Yorkshire putting in for functional ingredients initiative
Andrew Ulrik wouldn’t specify what the ingredient would be other than to say it would be derived from the agricultural sources that have defined the company’s clean-label offerings.
“There is an ever-increasing interest in functional foods and healthy eating and we think it is a good fit for us to move in that direction,” co-founder and director, Ulrik told NutraIngredients.com.
“We have helped food manufacturers make their products healthier by removing the likes of E-numbers with clean-label ingredients and now we are going to deliver healthy ingredients in conjunction with our new partners in this project.”
Partners in the Appetizing Innovation project that has been coordinated by government-backed Yorkshire Forward, include the Regional Food Group, Food Processing Faraday Partnership as well as the Leeds Metropolitan and Sheffield Hallam Universities.
“Appetizing Innovation, is conducting a full review, for Ulrick & Short, of the health claims for a plant, which is a traditional replacement for sugar and fat in foods, compared to plant extracts with comparable properties. This review will include a chemical analysis and a detailed explanation of the results,” the company said in a statement.
Ulrick & Short expects 10-15 percent of its annual turnover will come from such sources by 2015.
Ulrik added that there had been “a natural progression towards the consumption of foods targeted at specific bodily functions and this will become part of everyday life - we have already seen the impact of omega oils in foods. Our expertise in the bakery, dairy and breakfast cereal industry is a great platform for our new clean label functional ingredients."
Ulrick & Short is dedicated to providing full technical support for all its ingredients and will be taking the same committed approach with its new range of clean label functional foods.
Its existing clean-label offerings include binders, emulsifiers, bakery glazes, fat replacers and phosphate alternatives, allowing food processors to remove chemicals, additives and allergens without compromising quality, taste or texture.
