Providers showcase trends in ingredients and additives for the production of meat products

IFFA has become the trendsetter for the entire meat industry. This flagship fair also offers an excellent opportunity to find out more about the latest developments in additives, spices and sausage casings. Numerous renowned manufacturers dealing with flavourings and functional ingredients will be on hand from 8 to 13 May 2010 in Frankfurt am Main.

Longterm forecasts for worldwide meat consumption predict continued strong growth. Due to the fact that processed foods are always seasoned, and that a number of technological agents are used in meat production, the mood in the industry is positive.

Companies in the ingredients and additives sector view themselves as more than suppliers of goods; they also offer information and expertise. In addition to a focus on product safety, it is also necessary to have a good feel for consumer trends. Things move fast in today’s markets, which is why it is necessary to turn innovative ideas into marketable products as quickly as possible.

Consumer awareness of “good, healthy” nutrition is growing, yet pleasure also plays a central role. Along with calories, fat and sugar, table salt is increasingly drawing attention. Salt is essential for many of the body's functions. It also rounds off the taste experience for many of our foods, improves the binding properties of meat and helps to extend shelf life. Yet too much salt over the long term can damage the human organism. For this reason, the supplier industry has been taking another look at reducing salt levels and using table salt substitutes. So this year’s IFFA will be featuring a number of concepts showing how the salt content of boiled sausages and hams can be reduced significantly without sacrificing taste. Salt substitutes are not only suitable for use in the field of conventional meat products, but also for convenience specialities, such as in soup and sauce production.

While a noticeable reduction in the use of salt is evident, spices are in high demand for food production, particularly for their unmistakable flavour, as well as for their appearance. Spicy hot foods and special flavours are a popular trend among many consumers, and not just in exotic dishes. Today it is not uncommon for "hot" versions to be included in the standard product range for items containing meat.

Herbs and spices are also increasingly being used to season the exterior of meat products in order to improve their appearance. Spice foils which have been coated with decorative mixtures of herbs and spices can make it easier to produce such things as cooked cured products. During production, the spice foil is laid in the ham mould and the product is cooked in the usual manner. Once the cooking process has been completed, the external foil can be easily removed, while the herbs and spices remain, evenly spread on the ham product to create an attractive exterior. A number of different decorative herbs and spices are now used in this manner.

Marinated meat has become a standard part of the product range in fresh meat counters and self service sections. This turns meat into a ready-to-cook product, in keeping with the trend towards convenient cuisine. The marinated meat trend is continuing unabated, and not only during the barbecue season. Many marinated meat products are already available in pre-packaged form. A diverse and interesting range of marinades will be on show for users at IFFA. Strong arguments for their use include appealing appearance, distinctive flavours and the tenderness of the meat. These marinades come in a wide variety of flavours, and many are now available without flavour enhancers.

For the first time, spreadable spice sauces made using cream cheese will also be on show. These spice sauces, which come in 500 g synthetic casing packages, are intended for barbecued/baked items and catering products such as filled roasts and rolls, wraps and puff pastry products. They are available in sweet pepper, mushroom and herb varieties.

In September 2001, a German organic seal was introduced for items produced in accordance with EU organic regulations. Over the past few years, various manufacturers have added organic spices to their product range. Organic natural spices, organic spice mixes, organic barbecue preparations and organic marinades are all on offer. Overall, the organic and “diet” segments have remained relatively small to date.

Demand for products which are both more practical and more convenient, on the other hand, continues to expand. The individual items comprising a meal are prepared, so that consumers can create their own individual dish without spending a great deal of time.

The industry has also been witnessing increasing production of standardised meat products for a number of years, and a wide range of innovative concepts are now available. As an alternative to enzymes, for example, there are binding systems based on alginate which will also be on show at IFFA 2010. These allow smaller pieces of meat to be combined to produce medallions and roulades. Gels make it possible to combine smaller pieces of meat to create a larger, portion-sized finished product. This provides consumers, cafeterias and other large kitchen facilities with standardised products that are always of the same size and quality.

The production of raw sausages has also been further developed. Patented maturing systems will be on display which allow raw sausages to be produced without a climatic chamber, smoking or weight loss. The resulting raw sausage is ready for sale after only ten days. The starter culture used guarantees that the finished product is stable, safe, cured and flavourful. Raw sausages produced in this manner are sold individually, in self-service packages and in convenience products such as sandwiches, pizzas and toppings.

There have also been important advances in the field of sausage casings, including for smaller sausages. Synthetic casings have been improved by increasing their permeability to gas and water vapour. Additional innovations will be shown under “value adding casings”. These are sausage casings which are able to perform important steps of the meat production process themselves even during the cooking process, e. g. the application of smoke, colour or spices from the casing directly to the surface of the meat goods. Individual production steps can thus be eliminated, allowing the producers of these meat products to reduce their costs. Value adding casings are now available for use as flat films as well.

“Clean label” is a hot topic for many producers. This interesting field involves the use of natural extracts in order to replace additives which must be declared or to avoid their use entirely. A number of the components of spice extracts, e.g. rosemary extract, have proven antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

With the EU’s new “Food Improvement Agents Package” (FIAP), the European Union has ushered in a new era. New European legislation covering food additives apply to the entire European food industry, and will soon be playing a big role in the meat industry. Provisions include the re-evaluation of all additives by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), changes regarding permissible smoke flavourings, warnings for azoic dyes and the obligation to identify products containing enzymes which exert a technological effect on the end product.

Some 900 companies will be presenting their latest innovations over more than 100,000 square metres of exhibition space at IFFA. Providers from the ingredients and additives sectors will be located in Hall 4.1.