IFF explores innovative nutrient-dense solutions for the future weight management market

21 Aug 2024 --- Ingredient developer IFF is working to expand its range of weight management solutions to meet an expanding market interest and growing potential consumer base. Nutrition Insight sits down with Chris Millington, the company’s chief growth officer, to discuss the company’s most popular, newest and up-and-coming products and services for healthy weight, including a new web page for manufacturers.

“As our new research shows, consumer attitudes to nutrition and health are evolving rapidly, and so are our approaches to it,” Millington tells us. “Besides carefully studying consumers’ needs in this changing landscape, we are partnering with experts in nutrition, metabolic health and obesity to co-create new solutions for our already extensive portfolio.”

“In particular, our innovation will focus on the development of options that are healthy and nutrient-dense while ensuring they remain flavorful and great-tasting.” 

“One of the reasons the market dynamic has shifted is the rising popularity of anti-obesity medications (AOMs),” he details. “This also presents new opportunities to have new conversations around weight loss, and it’s been an inflection point in IFF’s examination of its portfolio, particularly as some of our customers are already entering this space by creating products tailored toward AOM users.”

Product Design AR Experience

To enhance collaboration with manufacturers and influence product innovation, IFF is now introducing its Product Design AR Experience.

Chris Millington, IFF chief growth officer.“Our IFF Product Design AR Experience is intended to inspire the development of new ideas and concepts as well as highlighting our ingredient portfolio and capabilities,” explains Millington.

“By highlighting it now, we’re hoping to engage customers about their needs in the weight management space and make known to them the most advanced ingredients and technologies there are to enhance their products and offerings.”

The AR experience, now live on the IFF website, allows companies to experiment with ingredients, explore technologies and build their own concepts, ranging from healthy baked goods and snack bars to gourmet dishes.

Flavorfit technology

IFF asserts that services like its Flavorfit technology science are vital to creating new products and formulations. 

“IFF Flavorfit is an extensive portfolio of taste technologies that can be used to create healthier products with natural flavors. Be it bars or beverages, it can increase product liking by customizing flavors to consumer preference,” explains Millington. “It can be deployed as a strategy for the creation of healthier products, through sugar reduction, the improvement of salt perception, masking off-notes in high-protein products or simply improving overall flavor balance and taste delivery.”

He adds that IFF Flavorfit can improve the sensory experience of products by boosting juiciness and freshness. “Designing new food or beverages that are healthy, nutrient-dense and tasty poses challenges that require technical know-how and advanced technologies.”

“To break it down in simpler terms, by removing sugar from a product, the flavor, body and mouthfeel of the product will be impacted. With IFF’s Flavorfit range of flavor modulation tools, it allows manufacturers to create formulations with better nutrition while keeping the overall taste experience that consumers love.”

“It applies for low or non-sugar added products as well as for high proteins, low fat or low salt products, making IFF Flavorfit a powerful tool to formulate high-density nutritious, high protein products.”

IFF Flavorfit is an extensive portfolio of taste technologies that can be used to create healthier products with natural flavors.Weight management solutions 

Millington also details how IFF targets the growing demand for healthy weight management and metabolic health products with its fiber and probiotic solutions — Litesse Ultra and Howaru B420. 

“Litesse polydextrose is well established as a specialty carbohydrate for a variety of food applications. It is widely recognized and used as a fiber as well as a premium bulking ingredient for sugar and fat replacement. Litesse can help reduce calories and sugar and lowers glycemic load while improving flavor, mouthfeel and fiber content,” he details.

“Litesse Ultra can support metabolic health and help manage weight by promoting satiety and controlling overall appetite and caloric intake.”

“Our Howaru Bifido (Bifidobacterium lactis HN019) is a probiotic that can promote the growth of gastrointestinal microflora to support digestive health,” he adds.

Sustainable production goals

Millington highlights that IFF strives to ensure that its protein and fiber solutions are environmentally friendly, given the global emphasis on sustainability.

“At IFF, focusing our business practices on sustainability is fundamental to our values. Through responsible sourcing, we strive to promote regenerative ecosystems while equitably supporting our workers and grower communities.”

He explains that this includes a 2030 goal to promote “regenerative ecosystems and achieve zero deforestation for strategic raw material supply chains.”

“A shift away from animal-based to plant-based proteins like soy can mean a much lighter environmental footprint, but it has to be produced in a sustainable manner by conserving native vegetation and biodiversity and respecting human rights,” Millington concludes.

“IFF’s high-quality soy protein is based on a responsible production chain to bring people the flavor, texture and nutrition they are looking for.”

By Milana Nikolova