Texturants

The way food looks and feels is just as important as how it tastes, yet the world is not united on what great food texture is. Global regions experience the texture of food differently, making it challenging for an international food manufacturer to find the perfect mouthfeel for any one product.

By doing their homework, manufacturers can explore texture diversity and modify products to meet regional expectations. Tailoring food textures to different markets can help a brand achieve greater success internationally. 

Texture Differences

Food textures can vary across cultures. Take the expected texture of yogurt. Western cultures expect a thick yogurt, while eastern cultures prefer a runny consistency. And the challenge doesn’t end there. Variations in yogurt type also come with varying expectations in texture. Greek yogurt is presumed to be thicker in texture.

To accomplish this variations-on-a-theme approach, food manufacturers need global insight into sensory attributes. After all, it’s more than getting textures just right — producers also must avoid creating textures that would be considered offensive to some cultures, which means seeking the knowledge and mastering the technical capability required to adapt a product to preferences from Shanghai to Chicago.

Texture is also a visual element. This is best illustrated in the sauce market. More than half of sauce consumers around the world say the appearance of water separation in ketchup or mayonnaise impacts their purchase decision.  Sauces that appear too thick can also affect purchases, especially in China and Indonesia. The consistency of canned soup comes with its own subtle variations. A broth that looks too thin becomes a significant deterrent to purchase in certain markets such as China and South Korea.

Dairy’s Contribution to Texturants

Texturants are able to be completely natural and customized to fit many tastes. DairiConcepts offers a diverse range of products for creating satisfying texture across food categories with clean label declarations. Dairy powders can enhance the creaminess of sauces and soups without artificial additives; dairy concentrates add indulgent richness to dressings and dips — all while maintaining the definitions of clean label set by the customer.

Juggling food textures for the global market requires a food ingredient partner with both experience and expertise in texture modification. The ideal ingredient developer can subtly change yogurt consistency to meet the expectations of a target market. They can help enhance both the visual and textural appetite appeal of sauces to capture market share in any global region. With an in-depth knowledge of clean label guidelines, expert food scientists can balance clean label goals, flavor, and texture with perfect harmony for any cultural preference.

About DFA Ingredient Solutions: 

DFA Ingredient Solutions manufactures and supplies various innovative dairy ingredients, including dairy-type flavors, dairy powders, cheeses, concentrates, sweetened condensed milk and more. Starting with fresh milk from its more than 14,500 family farmers, our team combines technical expertise with culinary prowess to create simple yet indulgent products. Our selection of innovative dairy ingredients is made available to foodservice professionals, retailers and food manufacturers throughout the United States and across the world.

For smaller food and beverage companies who might not meet minimum order quantities, we offer a selection of cheese powders, concentrated pastes and specialty powders available for purchase directly on our e-commerce website.