With the ingredients sector experiencing increasing competition and ever-increasing costs, companies are more conscious than ever of the need to avoid commiditisation.
As a result, investment in value-added products, which can attract higher prices and also present food makers with more options, has become a premium.
For example, the UK ingredients giant is launching Merigloss, a new range of granular waxy maize based instant starches that will be on display in Paris. These starches specifically processed to ensure that the starch granules are not broken during the instanitisation process.
As a result, they are designed to provide improved clarity, gloss, and viscosity when compared to traditional drum dried instant starches. These starches, says Tate & Lyle, are particularly suited for use in fruit preparations and bakery fillings.
Tate & Lyle's new polyol range on the other hand will include Merisorb sorbitol powder, targeted for specific use in sugar-free chewing gum. This product is designed to ensure optimal gum processing characteristics and organoleptic properties.
ThinGum thinboiling starches are a new range of maize-based thinboiling starches for use in confectionery applications. Tate & Lyle says that these starches show a wide range of fluidities and are particularly suited to the production of starch-based gums.
According to the company, they will allow starch-based gums and jellies manufacturers to control texture and flavour release, making confections that are hard or soft as required.
In addition, a new range of Maldex G granulated maltodextrins has been developed for use in dry mix formulations such as instant soups, instant desserts and cake mixes, where they are designed to ensure optimal solubility and reduced tendency to lump.
According to Tate & Lyle, this makes them particularly suited for use in curing brines for meat applications and for the spray drying of flavours.
Finally, the company plans to introduce a range of new wheat proteins to the EU market. Meripro 705 for example is an emulsifying protein that helps customers to stabilise sausage emulsions and improve spreadability of products like paté.
Meripro 420, a unique wheat protein designed to give stability and firmness to foams and whipped dairy desserts, means that fruit chewy candies can now be made 100 per cent gelatine free.
Tate & Lyle will clearly be hoping that the new range of starches, proteins and polyols will consolidate the company's position at the premium end of the ingredients market. The London-based firm last month announced increases of between 10 and 15 per cent on new contracts for certain European cereal sweetener and starch products, but will be confident that offering added value products will ensure stability.