Citri-Fi 100M40 can be used to replace some industry ice cream stabilizer systems to improve product quality and label declaration. The testing compared Citri-Fi 100M40 versus two well established stabiliser/emulsifier blends in 10% fat vanilla hard pack ice cream. After several months of frozen storage this natural fiber provided:

• Reduced ice crystal formation
• Heat shock or freeze/thaw stability
• Natural smooth, short and soft texture
• Clean finish on the palate
• Reduced melt time

Citri-Fi 100M40 is:

• Natural
• Non-GMO
• Non-allergenic
• Contains no E-number
• Labelled as citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp or citrus flour

Other potential frozen applications include sherbet and fruit-based bars.

Citri-Fi 125, a natural, non-GMO citrus fibre is one of the most recent additions to the Citri-Fi portfolio. To find new uses for this natural citrus fibre, Fiberstar launched a global innovation contest targeting University students. Over 25 applicants, globally, submitted a proposal in how to use the Citri-Fi 125. 

A panel of judges ranked the students’ applications based on originality of concept, justification/market need, ingredient commercial feasibility, technical feasibility and quality of their report. A total of $25,000 was awarded amongst the six winning proposals.

1st Place: Citrus Fibre as an Effective Fat Blocker in Fried Seafood:
Oregon State University Seafood Research and Education Centre, U.S. 
Dr. Jae Park, Kaitlin Junes and Angela Hunt

• Citri-Fi 125 used in a coating formulation to reduce oil pick-up not only provides potential cost savings to processors due to reduced oil usage, but this also provides manufacturers opportunities to reduce fat and calories. The study also showed yield improvement due to increased pick-up and reduced cooking losses.

2nd Place: Reduced Fat Instant Laksa Paste
Surya University, Indonesia
Sylviana, Meutia Wafa' Khairunnisa Hakim, Amelia Adinda and Bryan Raharja

• Citri-Fi 125 is used to reduce the amount of coconut milk used in Laksa paste to provide potential cost savings and fat reduction. Citri-Fi 125 provides emulsification stabilization and improved mouth-feel to simulate the texture of the full-fat version. This may be applicable to other coconut milks pastes, spreads, beverages and soups found not only in Asia, but also in other parts of the world due to the growing use of coconut.

3rd Place: Citri-Crunch Healthy Savoury Extruded Pork Snack
Washington State University, U.S.
Ryan Kowalski, Bon-Jae Gu, Maria Dian Pratiwi Masli, Siyuan Wang and Hongchao Zhang

• Citri-Fi 125 helped reduce the oil uptake and improved the flavour by enhancing the umami flavour of monosodium glutamate when reducing the sodium. This not only aligns with the market’s need for healthier snacks, but also offers snack manufacturers cost savings opportunities in less oil usage.

4th Place: Chicken Sausage with Reduced Oil & Improve Sensory
Sri Lanka University, Sri Lanka
Miss A.M. Aruni Shanika

• Citri-Fi 125 provided emulsification stabilization and texturizing to help reduce the oil by at least 30% while maintaining a full-fat mouth-feel. This provides cost savings and health benefits due to the fat/caloric reduction.

5th Place: Calcium Fortification to Increase Viscosity and Enhance Gelling Properties
University of Guelph, Canada
Lisa Indris

• Incorporating calcium with Citri-Fi 125 in liquid food formats improves the viscosity and provides improved stabilization. This enhanced feature opens doors in the natural dairy category where stabilization and mouthfeel are desired and needed.

6th Place: Natural Colour Stabilizer in Berry Yammee Topping
Cornell University, U.S.
Fiona Harnischfeger, Sofía Lara, Victoria Chen, Katrina Cariño, Ana Chang, Sierra Jamir and Shiyu Cai
Citri-Fi 125 stabilizes natural colours during shelf-life to prevent phase separation and colour bleeding. This benefit is crucial for consumer acceptance when using vibrant natural colours to indicate freshness.

2016 INTERNATIONAL BAKERY INDUSTRY EXPOSITION (IBIE)
The Fiberstar team exhibited at the most recent IBIE show in October. Some highlights included:

• Best in Baking Program: Citri-Fi was accepted into the program due to the product's clean process, reduced carbon footprint and sustainability.
• Product Demonstrations: Water holding, emulsification and natural plating. 
• Media Interviews with U.S. Food Industry publications: Food Business News, Food Technology, Snackfood & Wholesale Bakery, etc. 
• Potential Customers seeking solutions for gluten-free bakery, flavour carriers for breading & coatings, pectin extension for fillings, egg extension and clean label.

 
CARRAGEENAN REPLACEMENT IN BEVERAGES
There has been an increase in the number of requests for carrageenan replacement solutions in beverages. These requests are driven by a few factors: -

• Clean label movement
• Carrageenan may be omitted from the Organic list 
• Negative health associations 
• Cost optimization

CLEAN LABEL PLATING TECHNOLOGY ON CITRI-FI

• Highly functional
  • Excellent solubility
  • Good viscosity and stabilisation
  • Improved mouthfeel
  • High loading – 5-6 times higher than maltodextrin
• Clean label – replaces Maltodextrin
• Applications
  • Carrier + functionality in Meat, Poultry, Bakery and Dairy
  • Carries active ingredients such as flavours and nutrients
  • Replaces emulsifiers
  • Pharmaceuticals where slow release is beneficial
• Easy incorporation

           
 
NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES WITH CITRI-FI
Egg Extension in Cakes  (My Associates - Myanmar)
Citri-Fi 200 is used to reduce the use of eggs and improve cake freshness which maintains quality over shelf-life. 

Jam Spreads (EuroImpex Co.- Ukraine)
Citri-Fi 100FG is used to partially replace pectin. The mix is for fast preparation of jams and jellies at home. The mixture will shorten the preparation time, preserve the natural taste, colour and flavour. The mix (3:1) also provides the opportunity to reduce the sugar by 70%. 


For more information contact sally@belletech.co.nz

Coconut Water Powder (organic and non-organic) is now available from BelleTech. 

​Coconut water has become the latest must-have for clean eaters, paleo dieters and just about everyone else. Don’t miss the boat – contact Sally for more information.  Applications for this powder include:

• Powdered beverages
• Ice Cream
• Sauces
• Protein powders
• Energy drinks

  
Sales of bottled coconut water have this year taken off around the world.  2008 and 2012, the number of coconut water product introductions increased by 540 per cent internationally according to research by Mintel, and New Zealand is getting amongst it.
A report by Pacific Islands Trade & Invest in 2012 showed New Zealand coconut imports are on the rise with a 32 per cent increase between 2007 and 2012.

Suggested health benefits:
Comprises the right balance of electrolytes, which help replenish the body after strenuous exercises and workouts. Organic coconut water also contains a variety of minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and vitamins (A, B, C), amino acids, and phosphorous.
​
Shoppers don’t just love coconuts for their water. A scan through the supermarkets shows coconut oil, flour and sugar now sit alongside the classic desiccated coconut and coconut cream.

New Zealand’s largest trade event for the Food and Manufacturing Sector is less than 2 weeks away now. Don't miss the opportunity to:

• Talk to Sally about latest trends in the Food Ingredient industry.
• Network with 220+ leading local suppliers and global brands, 
• Discover the latest innovations and technology
• Free industry seminars (see below)

Tuesday 11th October
How the NZ F&B industry is changing, diversifying and going up the value chain
​Andrew McCallum presents "Five and half billion, and that’s just the beginning. How the NZ F&B industry is changing, diversifying and going up the value chain".
10:00AM-10:45AM, Seminar Room 1 

Unlocking the potential of biomass resources and transforming traditional “everyday” foods
Dongxiao Sun-Waterhouse presents "Recent innovations: Unlocking the potential of biomass resources and transforming traditional “everyday” foods".
12:00PM-12:45PM , Seminar Room 1

Fermentation to develop new food products
​Silas Villas-Boas presents "Fermentation to develop new food products"
2:15PM-2:45PM, Seminar Room 2*

Wednesday 12th October      
Food, farms and photons
Cather Simpson presents "Food, farms and photons"
10:00AM-10:45AM, Seminar Room 1* 

Exploring the consumer experience through food design
Matthijs Siljee and Hanne van Beek present "Exploring the consumer experience through food design".
2:00PM-2:30PM, Seminar Room 2

Thursday 13th October
Food, beverage and nutraceutical trends from a lifestyle consumer perspective
Angus Brown presents "Food, beverage and nutraceutical trends from a lifestyle consumer perspective"
10:00AM-10:30AM, Seminar Room 2*

The Food Industry Enabling Technologies research programme – A $17m MBIE-funded programme
Professor Richard Archer presents "The Food Industry Enabling Technologies research programme – A $17m MBIE-funded programme".
11:00AM-11:45AM, Seminar Room 1

Midlife crisis – the neglected consumer group
Denise M Conroy presents "Midlife crisis – the neglected consumer group".
12:00PM-12:30 PM, Seminar Room 1*
​
To view the full list visit www.foodtechpacktech.co.nz.

• Can we find specific ingredients for you?
• Do you have a gap in your ingredient cupboard?
• Have you any new product developments that we can help you with?
• 650 leading food and beverage suppliers from around the world.
• The place for the food industry to showcase the latest innovations across 3 days in just one location.
• Natural ingredients (Ni) is the leading co-located event at the trade show for sourcing natural and organic ingredients for supplements, nutraceuticals, functional food and beverages, and any other food related products.

​Let Sally shop for you, tell her what you want and she will do the research.
 
Contact Sally before the 18th September with your shopping list. Email:  sally@belletech.co.nz  for phone:  021 223 4268

Fiberstar, Inc. (www.fiberstar.net) is an innovative food ingredient company located in River Falls, WI that has an extensive relationship with the university and research community.  Fiberstar licenses technology from the University of Minnesota, where the company has its roots, and has grown into a global functional ingredient supplier that sells products in more than 60 countries around the world.  This exclusively patented technology is used to manufacture Citri-Fi, a natural, highly functional fiber produced from the orange juicing process in Clewiston, Florida. Citri-Fi is offered in a number of particle sizes and co-processed variations that improve food quality, nutrition and cost savings.
​
At Fiberstar, we understand the value of fostering and supporting strong relationship with food industry researchers and students because of the mutually beneficial results and learning activities.  In order to further promote these ties we have developed a Fiberstar Food Science Innovation Challenge.  This contest has a total prize pool of $25,000 and we would like to invite you and your students to participate.
​
Our goals with this Innovation Challenge are to promote stronger relationships with academia, increase our knowledge base of a new type of Citri-Fi that was recently launched called Citri-Fi 125, and give students a chance to work on real world issues in the food sciences.  The new Citri-Fi 125 product, made from citrus peel, has a clean label declaration and also has an extremely high water holding capacity and emulsification properties.  The properties of the product are such that it is effective at increasing yields in meat products, emulsification and water binding in sauces, moisture retention in baked goods and emulsification in beverages. What makes the 125 version unique compared to the previously developed Citri-Fi products is it: 1) is derived from citrus peel, 2) has a different rate of hydration in aqueous solutions, 3) is from a sustainable raw material source, 4) has higher soluble and insoluble fiber content, and 5)  has flavor enhancement properties for darker applications with umami notes.  For instance, the Citri-Fi 125 has been found to be suitable for partial monosodium replacement to enhance flavor in multiple applications, especially in ground meats and sauces.  Once we hear back from interested parties, a sample kit will be sent out, which will include: 1) Reference Guide, 2) User’s Guide, 3) one pound samples of Citri-Fi 125FG and 125M40, 4) a demo kit, and 5) poster bulletin to help spread the word.  There are likely other applications as well where Citri-Fi 125’s flavor enhancement properties can be developed.  The competition’s objective is to create a new and novel use for Citri-Fi 125 within food and beverage products. 
The purpose and other objectives of the Fiberstar Innovation Challenge is as follows:

• To promote innovative thinking in food science to sustainably solve real world issues including improving food quality, cost effectiveness, incorporation of all natural ingredients, extended shelf life and improved organoleptic properties, possible replacement of chemically modified ingredients and allergens.
• To increase the application knowledge of Citri-Fi 125 and its various particle sizes, i.e. Citri-Fi 125FG (minus 100 mesh) and Citri-Fi 125M40 (minus 200 mesh).
• To provide students with a platform to collaborate with other students and food science professionals to work on industries toughest challenges
• To leverage an opportunity for students to demonstrate an understanding of food science and articulate scientific solutions in an easy and understandable manner

The Innovation Challenge will be based on the following:

• Competition for the most innovative food application of Citri-Fi 125 in any category.
• The Innovation Challenge is open to students who have completed one year in an Food Science, Meat & Animal Science, Nutrition, Culinary, or Engineering Program
• The competition could be part of a class or independent study project.
• Contest submissions are due no later than December 15th 2016 at 11:59 PM CST.
• 1st Place will be in the amount of  $10,000
• 2nd place: the runner up award will be in the amount of $5000
• 3rd to 6th place award designations will be $2500 each. 

In order to participate, students will leverage their food science and technology knowledge to design a novel food application using Citri-Fi.  These food concepts should be designed for scale up and global commercial distribution, taking into account market need, cost and ingredient quality.  A detailed description of the rules and regulations can be found on the following pages.    

The Food Science Innovation Challenge is a competition for the most innovative application of Citri-Fi 125.  Students will be given access to scientific literature describing technical aspects of all Citri-Fi products. Free samples of Citri-Fi will be shipped to students for use in designing and performing experiments. Proposals with strong market need and thorough justification in scientific literature will be given preference. Fiberstar will be available to answer questions pertaining to clarification of rules/guidelines. No questions will be answered pertaining to specific application but general guidance on product use will be available.

General Competition Rules

• Entries must consist of a proposal for a food product innovation or solving an industry problem based on the use of Citri-Fi 125.  Demonstration that a prototype was tested isn’t required but is preferred and adds credibility to the entry.
• Solving an industry problem or identifying a market need that includes an explanation as to = why Citri-Fi 125 is needed as part of the solution a plus.
• Proposals should consider the combination of different raw materials for improved texture, mouthfeel, sweetness, stability, health & wellness, sensory properties, etc.
• The judges will be evaluating the rationale behind the scientific value, the technical problem solving skills, and the commercial feasibility of the ingredient combination.
• Teams may participate in the same project and rewards will be split.
• Multiple students from the same university may submit proposals.

Limitations

• Final submissions should be submitted electronically no later than December 15th 2016, 11:59 PM CST in Word, PDF, or PowerPoint format  to b.lundberg@fiberstar.net
• The competition will be conducted in English.
• All applicants  agree not to claim any intellectual property rights (including patent rights) as to any material created in connection with the competition. Such intellectual property rights are transferred to the competition sponsor, Fiberstar, Inc. Fiberstar currently licenses its technology along with many uses from the University of Minnesota and also has its own range of patents in broad range of applications.    

Eligibility Requirements

• Students must have completed at least one year of a food sciences, nutrition, culinary, or engineering program at a technical college or four-year University.
• Industry support such as donation of ingredients or use of equipment outside from Fiberstar is allowed and should be outlined in a separate document

Final Submissions:
1. Teams must upload a copy of their final report as in Word, PDF and/or Power Point format to Fiberstar (b.lundberg@fiberstar.net) no later than December 15th 2016, 11:59 PM CST
2. The submission must contain photographs of a prototype and respective formulations and procedures.
3. Written submissions are limited to ten (10) pages. This number DOES NOT include the title page, references, and optional 1-page appendix.
4. Written submissions must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font, Times New Roman font with 1” margins. All text and figures must fit on 8.5” × 11" paper.
5. There is no specific required format for the title page, though it should include the title of report, authors, and date.. 
6. Include the following information in proposal submission.

• Participant name, school name, name of faculty advisor (If any) and report name.  Reports will be tracked using the report name.
• Sponsor companies, donors of goods, services, or money (if applicable)
• The name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the student competitor should be included for correspondence.

7. References: All scientific references cited within the proposal will be referred using the Harvard Referencing style or similar.  
8.  Finalists will be notified no later than five (5) weeks after the report submission deadline.
 
Evaluation of Proposals:
1. Scoring will be determined by a judging panel from Fiberstar to include R&D, Marketing, Sales, and Production.
2. Each entry will be scored on a basis of 100 points, with the points to be distributed as shown below:
​
Proposal Evaluations 100 points total:

• Originality of Concept (25)
• Justification/Market Need (15)
• Ingredient Commercial Feasibility/Market Potential (25)
• Technical Feasibility (25)
• Quality of Report (10)

3. Areas to be covered, but not limited to, in the proposal are:

1. Abstract/Executive Summary:
   • Short description of major points in proposal.

• Rationale:
  1. Detailed description of the application and how it is unique to the marketplace.
  2. Overview of the benefits to the given market.

1. Literature Justification:
   1. Literature support for how and why the ingredient selection would improve the final product.
2. Technical Problem Solving:
   1. What are potential challenges and how did you solve them?
3. Product Application description:
   1. Basis for selection of application
   2. Citri-Fi 125’s functionality/interaction in finished product
   3. Product formulation
   4. Price/cost evaluation
4. Commercialization Potential:
   1. Economic Benefit to firm and customer
   2. Readiness of application