Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/331880
Fo o d M a g i c D a i l y 7 S u n d a y, J u n e 2 2 , 2 0 1 4 CULINARY FARMS' NEW PASTE PROCESSING By Kirk Bewley, President, Culinary Farms Culinary Farms now has complete frozen paste processing in-house. This new capability provides greater control over our product quality and inventory, and gives us the ability to offer cus- tomers customized pastes. Culinary Farms dried tomato and dried chile pastes are made with all-natural, 100 percent product, with no preservatives or additives. The taste is pure because there is no salt, acid or other tangy/sour off-flavor. Our pastes deliver a fresher, natural flavor profile of the ingredient from which it is made. Pastes are an excellent ingredient format for bases, soups, sauces and dress- ings. By bringing paste processing in- house, we significantly enhance our abil- ity for developing new paste products from just about any ingredient, whether it is a vegetable, fruit or herb. We can cus- tom blend small batches to create signa- ture flavors, allowing R&D chefs greater freedom for development. The new paste processing comple- ments Culinary Farms other capabili- ties, including ingredient sourcing, dehydration, roasting/smoking, x-ray piece scanning, blending and custom batch packing. Culinary Farms is SQF 2000, level two certified under the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and this certification extends to our HACCP program. This certification provides independent verification that our quality management system com- plies with domestic and international food safety regulations. Our manufac- turing facility is gluten and allergen free and most of our products are kosher and halal certified. Culinary Farms provides custom toll processing services to other produc- ers. Our operations are a good fit for companies who want to outsource to a fully capable organization with focused customer service, product quality and safety. We have an extensive supply chain network of growers that can meet strict quality standards, including certi- fied organic. To sample Culinary Farms' pastes and learn more about its custom toll process- ing services, visit booth 1535. For com- plete information on Culinary Farms products and capabilities, visit www.culi- naryfarms.com, call 916-375-3000 or email kbewley@culinaryfarms.com. RAISINS: A GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO SUGAR By Dr. Jim Painter, PhD, RD, Expert in Food Psychology and Nutrition. Today's average American consumes 500 calories per day directly from added sug- ars. The good news is that there are strategies to replace sugar in foods while maintaining or even improving the nutri- ent content. Raisins are a good alterna- tive to added sugar in foods because not only do they provide the sweetness that sugar contributes, but they also supply important nutrients that are commonly missing in the American diet, such as potassium and fiber. Raisins are a concentrated source of nutrients because when grapes are dried into raisins, the water loss actually increases the nutrient content threefold. A 1.5-ounce box of raisins provides the fol- lowing percentages of the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA): six percent of fiber, seven percent potassium, six per- cent phosphorus, four percent iron and four percent magnesium, making it an incredibly nutrient-dense food. Raisins have been shown to be effective at reducing blood glucose and blood pressure levels, probably because of their high potassium con- tent. Raisins also are a good fuel source for athletes and children, since they provide a good source of fuel that has been shown to increase endurance more than glucose gels. Adding sweetness to nutrient-dense foods can increase the palatability of foods that people are less inclined to eat. For example, adding a small amount of sweetness to salad dressings or flavored milk would increase the intake of fresh greens and dairy. In recipe development, raisin paste and raisin juice have the potential to improve the nutritional content while still maintaining the same quality of flavor. Raisin paste has been used as a substitute for sugar and salt in Asian dishes and entrees. Desserts have also been devel- oped, such as the Raisin Newton that pro- vide the satisfaction of a dessert but decrease the calories and added sugars while providing beneficial nutrients. Visit Sun-Maid Growers of California at booth 1855. For more information, go to www.sunmaid.com, call 559-896-8000 or email info@sunmaid.com. ESHA ANNOUNCES UPDATES TO POPULAR GENESIS SOFTWARE By Jill Hohnstein, ESHA Research For three decades, Genesis Product Development and Labeling has been the go-to software for simplifying all facets of food product creation – every- thing from conceptualization to regula- tory compliance and nutrition or sup- plement labeling. For our 30th anniversary this year, we are pleased to announce additions to Genesis and changes in our company pricing policy. This spring and summer we will be introducing restaurant-specif- ic features to Genesis, an API for pro- grammers and flexible pricing for all of our products. The next update to Genesis (sum- mer 2014) will include menu analysis and reporting features specifically designed for restaurant labeling. The new report will simplify printed menu creation by allowing for grouping of foods, easy display of user-defined headings (gluten free, organic, vegan, etc.), and options for including allergen and ingredient statements. Easy export options will ease creation of menus and menu boards. These features will help restaurants get ready for the new restaurant labeling laws slated for finalization soon. This summer, ESHA is also introducing Genesis API, the new workflow tool for developers. This application programming interface pulls final-product data (label, barcode, analysis for recipes, etc.) from Genesis in order to allow for integration with web- sites and other systems such as inventory management, marketing, resource plan- ning and more. The API can be bundled with the Developers Toolkit, which includes all license and modules required for API integration and testing. Coming soon to ESHA is subscrip- tion pricing and added billing options. This fall, customers will be able to select how they want to purchase our soft- ware – either as a tradi- tional purchase, in which the customer will own the product out- right, or through subscription options, allowing for more purchase flexibility. This type of pricing will allow all cus- tomers – from multinational corporations to single-person businesses – to access Genesis software. As always, ESHA's experts will be on hand during the IFT expo to demon- strate these and other updates. For more information on Genesis, visit booth 3241 at IFT, call 800-659-3742 option 2, email sales@esha.com or visit www.esha.com. GROWING CRAFT SODA MARKET GIVES ADULTS A NOSTALGIC WAY TO TREAT THEMSELVES Few adults are without fond childhood memories of summertime soda pops and icy cold root beer floats. Even all grown up, it is difficult to imagine enjoying a plate of barbecue without a frosty soft drink on the side. And when hosting a group of adults, it is likely that soda is finding its way into some of your favorite summertime cocktails. Yet, despite the ubiquity of bubbly bev- erages, soft drinks are undoubtedly a guilty pleasure—something to be splurged on and perhaps regretted later. Craft soda companies are attempting to change this, however, introducing gourmet sparkling beverages to U.S. consumers that offer tastier, more wholesome alternatives to the grocery store 12-pack staples. When it comes to today's soda marketplace, more and more compa- nies are reaching out to adult con- sumers with products and flavors specifically designed to appeal to their unique grown-up palates. "I think palates are changing, and people want better solutions," said Carleton Johnson, founder of Joia All Natural Soda. "I think all of us have been trained now by Starbucks and these premium coffee houses to expect some- thing better with more taste and more complexity." "We're not diet. We're not posi- tioned as 'zero' in any way," said Steve Hersh, President of GuS Grown-Up Soda. "We're really more about taste. The less sweet taste is designed to appeal to a grown-up who's outgrown Nehi or Hawaiian Punch." There are a number of ways that companies like Joia and GuS are designing sodas that appeal especially to adults. Perhaps the most significant change that gourmet soda companies are introducing to their products to make them more attractive to this demographic is making them slightly less sweet. GuS' recipes involve 40 percent less sugar and calories than what goes into a traditional soda, and Joia sodas contain as little as 15 grams of sugar per serving, compared to 40 or Continued on Page 10