Man and child buying pasta in supermarket.

Novonesis tackles wheat volatility and pasta quality challenges

Novonesis has developed Optiva Triticum G, a biosolution designed to help pasta manufacturers diversify wheat sourcing while maintaining the product quality consumers expect. Pasta remains an important global staple due to its affordability, long shelf life, and versatility. At the same time, volatility in durum wheat supply and pricing is encouraging manufacturers to explore more flexible sourcing strategies. Ishan Gupta, head of the Business Unit Baking at Novonesis Food & Beverage, tells Food Ingredients First: “The solution helps improve the texture and firmness of soft wheat pasta, allowing manufacturers to unlock greater flexibility in flour sourcing while continuing to deliver the quality consumers value.” 
A woman eating a very sweet looking doughnut.
Beyond sugar swaps: Sweetener systems tackle taste, texture and GLP-1 nutrition needs
When producers pull sugar out of formulation, other things leave with it. Bulk and crystallization in confectionery, or body, mouthfeel, and flavor in beverages. In plant-based and high-protein products, sugar is often used to cover beany, earthy, and astringent notes. Sweetness is not the problem, it is all of the added benefits that sugar brings with it.
Adams Berzins, Ingredion’s senior manager for sugar reduction.
Ingredion sugar reduction expert: How stevia and sweet proteins close savory formulation gaps
Sugar appears in products consumers rarely associate with sweetness, including ready meals, sauces, and marinades. Modern shoppers recognize this and increasingly want the ingredient reduced. They also expect no loss of taste in return. Ingredion’s research finds that the majority of consumers in the US and Canada consider reduced-sugar claims important when selecting ready meals. 
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Case study: reformulate a sweet-and-sour marinade
For food professionals, product reformulation is often a complex challenge. How do you improve a product's nutritional composition without compromising on taste, functionality, consumer acceptance, or commercial results? Dutch Spices supports producers in addressing these issues and developed two case studies.This Technical Paper is brought to you by Dutch Spices.
AGRANA Fruit webinar promotional graphic showing a shopper reading a label beside text about gaps in functional F&B
When Healthy Isn't Enough: What's Missing in Today's Functional F&B?
As consumer demand for functional food and beverage products continues to rise, delivering health benefits is no longer a differentiator, it’s an expectation. But while brands compete on claims, many overlook a critical driver of repeat purchase: enjoyment.Taste, texture and sensory excitement often fall short, leaving consumers with products that are good for them, but not compelling enough to come back to. In this webinar, we explore the missing link in today’s functional F&B landscape: “fun.” Why is indulgence still important alongside functionality in many categories and how can brands bridge the gap between nutrition and pleasure without compromising on either.Join us as we unpack emerging consumer expectations, highlight key trends, and demonstrate how a holistic approach to product development can unlock both health and indulgence. Discover why the future of functional F&B lies in both what products do and how they make people feel.
Erika Milczek, Curie Co.
IFT FIRST 2026: Curie Co boosts dairy yields with protein-stabilizing enzyme

Erika Milczek, founder and CEO of Curie Co, presents Curabind, a clean label enzyme designed to stabilize proteins by increasing the number of bonds. Milczek says the enzyme can improve cheese curd yields by up to 11% and strained yogurt mass by 25%, while supporting longer shelf life. She also highlights its potential to replace gums, hydrocolloids, and modified starches.

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FDA proposes mandatory GRAS notifications as US moves to define ultra-processed...
The US FDA building.
The US FDA has unveiled its proposal requiring companies to notify the agency every time they conclude an ingredient is generally recognized as safe (GRAS). The move will close a route that the FDA says has allowed manufacturers to put substances into the food supply without informing regulators since 1958.
US brands weigh higher costs with consumer expectations in the FD&C dye shift
oterra color stability demonstration
Synthetic colors face an uncertain future in the US, as a patchwork of state bans takes shape. And while brands are intensifying their reformulation efforts — inspired by the Make America Healthy Again movement — many are still waiting to take the leap. Food Ingredients First sits down with a host of color suppliers working to address industry needs for naturals, while balancing cost, regulation, and limited performance compared to synthetics. Amy VanHook, senior account manager at Vivify, a US supplier of both synthetic and natural colors, reports that interest in naturals has exploded. Still, many companies are reformulating “to be ready” rather than committing to change. 
Rabobank warns of rising El Niño risks across food commodities
Drought impacts agriculture. Farmer looks at dried up crops.
A strengthening El Niño is putting a range of agricultural commodities under renewed weather pressure, with cocoa, palm oil, sugar, Robusta coffee, and Australian grains among the markets most exposed to adverse weather, according to Rabobank.
Food scientists enrich potato ketchup with chlorella microalgae
Man shopping for ketchup
Food scientists have developed an enriched potato ketchup containing protein extracted from Chlorella vulgaris microalgae — which can contain up to two to three times more protein. The team designed ketchup recipes containing 1–13% algae protein along with typical ingredients such as plum tomatoes, sugar, salt, vinegar, spices, and citric acid. A panel of 15 participants sampled the bottled and pasteurized ketchup samples, which included a plain variety with no added algae. Participants generally preferred the recipes containing up to 3% added algal extract, noting that the samples maintained the sweet, tangy taste, and reddish appearance associated with the condiment.
JBS taps Danantara in US$2.5B Southeast Asia joint venture push
Woman and child looking at dairy products in store
JBS Group has formed a long-term strategic partnership with Danantara Indonesia, through Danantara Investment Management (DIM), aimed at establishing a protein investment platform across the Asia-Pacific region. Under the transaction, DIM will commit US$2.5 billion for a 25% stake in a newly formed joint venture overseeing JBS’s Australia and New Zealand businesses, beginning with a US$800 million investment at closing and a further US$1.7 billion over the following three years. 
Royal Canin targets precision pet nutrition and ingredient science with...
Cat and dog eating

Nutrition Insight

The pet food market is growing as owners prioritize the long-term wellness of their furry friends. Meanwhile, in a “humanization” of the field, owners are increasingly projecting their own dietary and health priorities onto their pets, with specific interests in healthy aging and gut microbiota becoming more important. Royal Canin cautions that human-inspired feeding trends can make it challenging for people to distinguish evidence-based health needs for their cats and dogs from trends. The company’s global VP of R&D, Silvia Miret-Catalan, tells Nutrition Insight that the future of pet nutrition lies in nutrient science. 
Highlighted features
Glass of blackcurrant juice on a chopping board with blackcurrants.
Food Ingredients News
Blackcurrant carves out premium niche in food and beverage...
Blackcurrant may not have the global scale of strawberry or raspberry, but its distinctive flavor, intense color, and premium positioning are creating new opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers. As brands and manufacturers seek ingredients that deliver multiple benefits — from flavor and visual appeal to clean label credentials — blackcurrant is gaining traction across beverages, confectionery, dairy and functional foods.
AI-enhanced food ingredient innovation lab.
Tech & Innovation
AI enters the food lab: The rise of predictive ingredient...
Artificial intelligence has moved beyond brainstorming and into the working infrastructure of F&B innovation. Ingredient suppliers, product developers, and major brands are using specialized systems to organize research, model formulations, predict ingredient behavior, interpret consumer signals, and reduce physical trials before commercialization. Before reaching the bench, developers can use AI to eliminate obvious dead ends, compare competing constraints, and decide which formulations are worth testing.
Chia seed pudding with mango in glass jars.
New Product Development
Mango innovation accelerates as ingredient variability...
Mango is moving beyond its traditional role as a familiar tropical flavor. Manufacturers are repositioning it across functional beverages, frozen desserts, pastries, and globally inspired flavor combinations. However, as demand expands into more technical applications, suppliers are challenged with delivering authentic mango character with the consistency industrial production requires. Innova Market Insights data suggests that global F&B launches featuring mango flavor recorded a 10% CAGR from July 2021 to June 2026. Juices and Nectars remain mango’s largest launch subcategory. However, some of the fastest growth is occurring elsewhere, including Frozen Desserts, Cakes and Pastries, Water-based Ice Lollies, Pops & Sorbets, and Iced Tea.

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Effective sweetener solutionsAug2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates that consumers are actively reducing sugar to eat healthier. As demand for healthier F&B options grows, brands are reformulating products and exploring new sw...

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New frontiers in protein Aug 2026

Innova Market Insights data indicates a 6% average annual growth in F&B launches with protein ingredients and high/source of protein claims between April 2021 and March 2026. The top subcategories were Cereal, Dairy, and Meat Substitutes. Soup and hot drinks with protein ingredients were emerging. The top protein ingredients were milk protein, pea protein, and soy protein isolate.

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What’s next in Desserts and Ice Cream?Aug 2026

Innova Market Insights data shows that flavor still plays a vital role in ice cream and dessert choices, with the category growing at a 4% CAGR from July 2021 to June 2026. While ice cream accounts for the largest share of these launches, toppings and flavor combinations are becoming more creative areas for NPD. Sour flavors are also gaining attention in desserts, growing by 132% over the past five years globally.

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Erika Milczek, Curie Co.
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IFT FIRST 2026: Curie Co boosts dairy yields with protein-stabilizing enzyme

Erika Milczek, founder and CEO of Curie Co, presents Curabind, a clean label enzyme designed to stabilize proteins by increasing the number of bonds. Milczek says the enzyme can improve cheese curd yields by up to 11% and strained yogurt mass by 25%, while supporting longer shelf life. She also...

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IFT FIRST 2026: Nexira launches Eficacia Advanced to cut costs with lower dosage
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Hans Brand, Revyve
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