Univar celebrates new innovations in Food Ingredients
- Categories: Univar Europe News, Products, Industry, Exhibitions, Customers news, Corporate
- 17 November 2009
Exciting new products to be showcased during the Food Ingredients Europe 2009 exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, stand 8Q22
Frankfurt, Germany, 17th November 2009 – Today at Food Ingredients Europe (FIE) 2009, Univar, a leading global company specialising in the sales, marketing, application and safe, efficient handling of a wide range of chemicals and ingredients, will present several new innovations for the food industry.
In today's rapidly changing world of food production, Univar strives to provide customers with the competitive edge they are looking for. For more than 30 years, Univar has been continuously expanding its range of products, supported by an excellent distribution network to guarantee security of supply on a reliable, just-in-time basis. The company now offers over 2,000 high quality ingredients covering all aspects of food, from appeal to texture, from taste to storage. Thanks to Univar’s expert technical team, the company can support customers and suppliers with application development – providing a one-stop-shop and a tailored solution to each individual need. The following are some examples of Univar’s latest developments in Food Ingredients, which will be showcased at FIE:
Following the health trend with Fonterra
Consumers nowadays are more conscious about having a healthy lifestyle and increasingly use products that will help increase their energy levels and fitness. The range of products available in the market continuously evolves and becomes more comprehensive. Univar has a broad range of options and provides basic products such as acidulants, fibres, sugars and derivatives, vitamins, minerals and hydrocolloids as well as more complex products such as dairy proteins (e.g. whey protein isolates, functional milk protein concentrates) for bars and beverages. For those more complex products, Univar cooperates with Fonterra, a global supplier of dairy ingredients. Several concept samples, using dairy ingredients from Fonterra’s ClearProtein™ and PowerProtein™ range, will be on display on Univar’s stand at FIE, such as recovery sports beverages, satiety water and sport nutrition bars. All these products offer added protein to deliver superior nutritional benefits as well as great taste and texture for active consumers.
Combating Acrylamide with Novozymes Acrylaway
One of the main challenges in the food ingredients industry nowadays is the regulatory environment and Univar has extensive expertise to help customers deal with the many challenges. A good example of Univar’s work in this area is the cooperation with Novozymes on Acrylaway, an enzyme that can reduce the content of the chemical acrylamide in food. Acrylamide is a chemical which is formed from sugar and asparagine in some foods during high-temperature cooking processes, such as frying, roasting, and baking. In 2002, scientists at the Swedish Food Administration detected high levels of it in high-carbohydrate foods and linked it to cancer in lab rats.
Several governments in Europe and North America are currently looking into the potential health risks of acrylamide. The European Chemicals Agency recently proposed adding acrylamide to its list of chemicals in widespread use to be reviewed for safety. In August, federal health officials in Canada added acrylamide to its own list in order to possibly regulate its use, and in the USA, the FDA, in anticipation of emerging research at its laboratory at the National Center for Toxicological Research, announced it may issue industry guidelines on how to reduce acrylamide levels in food.
Univar promotes the product Acrylaway, developed by Novozymes, a leading biotech company. Acrylaway can reduce the amount of asparagines in food, which in turn reduces the level of acrylamide present in foodstuff.
At Univar’s stand (8Q22), visitors to FIE will have the opportunity to try a range of concept samples developed by Univar’s own food technologists
- Beverages such as the SunLite, Red Beat and Blue Moon drinks with interesting flavour profiles (made with Stevia, whey protein isolates and a natural, non-gum arabic emulsifier)
- Recovery sport beverages, satiety water and sport nutrition bars including a new range of dairy proteins
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….and other interesting concept samples
Operating from 56 distribution locations in 20 countries across Europe, Univar’s 2,400 local employees serve more than 50,000 European customers in a diverse range of industries including coatings, food, personal care, pharma and other major sectors.
To learn more about Univar Europe, please visit: http://www.univareurope.com/
About Univar
Univar is one of the world’s leading independent distributors of industrial and specialty chemicals and related services. Univar provides its customer base, made up of 250,000 customers, with a full portfolio of products. Univar operates a network of approximately 170 distribution centres throughout North America, Europe and China. In 2008, Univar reported sales of $9.4 billion. For more information, visit: http://www.univareurope.com/ / http://www.univarcorp.com/.
For further information please contact:
Catherine LENNON
Communications Manager Europe – Univar Europe
Tel: +32 2 525 05 63
Mobile: +32 478 251 588
E-mail: Catherine.lennon@univareurope.com
Eva BÖCKLE
HILL & KNOWLTON
Tel: +32 2 737 95 00
Mobile: +32 478 52 35 16
E-mail: eboeckle@hillandknowlton.com