In food manufacturing, the right texture, balanced flavour and perfect stability are crucial.
Functional ‘blends’ enhance these properties, tailoring food products to specific needs such as texture, flavour, nutritional content and stability.
Some of the key aspects of functional blends include:
Texture and stability Functional blends are developed to improve the texture and stability of food products. For example, they can help achieve the right consistency in sauces, stabilise fat-water emulsion, prevent phase separation in dairy alternatives and achieve the desired texture in meat analogues.
Flavour enhancement Although specifically designed to create the desired texture, they also play a crucial role in flavour release.
Nutritional content Functional blends can be used to fortify foods with essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and proteins, making them more nutritious.
Production efficiency Using functional blends can streamline the production process by reducing the need for individual ingredient tests and ensuring consistent quality across batches.
Versatility Functional blends are versatile and can be used in a wide range of food applications, including bakery products, dairy alternatives, meat products, beverages and confectionery.
By leveraging the expertise in ingredient functionality, manufacturers can develop high-quality food products that meet consumer expectations and align with market trends, while simplifying production processes.
Solutions, not ‘just blends’
Crafted by Faravelli, a global distributor of raw materials, FARA® Customized Functional Solutions is the company’s proprietary brand designed to meet the exacting demands of R&D professionals. Since the early 2000s, FARA has offered the food industry with bespoke R&D support and customised solutions enabling the development of targeted products across a variety of food applications.
The company’s commitment to quality and innovation ensures that FARA solutions are not simply blends but comprehensive, tailor-made solutions designed to address a wide range of functional needs.
FARA solutions represent a broader, more holistic approach to addressing functional needs in product development, integrating scientific expertise and market trends to deliver results that are both innovative and practical.
Adaptability to industry needs
FARA Customized Functional Solutions offer unparalleled flexibility to meet diverse formulation requirements. Whether used as part of a ready-to-market concept or as a starting point for further product development, these solutions provide manufacturers with the tools to select ingredients, formats and ensure regulatory compliance.
With the support of Faravelli’s dedicated R&D team, manufacturers can innovate confidently knowing that FARA solutions will align with industry demands and consumer needs.
FARA solutions can be applied in the development of products such as:
- Jams, marmalades and fruit preparations (including for yogurts)
- Spreadable cheeses and creams
- Mayonnaise and sauces
- Gummy candies and gelées (with and without sugar)
- Ice cream toppings and variegates
- Stabilisers for beverages, emulsions and proteins
- Nutraceutical formulations addressing specific wellness areas such as cognitive and psychophysical wellbeing, sleep, relaxation, gut health, pain relief, immune support, beauty from within and cardiovascular health
Plant-based applications
The expanding plant-based market offers both significant opportunities and unique challenges for manufacturers aiming to replicate the texture, stability and sensory attributes of traditional dairy and meat products. FARA Customized Functional Solutions are essential in addressing these challenges, as they enhance the structure, emulsification and overall quality of plant-based foods.
As the plant-based market continues to grow, manufacturers are tasked with creating products that satisfy consumer expectations for taste, texture and nutritional benefits. FARA Customized Functional Solutions rise to meet these challenges by offering innovative blends that mimic the attributes of traditional foods while maintaining the appeal of plant-based alternatives.
Continuous advancements in functional ingredient science offer new possibilities for creating plant-based foods with superior sensory and functional properties. This involves selecting ingredients that are not only effective but also perceived as natural and minimally processed by consumers, ensuring the integrity of the plant-based promise.
Enhancing plant-based dairy alternatives In plant-based dairy alternatives, specific hydrocolloid blends contribute to creaminess and stability, preventing phase separation and ensuring a smooth, consistent texture. These functional solutions replicate the mouthfeel of traditional dairy, providing a satisfying experience for consumers who want to enjoy the benefits of plant-based products without compromising on quality.
Improving meat analogues For meat analogues, functional blends incorporating vegetable fibres, native starches and protein texturisers are vital. These ingredients help achieve the desired juiciness and bite, creating a mouthfeel similar to traditional meat while potentially reducing fat content. Ingredients like soy protein, pea protein replicate the texture and nutritional profile of meat.
Optimising sauces and dressings The right combination of gums and emulsifiers ensures optimal viscosity and prevents syneresis (the separation of liquid from a gel). These blends enhance the consistency and stability of sauces and dressings, elevating the overall product quality and ensuring that consumers enjoy the perfect texture in every serving.
Advancing plant-based cheese formulations In plant-based cheese formulations, carefully selected hydrocolloids and fibres can improve firmness, elasticity, meltability and texture, creating an alternative that delivers the sensory qualities of dairy cheese while meeting plant-based requirements.
Supporting product development for consumer needs
By focusing on adaptability and scientific validation, Customized Functional Solutions contribute to the advancement of a recipe’s development, supporting the formulation of products that align with consumer preferences and needs.
FARA Customized Functional Solutions serve as the keystone that unites ingredients and additives with industrial processes, transforming innovative ideas into feasible and cost-effective realities.
Supported by Faravelli’s R&D team, manufacturers gain the flexibility to create innovative, high-quality products that not only meet but exceed consumer expectations and industry standards.
The collaboration between Faravelli and manufacturers ensures that FARA Customized Functional Solutions are more than just ingredients – they are the opportunity for creating products that resonate with today’s discerning consumers.
Find out more about optimising customisable solutions for formulation needs.
