The plant extract specialist has been supplying rosemary extracts for a number of years, which it markets as natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants for a broad spectrum of food applications.
At the IFT trade show in Anaheim, California, this week it is talking about a range of new plant extracts to help extend shelf life. Onion extract, lettuce extract, pomegranate extract, grape extract are natural sources of polyphenols; acerola cherry extract and lemon extract are natural sources of organic acids. Like the rosemary extracts, these are all branded NATstabil.
But Baptiste Demur, business manager for food preservation, said the new additions are not intended to be replacements for synthetic antioxidants, but mark the next step for Naturex in catering to demand for innovative stabilisers.
For now, applications for both the polyphenol and organic acid sources include meat and poultry products and mayonnaise and dressings. The polyphenols can also be used in baked goods and the organic acids in fruit preparations.
Research is ongoing, with a particular focus on applications. Positive research completed to date includes the effect of pomegranate extract on the oxidative stability of ground pork, frozen for 60 days, thawed and stored at 2.2 degrees celsius.
Demur said the company is looking at blending the new extracts, between themselves and with rosemary, in order to uncover synergies.
Moreover, the new extracts have a healthy image which means they can compliment food products with their natural antioxidants and polyphenols which have gained recognition amongst consumers.
Rosemary purity
Naturex is also now using a new process for its rosemary which it says yields higher purity extracts.
Its Stabilenhance OSR extracts are said to be especially effective in proiducts with high fat content or which are very susceptible to fat oxidation. Stabilenhance WSR, meanwhile, are effective in beverages, emulsions and food products with a low fat content.
ColorEnhance products are intended to enhance the colour of anthocyanin-based products.
For Naturex, it is important that customers using rosemary focus on the correct compounds for the purpose and use the right dosage.
Naturex, which as its headquarters in Avignon, France, has a global extraction capacity of 15,000 metric tonnes of botanicals per year. It has 600 employees at 10 sites around the world.
It recently delineated three business areas that cater to different industry areas: Food & Beverage; Nutrition & Health; and Personal Care.