Ingredion will showcase its latest ingredient innovations at this year’s Djazagro exhibition with a range of on-trend recipes available on stand AA 023.
Formulated with Ingredion’s plant-based ingredient solutions, including sugar reduction and specialty sweeteners, the recipes demonstrate how Ingredion helps food and beverage manufacturers address affordability challenges in the growing Algerian agrifood market — forecast to increase by USD 530.7 million by 2027— and the wider African and Middle Eastern markets.
Taking place from June 5-8 at SAFEX Exhibition Park in Algiers, Algeria, Djazagro is expected to attract over 20,000 agrifood industry professionals, including food and beverage manufacturers, retailers and suppliers. Delegates will be able to sample a range of Ingredion’s recipe prototypes, which demonstrate how manufacturers can deliver affordable plant-based and reduced-sugar products.
On-stand prototypes include a no-added-sugar mojito (alcohol-free), and a range of plant-based foods including an Algerian meat-like ‘cachir’, a batch of fluffy muffins and spreadable cheese.
Increasing inflation within the economies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is causing slower economic growth
Quentin Labbe, Sales and Technical Services Manager for the Middle East and North & West Africa at Ingredion, said: “Increasing inflation within the economies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is causing slower economic growth and commensurate food insecurity, with MENA’s GDP expected to slow to 3% in 2023 — down from almost 6% in 2022.
Inflation means consumers now require affordable food and beverage products. Importantly, however, manufacturers must still deliver high-quality products that meet consumers’ interest in the growing health and wellness trend.
“Health and wellness, and the general growth of the plant-based trend, continues to prove a key driver for consumer purchasing and consumption habits across Northern Africa. Therefore, today’s consumers are showing a growing preference for foods and beverages with claims like ‘protein enriched’, ‘natural’, ‘plant-based’ and ‘sweetener of natural origin’, as well as claims around sugar reduction.
“This demand presents a significant opportunity for food and beverage manufacturers in the MENA region to tap into this growing market, with new or reformulated product developments that answer consumers’ interests. Crucially, manufacturers must still deliver a memorable eating experience — without compromising on taste or texture. At Ingredion, we are passionate about combining our global formulation expertise with cost-effective ingredient solutions to help manufacturers manage their own cost reduction goals, while still delivering on quality.”
Ingredion’s on-stand prototypes will be created using a range of solutions from Ingredion, as well as PureCircle by Ingredion and KaTech, which was acquired by Ingredion in 2021. The mojito will utilise PureCircle by Ingredion’s portfolio of specialty sugar reduction and sweetener solutions. The foods, meanwhile, will utilise Ingredion’s VITESSENCE range of plant-based proteins, and KaTech’s functional food systems.