Growing health concerns mean that consumers are increasingly label-conscious, and are more aware than ever about certain health-promoting ingredients.
As a consequence, Cargill said it plans to exhibit a number of heart health promoting ingredient brands.
Featured brands include CoroWise Naturally Sourced Cholesterol Reducer plant sterols, Prolisse soy protein isolate and Barliv barley beta-glucan.
The company claims that CoroWise plant sterols have been clinically shown to lower cholesterol. Products containing them are eligible for a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) health claim and are approved for use in the EU in a variety of foods.
Cargill said that CoroWise plant sterols can be added to foods and beverages without increasing calories or affecting flavour or texture, making it easy for people to add plant sterols into their daily diets and help reduce 'bad' LDL cholesterol levels.
Prolisse on the other hand is naturally sourced soy protein isolate. Applications for this ingredient are growing, as Cargill collaborates with food and beverage manufacturers to identify new opportunities.
At present, Prolisse soy protein isolate can be applied in nutrition bars, beverages, baked goods, processed meat and poultry and meat alternatives.
Barliv barley beta-glucan (barley betafibre) is a high purity (70 per cent) reduced molecular weight beta-glucan soluble fibre. Cargill said that it has cholesterol-lowering properties similar to oats, when consumed as part of a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet.
David Henstrom, general manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa of Cargill Health & Food Technologies, will also present 'Driving Heart Health With Consumers' at the exhibition, which will be held at Messe Frankfurt on 15 November.
"Cargill's proprietary marketing research indicates that the majority of consumers in selected European markets think seriously about their health and the nutritional value of what they eat,"said Henstrom.
"Good-tasting, efficacious functional foods are experiencing a greater acceptance by mainstream consumers than ever before. This presentation enables us to connect with food and beverage formulators to help them develop the heart-healthy products consumers are seeking."
In addition to featuring its heart-healthy ingredients, Cargill also plans to showcase a variety of differentiated sweetness and texturising solutions. The firm has already identified low fat, high protein flour as a new emerging market, and as a result has been focusing on developing innovative texturising ingredients for sectors such as bakery.
"We are maximising the opportunities to create new niches for specialised health supporting solutions and will highlight the nutritional benefits of C ActiStar, a resistant starch; Balantose, a double fermented wheat fibre and Arthred, a hydrolysed collagen," said the company in a recent statement.
The firm will also be showcasing Leci PS, a soy lecithin phosphatidylserine and ProSante, a textured soy flour. The addition of soy could help differentiate products in what is already a highly competitive food and beverage market. Cargill is also a major supplier of sweetener solutions, the firm plans to highlight trehalose, a non-reducing disaccharide composed of two glucose molecules linked by an a 1-1 bond.
HI Europe runs from the 14 to 16 November this year in Frankfurt, Germany.