Ethnic foods, home cooking behind new sauce stabilizer

29-Apr-2010 - Last updated on 30-Apr-2010 at 14:56 GMT

Related tags Cooking Food

TIC Gums has released a new stabilizer for sauces, saying its development was driven by increased interest in ethnic foods and home cooking.

The hydrocolloids specialist said its new Ticaloid Saucier stabilizer gives sauces the ‘cling’ that appeals to consumers in a variety of sauce types. The company claims that sauces can help manufacturers of ethnic foods stand out from their competitors, and cites data from market research organization Mintel, which recorded $2.2bn worth of sales of ethnic food products last year, and which forecasts the category to grow by nearly 20 percent from 2010 to 2014.

Marketing specialist at TIC Gums Stacy VanDenHeuvel said: “These data indicate that there is real opportunity for the manufacturers of ethnic food products to improve their lines of products where sauces can count as real differentiators.”

Culinary scientist at the company Coki Fisseha said: “The succulent sensation of ‘cling’ enhances the enjoyment of sauce and sauce-type products. Consumers take delight in sauces that complement meat, poultry and vegetarian entrees and side dishes. This ‘cling’ factor creates a highly valued, complex sensory perception, greatly adding to their pleasure.”

The company said its goal in developing the stabilizer was to provide better stabilization for sauces that are thick, smooth, and provide cling yet balanced texture.

Although consumers may be eating out less often as they feel the financial pinch, they are not necessarily cooking from scratch, which is potentially good news for manufacturers of chilled and frozen entrees. According to market research from The NPD Group, the percentage of main meals which could be described as ‘fresh’ or ‘homemade’ has remained constant at 49 percent over the past five years.

Meanwhile, microwave oven usage surged by 10 percent during 2008, having been used in the preparation of about 20 percent of meals since 1990.

VanDenHeuvel said: “The economy has brought consumers back to the kitchen and they are going to the supermarket a lot more than they are frequenting expensive restaurants. Consumers are looking for the sauces that will give their home cooked meals those highly preferred ethnic tastes in both gourmet and home-style categories.”

Ticaloid Saucier is the latest in the company’s range of Ticaloid-branded ingredients. The range also includes a stabilizer for use in tortillas, a gum blend to increase fiber content in bread, and the recently released Ticaloid 875 for use in puddings and functional alternative protein drinks, where thick and creamy characteristics are desirable.