2020 Clean Label Conference

Originally Published: September 11, 2020
Last Updated: June 7, 2021
2020 CLEAN LABEL CONFERENCE-HEADER

The in-person 2020 Clean Label Conference was cancelled due to Covid-19. However, Global Food Forums provided registered attendees access to video recordings of speaker presentations. Most PowerPoint presentations as well as the 2020 Sweetener Systems Post-Conference Magazine (to be published fall of 2020) will be publicly available. The tagline of this annual event is “Sophisticated Solutions for Simplified Products.”

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GENERAL SESSION SPEAKERS

  • Clean Label: Shifting Consumer Perceptions and Evolving Innovation

Speaker: Lynn Dornblaser, Director of Innovation & Insight, Mintel

We’ve been talking about “clean label” for over five years, and not surprisingly, the trend has evolved. This presentation will examine how the concept of “clean label” has shifted in recent years as it has moved from niche to mainstream and from vilified ingredients to a celebration of goodness. Globally, new product types and categories have risen as well. Paradoxically, some foods and beverages that consumers perceive as “clean” are more complex than any of their alternatives, illustrating how contradictory consumers can be. Learn how to navigate this complicated landscape, answering consumers’ needs for all things clean.

  • Successes and Challenges of Clean Label in Food and Beverage: An Industry Perspective

Speaker:  Philippe Rousset, Ph.D., White Coffee and Creamers Technology Lead, Global Clean Label Strategic Network Leader, Nestlé Product Technology Center Beverage

Clean label products are a trend that show no sign of fading. Consumers require increased transparency in what they buy, which is a very reasonable demand. As the food industry responds, the complexity of the challenge appears, especially when the entire food portfolio is considered. First, consumers are not uniform in what they want: cleaner labels might not be systematically their primary demand. Secondly, clean label implementation must not come at the expense of changed sensory profiles in existing products. Additionally, any changes must be true to the product and the brand. Generally, success is easier for innovation, with clean-by-design new product than for product reformulations. This presentation will explore these different aspects, looking at recent challenges and successes.

  • Clean Labels – Don’t Forget Your Chemical Hazards

Speaker: Grace Bandong, MSc, Global Scientific Strategy Leader, Contaminants,  Eurofins Food Integrity and Innovations

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law on January 4, 2011. Simply stated, it enables the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to better protect public health by focusing on preventing food safety problems. FSMA identifies and calls out chemical contaminants including heavy metals, pesticides and drug residues and unapproved food and color additives. As the food industry strives to ensure its products meet all of consumers’ expectations, such chemical contaminants should not be overlooked. This presentation explores the vulnerability of products/ingredients to contaminants and presents a risk- based process for identifying potential hazards. It includes a review of current regulations around pesticides, heavy metals and other contaminants in food.

  • Dietary Fibers, Cleaner Formulations & the New Nutrition Facts Labels

Speaker: David Plank, Ph.D., Managing Principal, WRSS Food & Nutrition Insights / Sr. Research Fellow, Dept. of Food Science & , University of Minnesota [Presentation not recorded.]

With changes to the Nutrition Facts panel, the dietary fiber category has been impacted more than most. Additionally, their nutritional benefits have generated increased interest among consumers and their clean label functional properties have increased interest among formulators. Dietary fibers have become trendy ingredients to watch. This presentation will provide insights into an expected FDA update on what components constitute a dietary fiber and discuss some of their properties and applications. It will also touch on “whole food components” used for their dietary fiber content and ability to positively alter the texture of finished products.

  • Rethinking Formulation Approaches for Simplified Ingredient Statement and Cleaner Labels

Speaker: Webb Girard, MSc, Director of Technology, CuliNex, LLC

Consumers want to understand and be comfortable with the ingredients used in the formulated products they purchase. This has led to increased interest in whole food ingredients. This presentation will review approaches and alternatives for the reformulation of traditional processed foods into clean label products. A key focus will be on using whole foods or naturally derived solutions while considering processing implications. The concepts presented can be translated for use across a range of applications, speeding reformulation and new product development efforts.

  • Hydrocolloids: Clean Label Tools for Plant-Based Formulating

Speaker: Nesha Zalesny, MBA, Technical Consultant, IMR International

Replacing traditional protein sources with plant-based proteins often results in a variety of problems such as lack of mouthfeel and body to off-flavors. Hydrocolloids can play a large role in solving these issues. Current plant based milk, yogurt, ice cream and meat ingredient declarations reveal which hydrocolloids are being used to solve common issues. We’ll take a look at ingredient declarations, talk about the functionality of the hydrocolloid in the system, and discuss possible formulation improvements and troubleshooting approaches.

  • Traceability & Transparency: Steps to Meet Consumer Expectations for a Clean label Product [Note Recorded]

Speaker: Mark Haas, CEO The Helmsman Group

With one-third of all food and beverage sales positioned as “Clean” –  Clean-Label is here to stay.  However, surveys show that nearly 60% of consumers do not fully understand Clean-Label.  So, what is Clean?  Consumers and marketers alike define clean to be: short and simple ingredient statements, natural ingredients, Whole Foods compliance, no heavy metals, no pesticide residues, no plasticizers (BPA -Free), non-GMO, nutritional superiority, where it’s made, where it comes from, socially responsible, sustainability, carbon footprint, etc.  With so many perspectives for the definition of Clean – how do you innovate and deliver a Clean product that meets the need-state and expectations of consumers while maintaining profitability?  In this session we will explore these definitions and how to take advantage of Block-Chain technology to provide the supply chain transparency that consumers and customers alike are expecting.

  • Hurdle Technology: Multifactorial Food Preservation for High Quality Foods

Speaker: Jairus R. David, Ph.D., Principal Consultant, JRD Food Technology Consulting, LLC

Consumers’ desire for safe yet less processed and more natural-appearing foods is a key component of clean labels. While ingredient technological advances assist in this goal, physical technologies (thermal and non-thermal) and packaging innovations must be utilized as well. The “hurdle” concept in food preservation uses ingredient, processing, packaging and other barriers to inhibit microbial growth. Multifactorial preservation systems provide opportunities for effective preservation with maximum benefit to total product quality. This presentation offers a new, more intuitive framework, the “Legan & David Pole Vault Model,” that builds on past hurdle concepts. It takes an inside look at six foods and beverages in the marketplace that use a sophisticated selection of barriers to provide safe, high quality products. Product design using clean label ingredients combined with multifactorial preservation is the best way to continue satisfying the current consumer demand for minimally-processed, high-quality food. In the future we can expect modeling to play a more prominent role in optimizing the effectiveness of the factors that we already know about.

  • Innovative Clean Label Ingredient Replacement Technologies for Baked Goods

Speaker: Lin Carson, Ph.D., CEO & Founder, BAKERpedia

Clean label and natural baking are becoming a key focus for the industry. However, success relies not only on the ingredients you take out, but the ones you put in. Innovative products call for innovative ingredients. What are effective solutions available to those formulating baked goods? Sorbic acid, sourdough, alpha dextrins and natural fermentation by-products are all alternatives to replace traditional emulsifiers and preservatives. We will talk about these new ingredients, their origins, how they are made, and why they almost always effective only at higher use levels.

  • Innovations in Dairy Based Ingredients for Clean Label Solutions

Speaker: Rohit Kapoor, Ph.D., Vice President, Product Research, National Dairy Council

Thanks to milk’s unique composition, dairy ingredients manufactured from milk have been among the most multifunctional ingredients in the food industry. Dairy proteins provide properties such as whipping, emulsification and gelation. Milkfat has its own set of functional properties, such as creaming, whipping, shortening and flavor. Emerging research on lactose and lactose derivatives is leading to cutting edge solutions towards novel sweeteners and bio-preservation.  As consumers look satisfy their needs for clean label, dairy ingredients are well positioned to play a significant role.  This talk will highlight unique functionalities of various dairy ingredients and how they can help deliver towards formulation of clean label foods.  This talk will also look at future technologies that are further enabling dairy ingredients to play a larger role in clean label foods.

 

2020 TECHNOLOGY SNAPSHOT PRESENTATIONS

The Ingredient House- Nouravant™. This maple fiber is an all-natural breakthrough new to the world of ingredients! Functioning as an egg replacement and emulsifier, it is a clean label product that can be added to a variety of applications.

Botaniline – O’Brien’s Best Potato. This one ingredient substitution allows manufacturers to eliminate fillers, binders, allergens, and chemical additives resulting in a reduction in calories, saturated fats, and up to a 90% reduction in sodium in their finished processed protein products.

CP Kelco – NUTRAVA Citrus Fiber. As the clean label megatrend strengthens, for F&B manufacturers NUTRAVA™ Citrus Fiber serves as a unique solution providing both nutritional benefits and distinctive rheological properties in various applications, while meeting clean label needs.

DDW – Naturbrown® Organic Apple. A breakthrough brown ingredient manufactured from organic apple juice concentrate, Naturbrown® can be used as a simple label alternative to caramel color in most applications.

DuPont – ENOVERA. As DuPont’s newest game-changing enzyme innovation for the US industrial baking industry,ENOVERA offers exceptional strength, volume, and performance in a robust, easy-to-use solution for manufacturers looking at label-friendly formulation alternatives.

EDGE Ingredients – FiberGel 200.
 FiberGel 200 is a novel gelling whole food fiber. It enables formulators to improve texture and replace gelling hydrocolloids with a clean label alternative.

Fiberstar – Citri-Fi® Natural Citrus Fiber.
 Replace methyl cellulose in meat alternatives! Use Citri-Fi natural citrus fiber, which forms gels with other natural hydrocolloids, to create clean label vegan meats with improved nutritional profiles.

HPI – Ortiva® Rice Milk. Got Rice? Ortiva® Rice Milk is a clean label formulation alternative to dairy, soy, and almond milk.

INGREDION – Evanesse™. As a clean label emulsifying agent derived from chickpeas, Evanesse™ CB 6194, an ingredient known as aquafaba, provides emulsification for a wide range of oil levels in high moisture applications such as mayonnaise and sauces.  Labelled simply as “Chickpea Broth”, it allows for vegan positioning.

Innovopro – CP-Pro 70®
. This chickpea protein concentrate is a highly nutritional protein and easily implemented to various food and beverage products, due to its neutral taste and color, its emulsifying and other functional properties and its ability to replace artificial additives.

Jungbunzlauer – Sodium Gluconate. As an affordable and effective flavor ingredient with modifying properties, Sodium Gluconate is used to suppress the bitterness in a variety of products including, high intensity sweeteners like stevia, polyphenols, natural colors, caffeine and minerals.

Mane-Kancor – OxiKan CL. There is an increasing demand for natural antioxidants globally, but their impact on color and flavor has limited their use. Kancor’s innovative product OxiKan CL is a fully decolourised, deodourised and deflavoured natural antioxidant.

Nascent – SoPure Stevia. Reb E is a new stevia leaf extract that has less off-notes compared to Reb A. New stevia-based natural flavors may provide more mouthfeel and flavor-blocking capabilities, as well as enhance sweetness. FEMA GRAS Status

Naturex by Givaudan – Xtrablend RN. This new, natural synergistic blend offers successful oxidation management for food emulsions, including mayonnaise or salad dressings. It delivers a powerful combination of both chelating and free radical scavenging activities, with no impact on taste, and is a perfect direct replacement for EDTA.

Paragon Pure – CaptaClean®This brown rice flour-based technology is used for spray dried flavor, color and nutraceutical powders. It provides excellent encapsulation performance within the format of a clean label, gently processed traditional food. We capture delicious, naturally.

Prova – Cold Brew Coffee Extract. Made from Cold Brew Arabica Coffee concentrated with proprietary technology to a minimum of 44’ TDS, PROVA’s Cold Brew Coffee Extract may be stored at an ambient temperature for up to 12 months.

Sensient Flavors – Entice. Entice is a taste technology that provides moistness, juiciness, mouthfeel and taste to offset the dryness and off notes that come from the use of various protein sources used in making meat alternatives.

Socius Ingredients – SenseFi® Oat Fiber. As a new multifunctional ingredient offered to the clean-label food industry, it enables formulation of food products plant-based and traditional dairy products without compromising mouthfeel, texture or taste.

Socius Ingredients – GLYLOID® Tamarind Seed Gum. Used used in Japan for 50-years, it has now been recommended by the NOSB to be added to the organic exempt list (7 CFR 205.606) in the USA.

Sweet Green Fields – STEVIAROMA. As a ready-to-use, stevia based natural flavor modulator for high intensity sweeteners, STEVIAROMA improves the sugar-like taste profile by harmonizing sweetness and flavor from low to high level sugar reduction without changing the label.

Synergy Flavors – Pure® Hops Essences. Hop Essences are the latest clean-label ingredient from Synergy Pure® that adds the characteristic flavor and aroma of hop varietals to any beverage and doesn’t need to be labeled for use in beer.