Tate & Lyle signs agreement for salt reduction technology
The clean label salt reduction technology - based on hollow micro crystals of salt - is said to enable reductions in added salt levels by up to 30% in processed foods and bakery products such as bread, pizza bases, pastry, savoury pie fillings, cheese and baked snacks, without loss of flavour or structure.
Karl Kramer, president of innovation and commercial development at Tate & Lyle said that the Soda-Lo technology “is an excellent addition to Tate & Lyle’s health and wellness offering.”
“Salt reduction is a high-profile priority for many of our customers who are committed to formulating reduced salt products to meet growing consumer demand,” he added.
Under the license agreement, Tate & Lyle will assume responsibility for commercialising the Soda-Lo salt reduction technology on a global basis including manufacturing, product development, sales and marketing, said the company.
Salt reduction challenge
Speaking with sister site Food Manufacture, Dr Stephen Minter, technical director at Eminate previously explained that although it is well-known that smaller crystals lead to higher the salt perception, simply grinding salt to make smaller particles does not work because the smaller the particles become more hygroscopic.
This leads to a loss of important free-flowing properties and causes the particles to stick together, he added.
However Soda-Lo is engineered using technology that changes the structure of salt crystals to create free-flowing, microscopic hollow balls, with the consistency of talc and a shelf-life of 18 months, he said.
The Soda-Lo particles are a fraction of the size of standard salt (at between 5-10 microns for Soda-Lo compared to between 200–500 microns for salt), and are reported to deliver an intense, salty hit on the taste buds.
Agreement
The partnership, which was developed via Tate & Lyle’s open innovation team, will help both companies maximise the commercial value of the technology, according to Eminate chairman Neil Davidson.
Tate & Lyle said that whilst several well-known food manufacturers in the UK and USA are already using Soda-Lo, it plans to commence a global rollout of the product in 2012.
