Cheesy sauces and entrees are long-standing favorites in the American diet. Whether serving up classic mac & cheese or enjoying nachos with creamy queso dip, consumers crave the distinct flavor and mouthfeel that cheese brings to a dish.
While cheesy comfort foods are beloved, the high sodium content, fat and calories are concerning for many consumers with health conditions or those simply seeking better overall nutrition. A single slice of American cheese, for example, contains more than 400 grams of sodium. That single slice accounts for about 20% of the daily recommended allowance, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) dietary guidelines.
Grande Custom Ingredients Group developed an all-natural and innovative ingredient that partially replaces regular and processed cheese and allows food manufacturers to reduce sodium, fat and calories — without compromising on flavor and functionality.
Watch the video below for a brief introduction to this new and innovative ingredient that tastes like cheese…because it’s made as part of the cheesemaking process.
Video Transcript:
Cost savings, flavor enhancement, improving texture and mouthfeel… they’re all common words in a food formulator’s vocabulary. A lot of times, customers think you can’t have one without the other — that if you lower the cost, then your quality’s gonna go down, too.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. We’ve developed a solution with Gusto® reduced lactose whey. It improves the flavor, mouthfeel and texture of cheesy formulas while also achieving the cost savings that is so highly sought after by your customers.
We know that improving these attributes can drive repeat purchases at the consumer level, so give our team a call to learn more about formulating your cheese sauces and soups with Gusto.
How Grande Gusto Improves Cheesy Formulations
It’s not often that the “lite” version of a formulation beats out the original for taste and creaminess. In a controlled study comparing the use of American Cheese vs. Grande Gusto in a macaroni and cheese formulation, however, Grande Gusto scored higher for taste and texture, yet reduced sodium and calories by 10% and fat by 25%.
Grande Gusto is an all-natural, clean-label, powdered whey ingredient that is derived from the cheesemaking process with a strict chain of custody. It aligns with the values of health-conscious consumers and also aligns with budgetary goals of food producers for its ability to stabilize volatile pricing associated with fresh or processed cheese.
The implications of excessive sodium consumption is of growing concern among consumers and healthcare professionals. After a study published in The Lancet revealed that one in five deaths were associated with poor diet, researchers called on governments and the food industry to produce more affordable and nutritious food, calling out lower sodium formulations in particular.
As has been proven in the past, consumers are willing to pay more for clean labels and health claims, but not at the expense of flavor and texture. Not only are clean labels important, but a nutritional panel showing reduced sodium is also a driver, with 71% saying they’d pay more for a great-tasting, low-sodium product.
Learn more about Grande Gusto’s ability to optimize costs and improve taste and texture. Contact our food scientists to talk about your formulation challenge and request a sample.
