Beverage Innovation

Stacey K. Walton is a food scientist at Tate & Lyle with an expertise in beverage applications.  She earned her Bachelors of Science, Masters of Science, and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  She has focused on food and beverage chemistry and sensory science throughout her education.  She has previously worked for ADM, PepsiCo Beverages and Foods, and Kellogg’s in various roles.

When it comes to innovation in the beverage area, a common theme I hear from fellow food scientists is that they do not have new ingredients to work with. They say all companies have the same set of approved ingredients to work with, and there are only so many combinations you can come up with. At Tate & Lyle, we are continually working to scale-up new ingredients to enable innovation. An example of one of our latest ingredient launches is PROMITOR™ Soluble Corn Fiber. The average American diet does not consist of enough fiber, so fortification in beverage applications makes sense. Similar to the many calcium- fortified beverage products available on the market, I would expect that we will be seeing many more fiber-fortified beverages in the near future.

Some sources of fiber are difficult to formulate with for various reasons. They are not heat stable for hot filling, they contribute off flavors, or increase viscosity beyond what is acceptable. PROMITOR™ Soluble Corn Fiber makes a product developer’s job easy since it is heat stable for an extended shelf life across the beverage pH range. It gives a mild sweet taste to the product, and contributes a slight viscosity to the finished product. The best part is that it dissolves clear in a finished beverage. Tate & Lyle has developed starting formulas fortified with fiber in a variety of beverage applications, including juices and juice drinks, carbonated soft drinks, and flavored waters.

Tate & Lyle has an extensive group of food scientists to assist with any formula questions that might come up with soluble corn fiber or any Tate & Lyle ingredient. Product developers should take a look at what’s new at Tate & Lyle when brainstorming for new innovation beverage projects.