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Innovative food ingredients that are changing the future of food in India
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Friday, 27 November, 2020, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Radhika Suri
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India has become one of the most central destinations for sourcing of pioneering food ingredients, with the industry developing at an annual rate of 17 per cent. The present global crisis has led to the countersigning of rapid alterations in terms of consumer food preferences that have been dominating the Indian food and beverage space. Food consumption, eating patterns and above all the consumer’s proclivity towards food, ingredients are particularly expected to be impacted owing to all the new concerns revolving around hygiene, personal safety and social distancing norms that have been bestowed upon us by the pandemic.
These unanticipated changes taking place in the Indian food industry has transmuted menu development altogether by imposing a profound emphasis on the inclusion of innovative food ingredients that will drive the industry’s future in the upcoming years. The bottle-neck speed at which the pandemic has been speeding up the demand for immunity boosting ingredients, it has been researched that the global crisis has caused 75 percent of consumers to seek out healthier foods and beverages, thus indicating towards a major shift in ingredients that go into food preparation.
New trend highlighting on immunity-boosting ingredients:
Immunity being the foremost line of defense during such challenging times, the food industry in India is innovating dishes by playing around with immunity-boosting properties, with food contents like amla, chia seeds and pepper joining the condiments list as the new stars. Immunity booster palates, wholesome drinks and desserts are the latest buzz word in the hospitality industry.
Chocolates with ashwagandha, pecan nuts, cumin, ginger and goji berries, past cooked in turmeric sauce, carrot, ginger and turmeric-infused smoothies and latte, wedges served with moringa leaves and hemp powder in chapati and pizza dough, are some of the innovative ways of playing with local ingredients that is being adopted by the countries food industry. The welcome drinks which initially were dominated by elements like coconut cream, Agave, soda, Kosher salt, lemonade and flavor enhancers have now been replaced by age-old locally-sourced ingredients like curcumin, ginger, pepper, ghee and jaggery. The contemporary brews are gradually being supplanted with immunity enhancing beverages like Kashayam, Kada, Kahwa, curcumin tea, energy-packed Lakshman phal soup and golden milk. While the ingredients to experiment with are available in abundance, nothing can surpass the crowning glory of the golden spices like turmeric, tulsi, hibiscus and amla. Having always been famous in its ‘Haldi doodh’ form, turmeric has even managed to find its way into alcoholic drinks and concoctions with innovations like a White Rum Pina Colada with turmeric.
Innovative ingredients like chicken broth, drumsticks, kale, thyme, avocados, spinach, broccoli, turmeric, immunity booster salads and soya bean have started ruling the restaurant kitchens. Due to being home-bound, the modern-day consumers have comprehended the significance of taking charge of one’s health to keep the immune system nourished. The pre-pandemic calorie-rich desserts like crème Brulee, fudgy Nutella brownies, cheesecakes and chocolate toffee truffles have been replaced with healthier versions like apple and honey with cinnamon pie, coconut custard, green tea soufflé, dark chocolate tart with roasted almonds and turmeric citrus immune-boosting tarts. Never-thought-before ingredients for ice-cream flavors like ginger, lime, wheatgrass, lemongrass, dates and chavyanprash are ensuring that patrons can actually get a host of well-being benefits in these pandemic-ridden times.
Plant-based nourishments reining the F&B industry cards:
At the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak, there has been a significant increase in plant-based food demand with consumer’s dietary patterns having altered in a narrow range. As a result of the anxieties that animals may be hosts of the virus, there is a likelihood of an inexplicably larger decline in the consumption of animal protein. Alongside these apprehensions, plant-based meats seem like an attractive substitute to traditional sausages and hamburgers. Plant-based burgers or sausages with primary ingredients like water, a blend of plant proteins and fats, soy protein, potato protein and coconut oil will do the rounds in the food industry in times to come. These alternate protein products are poised to take a bite out of the conservative meat market as mainstream consumers are gradually getting attuned with new and enhanced options that deliver on texture and taste.
Functional Foods boosting immunity:
The pandemic having impacted consumer perceptions of health and wellness, it has created a renewed interest in functional foods or superfoods that are fortified, supplemented and enhanced, providing health advantages beyond the provision of basic nutrients. These encompass the use of ingredients like elderberry and pickled vegetables for upholding immune system health, melon for illness treatment and kombucha for refining gut health. In the wake of this trend, the food industry in present times is trying to surge its consumption of fiber, protein, vitamin D, calcium, nuts/seeds, and whole grains and are incorporating antioxidants, omega-3s, green tea, and probiotics to its food menus.
A testament to the growing popularity of wellness shots and probiotics:
These small servings of concentrated health-packed juices entailing ingredients that are considered to have helpful properties are all set to lend the mocktail culture a twist. Immune improving wellness shots typically have one or more of several ingredients such as turmeric, apple cider vinegar, citrus, echinacea, cayenne pepper, ginger, and wheatgrass to name a few. Probiotics which are “good” bacteria present in fermented edibles such as yogurt help in stimulating the immune. Innovations in this segment include fruity plant-based probiotic beverage and probiotic-fortified products like buttermilk with a dash of strawberries.
Although the year 2020 will build on a lot of the growth areas that the industry has already witnessed, bringing in novelty and revolution in these categories could vividly shift what our country’s food industry will offer in the upcoming years and beyond. The modern-day consumers are not only on a look-out for healthier-seeming products, but they also demand a sustaining taste and texture, which could come by bringing in innovation in ingredients.
(The author is Mtech food technology scholar in MIT college of Food technology,Maharashtra)
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