Fermented kombucha and ACV powders top form and function at IFT
BI manufactures plant-based ingredients for food and beverages, and is the largest combined company in botanicals, extracts and value-added ingredients worldwide, according to CEO and president George Pontiakos.
At the IFT show this month, the company displayed its latest fermented products for beverage in the form of organic kombucha powder and organic apple cider vinegar powder.
The ACV powder contains between 4%-10% Acetic Acid, a compound that contributes tothe vinegar’s strong taste and primary benefits. It’s a substitute for liquid ACV in beverages, dry mixes and seasoning blends, available in either powder or a granulated form.
The kombucha powder is a label-friendly, shelf-stable substitute for liquid kombucha, also available in both powder and granulated formats. BI recommends adding probiotics separately for digestive health benefits.
“That natural migration from health and wellness into the food function now is becoming more and more prevalent across all the markets,” Pontiakos told BeverageDaily. “We see kombucha as a very interesting product, though it’s very regionalized still in the marketplace.”
The ACV product has been around for awhile, he said, though it’s just recently started to catch attention as a dietary supplement ingredient and proven aid in weight loss.
“It was really more of a seasonal application for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But now, because of the literature around it, it’s been discovered as a true fat blocker. And it’s really done a very good job and been embraced by the market and the consumer,” Pontiakos said.
BI also released a statement urging 'vigilance' from market participants to validate ACV identification and assay to confirm the integrity of the ACV material.
They said, "common titration methods don’t provide data that’s specific enough to differentiate which acids are actually in the powder."
The biggest trend Pontiakos sees in the overall ingredients marketplace is CBD, even with the challenges its presents from a legal perspective. He said that BI is ‘keeping an eye on it’ in the meantime. The company is also looking at energy ingredients, calming beverages and vape products.
“We see the market continuing to grow, especially with a focus on the food side in our marketplace. What we see is the food people are continuing to look at the migration of dietary supplement function into a food ingestible product.”
