New single-serve yogurt glass jars available for national distribution

Verallia North America, Muncie, Ind., recently announced the introduction of a new line of 4- and 6-oz capacity single-serve yogurt glass jars for national distribution. The yogurt containers extend the company’s existing family of dairy glass packaging products and incorporate a proprietary sealing primer that enables commercial yogurt producers to use traditional foil heat seal lids and induction heat sealing equipment to meet current Food and Drug Administration requirements for proper packaging closure.

The new packaging is an eco-conscious alternative to standard plastic containers. Moreover, it has the potential to impact the way the industry develops, packages and markets yogurt because the new glass containers may change consumer perception of this fast-growing food category.

According to industry analysts with Euromonitor International, the U.S. spoonable yogurt market is expected to grow 15% by 2016, to $8.3 billion from $7.2 billion.

Glass is ideal for yogurt producers that want to differentiate their products in a competitive market through original packaging design, increase margins by introducing new premium products, appeal to environmentally conscious consumers and respond to growing market trends for products that are holistically natural, organic and healthy.

“Yogurt is a booming food category, especially premium spoonable varieties such as Greek, pro/prebiotic and dessert yogurts,” said Phil McPherson, senior vice-president and general manager, food, beverages and spirits sector for the company. “Whether our customers opt for our stock glass containers or they want a custom solution, Verallia North America is committed to addressing their specific packaging design and production needs.” Visit: www.us.verallia.com/yogurt

Sensient Colors expands aluminum-free options

In response to the ongoing trend toward natural ingredients, Sensient Colors L.L.C., St. Louis, has enhanced its Microfine technology and expanded its natural alternatives to replace synthetic colors for dry and fat-based food applications. Developed as a natural replacement for synthetic dyes and aluminum lakes, Microfine powders are an evolution in natural colors for applications, including dry mix beverages, compressed sweets and confectioneries, and powdered food applications.

The company continues to advance its natural color spectrum and recently expanded the range to include shades from lemon yellow to burnt orange, as well as vegetable juices that provide purple to blue shades. It also developed a unique green olive shade suitable for plating on dry blends and dispersing in fat-based systems.

The Microfine line has expanded to include oil-based dispersions that act as a vehicle to deliver color in fat-based systems. These are a natural color solution to prevent clumping and aid in color incorporation to increase productivity and accuracy. The powders and dispersions both deliver a bright, intense shade combined with enhanced stability features for natural color solutions. Visit: www.sensientfoodcolors.com

Wixon hires industrial ingredients and consumer products director

Jeanne Meeder recently joined St. Francis, Wis.-based Wixon as industrial ingredients and consumer products director. In this newly-created position, Ms. Meeder joins the company’s research and development team and will manage employees in its industrial ingredients and consumer products laboratories. She will be responsible for new product development, product reformation and product optimization. Visit: www.wixon.com

P.L. Thomas partners with Nutrafur

Morristown, N.J.-based P.L. Thomas & Co., Inc. recently announced a strategic alliance with Nutrafur S.A., Alcantarilla, Spain, to bring Mediterranean-origin botanical extracts to the United States.

“UNESCO has recognized the Mediterranean diet as integral to the region’s cultural heritage,” said Paul Flowerman, president of P.L. Thomas. “Nutrafur brings fresh and well-researched solutions as to how to best share the benefits of this heritage with American consumers.”

Nutrafur’s legacy product lines are olive and citrus extracts and a developed range of standardized extracts of European botanicals, ideal for foods, beverages and supplements.  Visit: www.plthomas.com

Flavorchem opens new liquid production plant

Flavorchem Corp. recently dedicated its new $8.5 million, 44,000-square-foot liquid production plant in Downers Grove, Ill. With the addition, the company now has a larger, more dedicated space for its quality control and regulatory departments, as well as a better equipped training facility for employees. Visit: www.flavorchem.com

New study links daily multivitamin use to reduced cancer risk

Parsippany, N.J.-based DSM Nutritional Products welcomed the results of a study to show that a daily intake of a combination of vitamins and minerals may help prevent cancer in men, with an 8% reduction in overall cancer rates. The research, published in an on-line edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association, highlights the importance of vitamins and minerals in supporting health and wellbeing and could impact health care provisions globally.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial involved 14,600 male physicians over a median follow-up period of 11.2 years and is one of the largest and longest studies ever to take place into the links between multivitamin intake and cancer risk.

The trial, conducted by a group of scientists from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, found that the reduction in risk varied depending on the type of cancer, although the relatively small number of individual cancer types means the results are not statistically significant. When prostate cancer was excluded from the analysis, the overall reduction in all other cancers was 12%. Visit: www.dsm.com

New pasteurization system provides green technology for food industry

As an alternative to noxious gases or carbon producing thermal techniques, Millis, Mass.-based Radio Frequency Co.’s new Macrowave Pasteurization System uses a high frequency electric field proven to control pathogens. Using electrical energy from the grid, the material being treated is conveyed through a high frequency electrode array where the alternating electrical energy causes the material to heat rapidly and uniformly throughout the product thickness. This type of direct heating is efficient, in that no energy is wasted heating large volumes of air or preheating the system itself. Additionally, it is “instant-on, instant-off” and uses energy only during the treatment process.

The company’s line of pasteurization systems operates at 40MHz where the depth of penetration and uniformity of heating are optimized, ensuring effective microbe kill and avoiding the deleterious effects on product quality from prolonged exposure to high temperatures. The systems are available in conveyor or batch configurations. Visit: www.radiofrequency.com

New salt reduction ingredient launches globally

Tate & Lyle, London, recently launched a new salt reduction ingredient, SODA-LO Salt Microspheres, that allows food manufacturers to reduce salt levels by 25% to 50% in various applications without sacrificing taste. The product was created using technology that turns standard salt crystals into free-flowing crystalline microspheres. These smaller, lower-density crystals efficiently deliver salty taste by maximizing surface area relative to volume.

SODA-LO Salt Microspheres have been tested and shown to work well in a variety of foods, including baked goods, breadings and coatings, and salty snacks. Visit: www.tateandlyle.com

Kalsec adds new heat sensation to line of pepper extracts

Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Kalsec has increased its portfolio of peppers with the addition of a Szechuan pepper extract. Szechuan peppers have a citrus and herbal aroma, as well as a flavor that is different from black, white or chili peppers. Visit: www.kalsec.com