Tag Archives: food trend

Don’t Have a Cow

FAO-Infographic-milk-facts-en

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Nelson-Jameson, Inc. began as a dairy-centric business almost 70 years ago and, while we’ve since branched into all sectors of the food and beverage processing industries, we still consider ourselves experts in all-things-dairy.

Global dairy consumption is expected to grow by 36% in the next decade, largely driven by emerging markets. To satisfy this demand and other culturally-based needs, consumers and processors are looking beyond the traditional dairy cow to other milk-producing animals such as camels, goats, sheep and buffaloes.

Hump Day Every Day
Camel milk has long been a staple in arid regions in the Middle East, Asia and Africa where bovine farming is considered too water-intensive. It has more fat and protein than cow’s milk, and is lower in cholesterol than cow or goat milk. Proponents of Camel milk assert that the milk’s naturally anti-inflammatory properties can improve brain function for those that suffer from Autism and ADHD, and that it may promote the healing of diabetic wounds. You’ll pay a premium for these benefits, however—camel milk is currently being sold in select Whole Foods and other supermarkets for $18/16oz.

Get Your Goat (and Sheep)
Although goat cheese and sheep’s milk cheese have been regularly consumed in the United States for quite some time, their fluid milk is only now beginning to gain popularity with Americans. Globally, their milk has been consumed for thousands of years, as both sheep and goats were among the earliest animals domesticated by humans. Goat’s milk has more calcium, potassium and vitamin A than cow’s milk, and is also easier to digest because of its lower level of lactose. Sheep’s milk is similar to the mineral and vitamin content in goat’s milk, but also has more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than both cow’s and goat’s milk. CLA has been shown to help reduce cancerous tumors, lower blood pressure and reduce body fat.

Buffalo Swills
Water, Swamp and River Buffaloes are responsible for a significant amount of the world’s milk production, second only to dairy cattle. Although buffaloes have a significantly longer production life than cows, they also have longer “dry” periods, produce less milk and are more sensitive to the milking process. 95% of the dairy buffalo population is located in Asia, and the largest buffalo milk producers are in India and Pakistan. Although buffalo milk is often made into cheese, ghee or yogurt, its use as a beverage has recently gained popularity outside of Asia. Buffalo milk is lower in cholesterol than cow’s milk, and is thicker and creamier due to a higher fat and calorie content. Also, because of its high peroxidase activity, buffalo milk can be preserved naturally for a longer period than cow’s milk.

A Moo Frontier
While camels, goats, sheep and buffaloes are the more common animal-based sources of milk outside of cows, other animals like donkeys, horses, reindeer, and yaks are farmed for milk as well. Donkey milk in particular has been enjoying a newfound popularity, partially due to mainstream news articles touting it as “the elixer of life” and “the next big thing”, as well as Pope Francis giving it his holy stamp of approval.  Hey, if it’s good enough for the pope, I guess we could give alternative animal milk a try too.

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Science Fare

Food Science Blog Pic

Source: Institute of Food Technologists

The science of sustenance. Diet developments. Munchie modification. Whatever alimental alliteration you choose, it’s all covered under a food processor’s “Research and Development” department. Almost all food manufacturers have an R&D division whose responsibility it is to improve existing products and manufacturing processes, extend current product lines and develop entirely new foods. Today we highlight some of what’s trending in food development.

Apples and Orange (Bananas)
Color is extremely important when it comes to food perception. Studies have shown that when it comes to our experience of food, food color is more important than food labeling or food taste. On a related note, food presentation garners similar results. Enter the “Arctic Apple”, a new breed of non-browning apple. Arctic Apples look and taste like a regular apple, but do not brown like traditional cut apples unless they sustain significant damage, like a fungal or bacterial infection. Proponents of the Arctic Apple feel that nonbrowning apples are more attractive to consumers, and thus will reduce food waste and increase fruit consumption.

Bananas are also getting a makeover. Scientists are currently testing a “super banana” with orange flesh that’s derived from genetically-modifying the banana’s amount of beta-carotene. The peel is yellow and it tastes like a normal banana, but the inside fruit is an attractive shade of cantaloupe orange. The hope is that the super banana will eventually help to prevent blindness in malnourished children around the globe.

A new variety of “Burgundine” asparagus is currently being trialed in the United Kingdom. Burgundine asparagus is the result of crossing normal green asparagus with an heirloom breed of purple asparagus. The resulting violet-hued stalks contain less lignim, the substance that makes asparagus fibrous, and can be eaten raw or cooked. Bring on the dips!

There’s Diamonds in Them Thar Jars
Put down the spoon and back away from the jar. That peanut butter that you were about to lick might be better suited for your home safe than for your cupboard. By mimicking the conditions of the earth’s mantle, a researcher in Germany has turned peanut butter into diamonds. What the what? Yes, peanut butter diamonds. Diamonds need carbon combined with intense heat and pressure in order to form, and, as it turns out, peanut butter is a pretty good source of carbon. Don’t run to Costco just yet, though. The peanut butter diamonds are small, fragile and impure, and eventually disintegrate.

Lick Or Treat
A Google search for “licking the yogurt lid” yields over 90,000 results, Facebook pages and blogs are dedicated to the activity, and ad campaigns by Yoplait and Muller have been based around it. Until recently, however, there was no solution to the obligatory-yogurt-stuck-on-the-lid phenomenon. Morinaga Milk, a Japanese company, has changed that. They’ve developed a nonstick technology for yogurt lids that’s inspired by the lotus leaf, which is known for repelling water and staying dry and clean. As to the obvious question as to why no one’s thought of this before, apparently it’s quite difficult to simultaneously repel yogurt while maintaining container sealability. Pesky physics.

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Pumpkin Spicing Up the Season

PumpkinAt some point while finishing up a pumpkin spice waffle and reaching for my cup of pumpkin spice coffee, I realized I had gone off the deep end.   Alas, based on some recent reports, it seems like I am not alone in my dependency on all things pumpkin. USA Today, The New York Times, and other media outlets have picked up on the pumpkinpalooza that can be found in coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants, gas station kiosks, and beyond. From potato chips (yes, indeed) to vodka, Americans are engaged with the gourd…or are they?

Andrew Adam Newman of The New York Times manages to smash a few pumpkins of illusion with the following insight: “It may seem paradoxical, but pumpkin spice products often lack a pumpkin note, connoting instead spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove that are sold as the pumpkin pie blend in spice aisles.”

Pumpkin spice flavorings are available to food producers for their consideration so what “companies end up buying is not just a recipe, but a physical product as well.” So…it is up to us in the industry to see how far this goes. Anyone adventurous enough or misguided enough can become a potential pumpking product producer. Cheesemakers? Ready-made breakfast sandwich makers? Gum makers? Regardless of what is next, it is easy to see a growing dominance for pumpkin spice as the taste of the fall season.

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Proteins!: Listen, Amino Offense…

CB068343In the food industry, we have heard many voices demanding, “Protein!” Protein definitely is an important topic when it comes to nutrition. Proteins are a necessary and important part in the functioning and repair of the body. In addition, protein has received a lot of attention in the diet world. Protein-rich diets are popular with consumers that may be looking to lose or maintain their weights, as protein can make you feel full longer throughout the day.

With such benefits, it can be easy to see why consumers are enamored with this powerful, potent “P.”  Still, there are some important qualifiers that need to be taken into account when focusing on protein in the diet.

First, generally, protein intake is far from being in want by most Americans.  As the CDC states, “most of us eat more protein than we need.” The quality of proteins consumed can make a big difference though when it comes to making the most out of our diets.

This is because all proteins are not made alike.  Consider the following: “Proteins are made up of amino acids. Think of amino acids as the building blocks.”  We can obtain amino acids in several kinds of food in our diets.

“Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body, and must be supplied by food. They do not need to be eaten at one meal. The balance over the whole day is more important.” Essential amino acids can be found in “complete” protein sources like cheese, milk, milk, fish, poultry, etc When searching for these complete protein sources, the American Heart Association recommends that consumers look for low-fat options, like low-fat dairy products.

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Fluid Milk: Market and Generational Differences Are Influencing Consumption

Milk GlassThe publication of the USDA’s “Why Are Americans Consuming Less Fluid Milk?   A Look at Generational Differences in Intake Frequency” this May has lead to frank discussion in the dairy industry. Citing a ‘“slow continuous shift downward’ in milk drinking since the 1940s,” the report analyzes the causes and potential effects of this downward trend. The trend has been especially felt significantly in the last several decades: “Since 1970 alone, per capita fluid milk consumption has fallen from 0.96 cup-equivalents to about 0.61 cup-equivalents per day”.

So, what is going on here?  The authors point to several issues that have energized this trend including the following: frequency of consumption, a diversified marketplace, and generational differences. In regards to frequency, Americans “have become less apt to drink fluid milk at mealtimes, especially with midday and nighttime meals, reducing the total number of consumption occasions.” Part of the reason the frequency has decreased is due to an expanding array of beverage options that are out there for the average consumer.

Milk has been displaced by the consumption of energy drinks, sodas, juices, tea, coffee, etc. The current market offers a wide selection of beverages, choices, and purported claims. For younger consumers this variety and choice is something they have always known, unlike older consumers who remember fewer choices and a lack of access to Taurine-infused energy drinks, iced teas, iced coffee drinks, chocolate soy milk, etc. Continue reading

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