-making, which helps research and development teams “identify, compare and select the best ingredient solutions through guided, conversational inputs,” Ingredion said in July.
“Instead of static searches, it helps clarify needs, refine inputs and quickly surface the most relevant options, making it easy to compare solutions and move toward a decision,” the company said. “By bringing together Ingredion’s technical expertise, product data, and application insights in one place, it turns questions into clear, actionable direction faster.”
The AI tool uses Ingredion’s proprietary ingredient information to provide everything from product development intelligence to quick answers to formulation questions, said Leaslie Carr, senior director of Texture and Healthful Solutions, Customer Innovation, at Ingredion.
AI queries draw from thousands of hours of research that Ingredion owns, according to Jay Krish, vice president of IT/Digital Technology Solutions at Ingredion.
“We are able to use that knowledge and also our technologists’ knowledge and the food scientists’ knowledge to bring it into the platform to enrich that for what the customer is looking for,” he said.
