The landscape of the food industry is facing rapid changes due to evolving dietary trends and consumer preferences. However, the most significant, profound, and severe changes have been driven by the global evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic. Forced by circumstances, companies are now more focused on knowledge and open to bolder and more exotic choices. Consumers also want more, cheaper, better, and safer products, especially in the ready-to-cook or ready-meal segment, including meat products and snacks. This has been the focus of Kancor's research in their study titled "Versatile multi-functional natural solutions for marinades."

The Future Solutions

The formulations of new flavors and marinades must consider various factors, but according to Kancor, the following three are essential:

1. Ethnic flavors inspired by celebrity chefs, restaurant critics, and travel journalists.
2. Recipe simplification.
3. More gourmet flavors, including for the new generation, and snacks.

Especially now, with health being a top priority for everyone, gaining consumer trust depends on how transparent and clean your product is. Therefore, the "clean label" and natural solutions represent the future when it comes to consumer preferences. Besides these, other factors such as aroma, color, and shelf life also play a vital role in product selection.

During lockdown periods caused by Covid-19, there has been an observed increase in demand for traditional and fusion cuisines, as well as the need for natural ingredients.

Local Sources of Inspiration

Ethnic kitchens are filled with rich flavors and vibrant appearances. The more colorful the food, the more appealing and attractive it appears, and natural colors have been used for centuries to achieve this effect.

Using natural colors in processed meat presents technical challenges such as cost, processing conditions, interaction with other ingredients, heat and light stability, color change at different pH levels, and interaction with oxygen.

To accommodate the fast-paced lifestyle, there has been an increased demand for "on-the-go" food products. Processors have had to come up with solutions to extend the shelf life of these products. Traditionally, synthetic antioxidants were used to improve oxidative stability in food packaging.

However, today's consumers prefer natural and easily recognizable ingredients on labels, which has posed a challenge for processors to find an efficient natural antioxidant, known as "clean label," that can improve the shelf life of packaged foods.

Combined Solutions

To recreate authentic flavors and vibrant hues, consumers are increasingly demanding multifunctional solutions. With the growing demand for ethnic flavors, healthier choices, and longer shelf life, companies have had to adapt.

In their research, Kancor's development team recreated regional taste preferences using natural colors, unique aromas, and stable shelf life through their product range TastyKan, C-CAPTURE, and OxiKan. TastyKan Tikka Masala, for example, is a multi-spice liquid block inspired by traditional North Indian cuisine, offering both aromatic and spicy notes to savory products.

Another solution is Kancor's range of natural colors, which are highly stable under high heat and light conditions, providing a reddish-orange shade to applications. Processors of meat and poultry, for instance, prefer using shades like yellow or reddish-orange, obtained from turmeric blends, on the cooked surface to make it more authentic and appealing.

Additionally, their natural antioxidant solutions, derived from rosemary, offer shelf stability, even in high heat and fat conditions, which is crucial when meat, including poultry, is exposed to high temperatures during cooking.

The research aimed to:

1. Blend more spices and ingredients to achieve an authentic ethnic flavor profile.
2. Achieve and maintain the desired marinade color during grilling.
3. Ensure there is no flavor change in the grilled marinated chicken due to oxidation.

The objectives were to identify and create a multifunctional solution using Kancor's natural ingredient solutions to achieve:

• Ethnic flavor using natural ingredients.
• Heat-stable color using natural colors.
• Extended shelf life using natural antioxidant solutions.
• Maintenance of inventory of multiple ingredients.

In conclusion, the study demonstrated that natural ingredient solutions can be combined to provide a multifunctional solution that helps food manufacturers enhance color, unique flavor profiles, and shelf life in a single product solution.

Components:

All the mentioned ingredients were used in the application. The marinade used in Application Sample 1 consisted of: Dry ingredients + TastyKan Tikka Masala + C-CAPTURE Sunrise series + OxiKan R Plus.

OxiKan R Plus is an extremely refined extract of selective antioxidant molecules, with high antioxidant activity, thermal stability, and solubility. It has consistently outperformed synthetic antioxidants. The dosage for the Sunrise series was 0.3% of the marinade's weight, Tastykan Tikka Masala was used at a 1% dosage in the marinade, and OxiKan R Plus was used at 0.2% of the total fat content in the marinade.

Application Sample 2 used dry ingredients + synthetic color (e110 + e122) in the marinade at a dosage of 0.2%.

The steps involved in the process included:

1. Preparation of the marinade powder.
2. Marinating the chicken for 6 hours.
3. Grilling the chicken at 250°C for 12-15 minutes.