The food and beverage industry is busy expanding its ingredient offerings and production capabilities.

Penford Food Ingredients expanded its egg replacement portfolio of starches and starch and gum blends, which can partially or fully replace the whole egg, egg white and yolk in prepared food products such as baked goods, pasta, desserts and more.

“Egg components are escalating in price and can fluctuate greatly in the market,” said John Randall, president of Penford Food Ingredients. “Companies need high-performing replacement technologies not only to reduce the cost of production and reduce price volatility, but also to cater to allergen-free markets. Depending on the formulation, removing eggs can potentially reduce saturated fat and cholesterol, and maintain volume in food products without gluten, egg, soy or dairy.”

TIC Gums is also expanding its ingredient portfolio with the launch of two new texture and stabilization solutions for instant protein beverages. The expansion includes non-GMO and organic options that utilize the Texture Revolution Lexicon to improve the texture of fortified instant beverages that require substantial mouth coating and a reduction in the awareness of particulates: Ticaloid® Ultrasmooth NGMO, a non-GMO alternative; and Ticaloid® OG 1155, an organic option.

Glanbia expanded its production capabilities for its Bioferrin® brand of bovine lactoferrin, a bioactive protein, as a result of significant global customer and market demand growth; the expansion is expected to be completed in 2015. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein that serves many purposes and is finding its way into mainstream foods such as infant formula, dairy and beverages.