Convenience, cost and clean label key for Middle East success - Ingredion

10-Oct-2019 - Last updated on 10-Oct-2019 at 08:35 GMT

Ingredion says convenience, cost and clean label key for Middle East success ©Ingredion

Consumers in Middle East are increasingly more willing to try out new trends, but demands for convenience at an affordable price can pose a challenge for manufacturers.

According to data from Euromonitor International, the Middle East and North African food and beverage sector is predicted to achieve 7.4% annual growth over the next three years.

Esen Kural, the business development manager at Ingredion Middle East, said keeping up with the pace of change could be a challenge.

These include “the increasing demand for convenience products that fit into the needs of a busy lifestyle away from the home, to the challenges facing more indulgent categories such as dairy, where ingredients like fat, protein and milk can be subject to fluctuating price and supply.”

“For example, with products like processed and analogue cheese, manufacturers often look to replace expensive ingredients such as protein, while being careful not to affect the eating experience,” he said.

“This is particularly the case in emerging markets where affordability is key for consumers and producers alike.”

Texturiser to replace protein

The company recently launched several texturisers, and starches in the Europe, Middle East and Africa market (EMEA), to offer wider functionality.

Among those were the CheeseApp 50, 70 and 80, which are modified potato starches and more widely known as cheese alternatives.

Kural said CheeseApp can replace protein, “and produce a high-quality product with appealing texture at a lower cost.”

“The starches can also help to facilitate cost-effective gelling and melting properties at different protein levels,” he added.

They also enable food manufacturers to include vegan and vegetarian cheeses, to tap into new and growing consumer trends.

Clean label texturiser

Meanwhile Ingredion’s latest clean label innovation, Novation Lumina, is a texturising starch for use in pale-coloured or delicately flavoured applications, produced using the company’s proprietary technology.

It can be labelled as ‘corn starch’, are non-GM and gluten-free, and designed to perform across the full range of processing conditions.

Kural explained that its neutral profiles allow flavours and colours to be delivered with more intensity.

Ingredion will be exhibiting at Gulfood Manufacturing from October, 29 to 31.