Food companies are looking for alternatives for modified starches, gums, chemical stabilizers and emulsifiers to create natural food products with cleaner labels. In the limelight is Citri-Fi®, a non-GMO citrus fiber that improves food quality and nutrition naturally using its unique holistic composition.
RIVER FALLS, WIS. (PRWEB) DECEMBER 05, 2017
Fiberstar, Inc. offers natural, plant-based fiber product lines to improve quality, texture and health within food products. The push to clean up food label declarations escalated over the past few years. The focus was initially on artificial flavors and colors, however, today, various food ingredients are in question such as starches, gums, chemical emulsifiers and stabilizers. Food companies are quickly reformulating or creating new products using natural ingredients to improve food labeling. The challenge is that foods containing natural ingredients are not as tolerant to food processing conditions, as a result leaving the developers scrambling for alternatives.
“We recognize the growing need for natural, highly functional food ingredients and remain dedicated to providing the global marketplace alternatives to chemical or synthetic ingredients used in food,” says John Haen, CEO & President of Fiberstar, Inc. “We are excited to offer Citri-Fi®, a natural citrus fiber used to improve quality, texture and labeling in foods. No chemicals, alcohols or other processing aides are used in the production of Citri-Fi which differentiates our products from others.”
Citri-Fi, a natural citrus fiber derived from the citrus juicing industry is unique due to its patented, clean process. The process opens up the fiber to create high surface area which lends itself to high water holding capacity and emulsification properties which are key to developing high quality foods. Due to its insoluble and soluble fiber composition, this fiber contains about 40% native pectin which can be activated to produce gelling properties. This unique holistic composition creating multiple functionalities sets Citri-Fi apart from other fibers in the marketplace.
This natural citrus fiber is non-GMO, non-allergenic and gluten-free. Citri-Fi also qualifies under the new FDA dietary fiber guidelines, therefore, it contributes fiber. Citri-Fi can be labeled as citrus fiber, citrus flour or dried citrus fiber or pulp which all resonate well in the natural food markets.
Some of the Citri-Fi’s flagship clean label technologies are in the top food categories including:
Meats & Poultry: Citri-Fi in combination with native starches, like rice starch, can replace 100% phosphate while still maintaining improved yield and juicy texture in injected poultry products. Citri-Fi can be labeled as citrus flour which is preferred amongst natural meat & poultry processors. Other natural ingredients tend to plug up injection nozzles, produce average yield results and/or create unsavory gel pockets or soggy texture.
Dressing & Sauces: Due to Citri-Fi’s tomato-like fiber structure, this natural citrus fiber is ideal to improve quality and/or cost savings in tomato-like products such as sauces, condiments and spreads. When sheared, Citri-Fi produces viscosity which can reduce tomato solids usage in addition to maintaining red tomato color and flavor. And due to the high surface area, this fiber minimizes syneresis. Other ingredients like starches and gums tend to create unnatural slimy textures, lighten the color and produce off-flavors. In oil-based dressings, Citri-Fi provides natural emulsification properties to tightly bind oil and water.
Dairy Products: Citri-Fi can replace chemical stabilizers in frozen dairy products to minimize ice crystal formation and improve smooth mouthfeel. In other dairy products like yogurts and smoothies, this natural fiber can be used to minimize syneresis and create a great mouthfeel while improving the label declaration especially in fruit-based versions.
Plating for Liquid Products: Citri-Fi can be used to turn liquid flavor oils into powders which then can be easily incorporated into food products. Due to the high surface area, Citri-Fi can hold up to 25-30% oil and still be free flowing. This natural functional carrier can be used to deliver flavor oil in beverages or antioxidants like rosemary into meat products to improve shelf-life. Other plating agents are chemical-based, require a costly spray drying process or have limited functionality in the final product. Citri-Fi not only serves as a natural carrier, but also, this natural fiber provides stabilization and improved texture and mouthfeel in food products like beverages.
“The Company has entered in an exciting time. Our global technical service teams are dedicated to supporting our customers during their quest to clean up labels and/or improve texture and quality. R&D continues to pioneer new products from citrus byproduct and find new application uses,” concludes Mr. Haen. “We are positioned to grow with the increasing demand for more natural foods and look forward to expanding our global customer base.”
Fiberstar, Inc. http://www.FiberstarIngredients.com is a privately held innovative biotechnology Company focused on enhancing food performance by manufacturing and marketing value-added food ingredients. Its largest brand, Citri-Fi is an all-natural highly functional fiber produced sustainably from citrus fiber using a patented process. Citri-Fi is GRAS, non-allergenic, neutral in taste & odor and non-GMO. This functional fiber line benefits meat, dairy, bakery, gluten-free, sauce, condiments, frozen food, beverage and health & wellness food products through textural improvements, nutritional enhancements and/or cost savings. Headquartered in River Falls, Wisconsin with manufacturing in Florida and Wisconsin, Fiberstar sells products globally in over 65 countries.
