Sustainability, sensory excellence, and cutting-edge plant-based solutions dominated FiE 2024 as industry leaders showcased transformative innovations for tomorrow’s food landscape.
Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) 2024, held from November 19–21 in Frankfurt, Germany, once again served as a premier global stage for food and beverage innovation. With sustainability, health-consciousness, and sensory excellence at the forefront of industry trends, this year’s event was a showcase of cutting-edge solutions addressing the evolving demands of consumers and producers alike. Major players in the food industry are unveiling a range of innovations that promised to redefine how we think about nutrition, texture, and clean-label products.
Among the highlights, Ingredion and BENEO were leading the charge with breakthrough concepts that harmonise consumer preferences for health, sustainability, and sensory appeal. Ingredion’s insights-driven product prototypes and BENEO’s streamlined solutions for plant-based development exemplify the event’s focus on collaboration and transformation in the food sector.
The new innovations spotlighted at FiE 2024 hone in on how manufacturers are leveraging advanced ingredient technologies to deliver premium taste, texture, and nutrition while meeting environmental and economic goals.
Driving microbiome science and plant-based innovations
Probionic Corporation stood out for its focus on microbiome advancements, using Fi Europe as an opportunity to showcase cutting-edge innovations. Reflecting on the event, the company noted its collaborative atmosphere, saying: “Grateful for the chance to connect with many inspiring minds and share our innovations in microbiome science. Thank you for the inspiring conversations and collaborations we’re looking forward to even more exciting opportunities!”
“It is an exciting time in plant-based and hybrid product development, and we want to show producers that it is possible to combine taste, texture, and cost-efficiency in a wide range of solutions”
Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) showcased its latest contributions to plant-based ingredient development, highlighting innovations designed to enhance taste, texture, and nutritional value. Their team also emphasised the importance of integrating these solutions seamlessly into production processes. LDC stated: “We showcased new plant-based ingredients designed to elevate product taste, texture, and nutritional value. Our ingredients experts explained how these can integrate seamlessly into plant-based product manufacturing processes.” Beyond ingredients, LDC spotlighted its intermodal logistics services, adding: “We also highlighted our intermodal logistics services, including efficient, sustainable, and scalable solutions to move products from origin to market – safely, reliably, and responsibly.”
Key insights and market trends
At Food Ingredients Europe 2024, Ingredion captivated attendees with a showcase that blended consumer insights with innovative plant-based and clean-label food and beverage concepts. Collaborating with distribution partner Univar Solutions, the company presented a diverse array of prototypes designed to address key trends highlighted in its latest ATLAS research.
Ingredion’s ATLAS research revealed that clean label claims were the leading factor driving consumer willingness to pay premium prices, with 73% of European consumers prioritising products made with recognizable ingredients. The findings also underscored the importance of health-conscious choices, with 85% of consumers expressing a preference for functional ingredients offering nutritional benefits.
Charlotte Commarmond, Ingredion’s vice president of global marketing, emphasised the significance of these insights: “Our latest ATLAS research confirmed that clean label continues to be a major purchase driver, with up to 55% of European consumers willing to pay more for products with natural claims. But consumers also want taste, texture, sustainability, and more.” She highlighted the challenge and opportunity for manufacturers to balance clean labels with sustainability, taste, and nutritional demands.
Ingredion’s culinary team delighted visitors with fresh, plant-based prototypes that spanned multiple categories. The bakery offerings included a light butternut chilli cracker and a sugar-reduced Madeleine, demonstrating clean-label credentials through:
- PURITY™ Alpha 865 starch
- VERSAFIBE™ 285 Soluble Corn Fibre
For dairy alternatives, Ingredion presented a hybrid cream cheese served on dark rye bread, paired with textured desserts featuring combinations of citrus fibres and KaTech food systems.
Several new launches took centre stage at Ingredion’s booth, including NOVATION® Indulge 2940, the first functional native corn starch offering unique gelling and film-forming properties, ideal for dairy alternatives and batters. FIBERTEX® CF multi-benefit citrus fibres also stood out for their ability to enhance texture while supporting clean-label claims. Derived from upcycled citrus peels, these fibres enable manufacturers to replace less consumer-accepted ingredients while maintaining taste and quality.
A holistic value chain approach
BENEO showcased its innovative solutions designed to streamline the development and launch of hybrid and fully plant-based products. By leveraging texturates from faba bean protein concentrate, BENEO highlighted how its solutions address key challenges in formulation and manufacturing, offering producers cost-effective and scalable pathways to market.
BENEO demonstrated its ability to support producers across multiple stages of the value chain, from ingredient and recipe development to primary processing, semi-finished goods, and final consumer products. By simplifying these processes, the company enabled faster market entry and improved cost and quality control for manufacturers.
Recognising the growing consumer interest in plant-based nutrition—where nearly three out of five consumers globally are engaged and one in three identifies as flexitarian—BENEO underscored the importance of addressing taste, texture, cleaner labels, and affordability to drive adoption.
BENEO presented a variety of samples to illustrate its expertise in plant-based and hybrid applications:
Plant-Based Feta Cheese Balls: Featuring BENEO’s protein concentrate, starch-rich faba bean flour, rice starch, rice flour, and Orafti® Inulin chicory root fibre, these snacks achieved an improved Nutri-Score. They offered a creamy texture, high fibre content, and versatility across applications.
Plant-Based Chocolate: Using BENEO’s faba bean ingredients, this sustainable alternative to dairy chocolate seamlessly integrates into existing production processes while maintaining superior taste.
Egg-Free Meringue: Made with BENEO’s faba bean protein concentrate, this product delivered stable foam and an aerated texture post-baking, providing a high-performing alternative for egg-based meringues.
Niels E. Hower, Member of BENEO’s Executive Board, highlighted the company’s commitment to innovation: “BENEO’s plant-based protein strategy aims to cover more parts of the value chain. Next to our ingredients, this includes offerings for hybrid and vegetarian applications such as ingredient texturates that are ready to be processed, as well as semi-finished products. As a result, we speed up the development process for our customers and increase their control of cost and quality at the same time.”
Forging partnerships for the future
INNOBIO Corporation reflected on their accomplishments at the show, commenting: “Time flies! A heartfelt thank you to each customer for their trust and support; it’s your shared spirit that enriches every meeting with deep significance! Over three inspiring days, we’ve established valuable connections with many new friends, engaged in insightful discussions with industry experts, and met with exceptional exhibitors—a truly enriching experience.”
“From delightful gummy solutions to innovative products like LocVita® Tocotrienols and VDLIFE™ Organic Vegan Vitamin D3, we offer customised solutions uniquely tailored to meet your diverse needs.”
Rimon Chemical Co. Ltd highlighted the event’s role in fostering meaningful connections and sparking creativity. They noted the impact of these interactions, commenting: “It’s been an incredible journey connecting with industry leaders, sparking innovative ideas, and forging new partnerships. The energy and enthusiasm here are truly inspiring, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!”
Editorial contact:
Editor: Kiran Grewal kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk
