The cornerstone of many great soups, gravies and sauces is stock – that flavorful building block for the rest of the product. And when formulators are seeking a “natural” designation for the label – and a “cleaner” ingredient statement – all-natural stock is the only choice.

Hormel Specialty Products manufactures a range of 100% natural beef stocks to add protein-rich flavor to a variety of soups, gravies and sauces, while also building mouthfeel and body, and contributing to aroma. The stocks are made by cooking fresh beef bones with adhering meat in water over time, yielding highly concentrated products with varying percentages of solids and protein. These stocks are subsequently processed into three ingredient formats: frozen, dried and shelf-stable.

Hormel™s Great Beginnings® Frozen Beef Stock is available in either 38% or 56% (typical) solids. Both have mild, beefy notes and a high protein content – accounting for at least 93% of the solids. The 38% stock ranges from 35% to 45% protein and 36% to 46% total solids, and sees typical use levels from 1.5% to 10.0% of the formula. The 56% stock ranges from 56% to 62% protein and 55% to 62% total solids, and is generally used at 1% to 7%. Even when frozen to -20°F, the product remains soft, since the protein ties up all free water.

To make it shelf stable, the Building Blocks Beef Stock Concentrate B1 is concentrated and then blended with salt (at 7.5% to 11.0%). This highly viscous paste has a protein level of 57% to 67%.

“Very few manufacturers have the capabilities to produce a high-solids broth and paste, especially inside the United States,” says Melanie L. Brechka, national sales manager, ingredients. “It’s very unique to the U.S. market.” She notes the benefits of a highly concentrated product are lower use levels and reduced shipping costs (from not shipping water).

The Great Beginnings Dried Beef Stock comes as a free-flowing powder with no added salt. Its high protein content helps smooth-out harsh, acidic flavors to develop a mellow, beefy, full-bodied background flavor. It’s generally used at 0.5% to 5.0%. As dictated by USDA standards, reconstituting the product 1:135 with water lets formulators remove “water” from labels and replace it with “beef stock”. According to Brechka, the Dried Beef Stock can serve a number of flavor-driven purposes. She suggests formulators visit the Hormel Specialty Products website to review a recipe for Hearty 3-Bean & Ham Soup that uses the dried stock to help with overall flavor.

All of these stocks are flash-sterilized to ensure safety, and have a shelf life of two years.

Hormel Specialty Products

1 Hormel Place

Austin, MN 55912

Website: hormelingredients.com

Source:
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1210/jc.2010-2230
“Vitamin D3 Is More Potent Than Vitamin D2 in Humans”
Authors: R.P. Heaney, R.R. Recker, J. Grote, R.L. Horst, L.A.G. Armas

As consumers become more familiar with the added benefits of protein powders, manufacturers too will begin to realize the potential opportunities of these highly customizable ingredients.

Nicole Shute, manager of sales support for Hormel Specialty Products, authors an article on customizing dairy protein powders in August issue of Natural Products INSIDER.

From the August 11, 2010 Natural Products INSIDER.

These findings add to the ever-growing list of benefits of omega-3 fish oils, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and certain cancers, good prenatal development, joint health, and improved cognitive function and overall mood.

However, not all omega-3s are created equal. Hormel ETERNAâ„¢ OMEGASOURCEâ„¢ oils provide high levels of EPA and DHA that other omega-3s from flax seed do not.

The full article on NASA’s study is published in the May issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. It may also be found here.

“At a time when the demand is growing for products that are both natural and flavorful, Hormel is devoted to creating high quality ingredients that please customers,” said Melanie Brechka, National Sales Manager, Ingredients. “We are proud to provide these natural products that are both beneficial to developers and enjoyed by consumers.”

Hormel offers a full suite of ingredient products and multiple shipping locations, making it a one-stop solution for food developers across the United States.

“As the demand grows for more foods and beverages fortified with omega-3 fish oils, scientists continue to pursue new methods for incorporating these oils in ways that please customers,” said Dr. Chet Rao, sales and marketing manager for Hormel Foods Specialty Products. “Hormel’s patent pending and proprietary processes enable developers to expand beyond refrigerated and frozen items which will be beneficial to developers and consumers alike.”

To date, omega-3 mass-market appeal in beverages has been limited to refrigerated and frozen products. Shelf-stable drinks have not been fortified with EPA/DHA for primarily three reasons: (1) the flavor profile of starting omega-3 EPA/DHA oils, (2) the tendency of oils to oxidize and cause flavor instability, and (3) because oils are non-polar, they do not dissolve well into water-based beverages. Eternaâ„¢ brand beverage solutions resolve all the three challenges by combining flavorless omega-3 EPA/DHA oils with patent pending clear beverage technology. To make Eternaâ„¢ beverage solutions clear, Hormel increases the total hydrolipophilic balance (HLB) of the EPA/DHA environment, resulting in reduced oil properties and increased water properties for the EPA/DHA. By increasing the water properties of the EPA/DHA, the product becomes more water soluble and less visible.