Glanbia's OptiSol 5000 wins tortilla industry award

Glanbia Nutritionals’ OptiSol® 5000 functional flaxseed ingredient has been announced as a winner of an award at the recent Tortilla Industry Association (TIA) conference. One of four selected winners of the TIA Search for Better Tortilla Technology contest, the company won a cash prize and received the opportunity to present the technology to the conference delegates. The award recognizes quality or yield improvements from new and creative approaches from ingredients or ingredient processing strategies.

Addressing the moisture management and texture issues that manufacturers face in formulation, the OptiSol 5000 ingredient can provide both functional and nutritional benefits in tortillas. The ingredient was commended for its improved shelf life, eating quality, dough handling, finished product texture and tortilla diameter. A natural, clean-label, allergen-free ingredient, OptiSol 5000 is a cost-effective guar gum replacer, in addition to the replacement of high-cost fibers and starches.

Diane Hoffpauer, CCS®, senior bakery scientist at Glanbia Nutritionals, presented the company’s innovative technology at the conference, and comments, “We have found great results with the use of OptiSol 5000 in wheat flour tortillas. Texture analysis on a TA.XTPlus Texture Analyzer showed improved tortilla extensibility and softness with the ingredient, as well as enhanced finished product characteristics. Originally created as a clean label solution to guar gum shortages and moisture management in breads, we’re pleased to report the extensive study results on the benefits of OptiSol 5000 for tortillas. It is an honor for our ingredient to be recognized for its unique benefits by the TIA.”

The TIA Technical Conference took place on Oct. 5 and 6, in Las Vegas and is part of the renowned International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), which attracts more than 20,000 baking professionals in the grain market.