Frost & Sullivan Honours GAT Food Essentials GmbH for Microencapsulation

This new 'water in oil in water' (w/o/w) technology provides enhanced protection to functional food ingredients by preventing oxidation and degradation which can occur during food processing.

23 Nov 2009 --- The 2009 Frost & Sullivan European Functional Food & Beverage Microencapsulation Technology Innovation Award is presented to GAT Food Essentials GmbH (GAT) in recognition of its proprietary wowCAPS(R) technology.

This new 'water in oil in water' (w/o/w) technology provides enhanced protection to functional food ingredients by preventing oxidation and degradation which can occur during food processing. Therefore, it plays a major role in enhancing the shelf life of functional food and beverage products while also facilitating a controlled and targeted release of the microencapsulated active ingredient inside the human body.

"wowCAPS microencapsulation technology is a unique technology platform that enables stabilisation of a wide range of active ingredients, including oils, oil suspensions, and water solubles," remarks Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst V. Bhuvaneshwari. "This innovative microencapsulation technology offers a natural, stable, and safe solution for functional food ingredients."

Ingredients microencapsulated with GAT's technology have been successfully incorporated into a variety of applications such as dairy products, beverages, baked goods and other products including sausages, ham, and sauces.

"GAT's flexible technology platform can be adapted to a wide range of food ingredients such as PUFAs (omega-3s), nutritional oils, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, among others," states Bhuvaneshwari. "This flexible technology platform avoids the need to invest in new technology to develop novel products."

The company provides a natural technology solution as it only utilises natural and GMO-free ingredients. The microencapsulation technology and process also allows for organic certification of GAT's functional food ingredients. The use of a natural approach and non-GMO certified products play a major role in providing a clean label advantage.

GAT has adopted a solid strategy in uniting scientifically substantiated food ingredients with its innovative technology to deliver a wide range of value added food and beverage products with enhanced health benefits to satisfy consumer needs. The company has collaborated with leading food ingredient suppliers to further facilitate the use of functional ingredients.

"GAT is continuously planning to actively extend its microencapsulation technology in various other food and beverage applications such as probiotics for the functional food industry," notes Bhuvaneshwari. "Moreover, the company is carrying out several research initiatives pertaining to the use of nano-capsules in the beverage industry to eliminate unpleasant odours and tastes and to avoid the sensory experience of the capsules by reducing their size to the nano-scale in beverage applications."

Frost & Sullivan's Technology Innovation Award is bestowed upon a company (or individual) that has carried out new research, which has resulted in innovation(s) that have or are expected to bring significant contributions to the industry in terms of adoption, change, and competitive posture. This award recognises the quality and depth of a company's research and development program as well as the vision and risk-taking that enabled it to undertake such an endeavor.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognises companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.