Dairy Dialog podcast 81: Synergy Flavours, Bunge Loders Croklaan, Somerdale International

We chatted with Lorraine Kelly, category manager at Synergy Flavours; Stephen Jones, managing director of Somerdale International; and two guests from Bunge Loders Croklaan – Renee Boerefijn, director of innovation, EMEA, and said Feike Swennenhuis, marketing director for EMEA.

Synergy Flavours launches ‘Dairy by Nature’ range in Europe and Asia

Synergy Flavours, a leading supplier of flavors, extracts and essences for the global food and beverage industry, has announced the launch of Dairy by Nature, a new portfolio of custom solutions for both traditional and plant-based products, in Europe and Asia.

Dairy by Nature combines Synergy’s all-natural flavor creation expertise with the proprietary dairy technology of its parent company, Carbery, which has more than 50 years of Irish dairy heritage. The result is a new line of authentic dairy and dairy-free flavors designed to enhance dairy indulgence and build back taste. Dairy by Nature optimizes flavor in a variety of products. It also masks undesirable off-notes in calorie-reduced and dairy-free recipes to deliver the healthier, great tasting products that consumers expect.

Dairy by Nature adds value to a wide range of applications – from fresh and cultured dairy products, to nutritional, bakery, beverage, confectionery and even savory applications. The portfolio delivers authentic taste, added functionality – such as enhanced process stability – and long-lasting mouthfeel. The solutions can be used as primary ingredients to replace or mimic dairy, or to enhance the flavor of existing dairy ingredients, such as butter, cream and cheese. They have been layered to replicate the rich, creaminess of dairy, in standard or dairy-free formulations.

Unlike typical dairy flavors that simply add a singular top note, such as caramelized butter or condensed milk, Dairy by Nature provides enhanced mouthfeel and prolonged flavor delivery instead of a short-lived burst of flavor. The range also provides the means to give consistent flavor, such as managing flavor variability in dairy ingredients and masking undesirable notes in plant-based alternatives.

Lorraine Kelly, senior category manager at Synergy Flavours, said, “Synergy Flavours’ heritage, as a leading innovator of flavours, extracts and essences, alongside our experience as a dairy producer (through Ireland’s Carbery Group) means we truly understand both the intrinsic science and the pure nature of dairy.​

“Replacing or reducing traditional dairy ingredients in a recipe, for whatever reason, can pose real challenges for manufacturers. Whether it is creating the same sensory performance as real butter in pastry, imparting improved creaminess in fat-reduced fillings, or building back cheese notes in bread, Dairy by Nature delivers superior longevity of flavour, mouthfeel and aroma, while ensuring the all-important clean label declaration.”​

Ciarán Lynch, Ph.D., R&D manager for Synergy Flavours, said, “Whether formulating plant-based products or creating great tasting dairy, the end goal is a food experience that forms an emotional connection with the consumer and encourages repeat purchase. Dairy by Nature is designed to deliver a positive organoleptic experience across taste, texture, body and mouthfeel in a wide spectrum of food applications.”​

Bunge Loders Croklaan takes industry lead in lowering 3-MCPDe levels in European food portfolio

Bunge Loders Croklaan, a supplier in specialty oils and fats for the food industry, has strengthened mitigation of 3-MCPDe in its oils portfolio ahead of expected European legislation.

“We are positioned to ensure food companies can transition smoothly into conformity with the regulations by January, 2021,”​ said David Vandermeersch, vice president of Bunge Loders Croklaan in Europe.

“We also will serve companies that, irrespective of the looming regulations, are seeking the lowest levels of 3-MCPDe (3-monochloropropanediol esters) and GE (glycidyl esters) on the market. We can tailor our full portfolio of oil offerings to meet their specific needs and clean-label aspirations.”​

New, stricter maximum limits on 3-MCPDe levels

The European Commission will place new, stricter maximum limits on 3-MCPDe levels in all vegetable and fish oils incorporated into foodstuffs, such as processed cereal-based foods for toddlers, out of concern for the health of young children, especially those aged 1-3 years.

These substances are potentially harmful and occur when vegetable oils are exposed to high temperatures in the refining process. New legal limits for vegetable oils in the above described product categories will be 750µg/kg for 3-MCPDe. The new 3-MCPDe legislation is expected to become effective January, 2021.

Other categories of the new regulations set maximum 3-MCPDe limits for products intended for general consumers to 1,250µg/kg for named, non-virgin oils and to 2,500µg/kg for all other oils, including palm, shea, and fish oil. These new 3-MCPDe limits are complementary to existing GE levels that were already in place since 2018.

Bunge Loders Croklaan’s consistent mitigation efforts

Bunge Loders Croklaan has made new processing advances and has taken expansive steps throughout its integrated supply chain that allow it to offer a full range of solutions at levels even below the newly delineated standards for 3-MCPDe and GE. Bunge Loders Croklaan has offered a fully mitigated oils and fats portfolio in Europe since 2017.

“We work with a select group of mills before the raw materials are transferred to our European refineries, where the oil undergoes a gentle, low-heat refining process,”​ said Renee Boerefijn, director of innovation for Bunge Loders Croklaan EMEA.

“We take advantage of having the industry’s most globally integrated supply chain and can adapt and improve our supply of oils and fats all the way to the point of origin. Combined with our state-of-the art facilities and monitoring techniques, we ensure our products meet the latest food safety and quality standards.”​

Over the last five years, the company has been heavily investing in hardware and software capabilities in its facilities to achieve record low levels of the substances. By 2016,​ Bunge Loders Croklaan was at the forefront in low 3-MCPDe and GE levels for the infant food category.

The company also developed an analytical technique, measuring contaminants in near real-time that is in the process of becoming an industry standard (ISO/NEN).

The newly tightened food safety regulations will largely impact food companies operating in the bakery, confectionery, and infant food and formula sectors. Manufacturers will need to realign the fat formulation of their products to meet the new standards before January 2021 deadlines.

“Food manufacturers need to be better informed ahead of time of the implications that the pending changes in legislation will have in their businesses,”​ said Feike Swennenhuis, marketing director for EMEA.

New ‘Westminster’ brand of cheese launches in Australia

Mayers Fine Foods, in partnership with Somerdale International, a British cheese exporter, is launching a new ‘Westminster’ brand of English cheeses.

The range includes Westminster Mature Cheddar, Westminster Mild Cheddar, Westminster Smoked Cheddar, and Westminster Rustic Red.

The new range will be available across Australia in a 150g retail pre-pack format in cases of 10.

Somerdale International exports British cheeses to Australia and 50 countries across the globe.   

Somerdale has been supplying British cheese to the Australian retail and foodservice sectors for more than 15 years.