44-7 |
Use of extruded soy nuggets in nutritional food bars to optimize texture and shelf life |
S. A. TAILLIE, Research & Development, DuPont Protein Technologies Int'l., Checkerboard Sq., PO Box 88940, Saint Louis, MO 63188-1940 The nutritional bar market has been a dynamic category within the food industry, growing over 20 percent per year for the last two years. This growth has been driven by consumer demand for convenient, portable and healthy food products and has spawned product offerings addressing a variety of consumer needs, including energy, meal replacement, weight management and performance. Today's offerings range in protein content from 6-25 grams per serving and feature varying protein:fat:carbohydrate ratios. In nearly every segment of the bar category, protein ingredients play an important role in the overall nutritional profile and can significantly affect eating quality characteristics. Soy proteins, both in powdered and nugget forms, are used extensively in bar applications. With this rapid market growth increased demands regarding shelf-life and texture have arisen. Newer extruded soy nugget technologies have been found to positively affect shelf-life and are being modified to deliver different flavor and textural properties in bars and give consumers a wider range of eating experiences. Newer soy nugget technologies, in the range of 60-80 percent protein, offer bar formulators greater flexibility to achieve target protein contents, deliver unique bar texture properties, and improve bar shelf-life. Extruded soy nuggets have application in a variety of formulas spanning both extruded and sheet-and-cut type nutritional bars. They also offer promise in other applications, such as snacks, cereals and baked goods.
Session 44, NEW PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGIES
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