A meal is nourishment, and a beverage is a drink, but snacks are inextricably and emotionally linked to an event or experience. Think about popcorn at the movies or potato chips and pretzels when watching a big game on television or having the gang over for a barbeque.
Snacks are an emotional and engaging experience for consumers. And a big part of that experience involves multiple senses. It is the crispiness of the texture, the lightness of the puff or the crunchiness of the first bite. It is also the sound ringing in the consumer’s ears as they devour their favorite treat.. And, of course, the snack has to deliver just the right flavor – cheesy, nutty, fruity.
In addition to this sensory experience, more and more consumers are expecting to have healthier or “better for you” options in their snack foods. They seek fiber, whole grain and nutraceuticals such as antioxidants. The National Starch Food Innovation snack experts and their large portfolio of unique ingredients can help you deliver both the emotional lift and enhanced nutrition that consumers crave.
Consumers desire the right mix of satisfying crunch and crisp, and the National Starch Texture team can help translate the desires in the consumer food experience lexicon to food formulating techniques.
- For expansion and crispiness, we have products like BAKA-SNAK® and ULTRA-CRISP® CS that contribute to better volume control, and uniform cell structure, and reduce breakage in a final product.
- For key properties like gelling, film forming, protective barrier and opacifying, we have HYLON® VII and CRISP-FILM starches.
- For finishing touches National offers unique specialties, like N-TACK® binders that adhere nuts, fruits and seasonings to snacks
- When nutrition enhancement is called for, Hi-maize® resistant starch and Hi-maize whole grain corn flour add important nutrients and health benefits.
- Expanded snacks and cereals and half products
- Extruded snacks and cereals
- Crackers
- Wafers
- Sheeted, fried and baked products
- Puffed coatings
- Fabricated Chips
Challenges
- Consumer preferred textures
- Fat reduction
- Fiber enrichment
- Breakage control
- Reduced waste of nuts, seasonings and other particulates