Balchem, a leading global manufacturer of specialty ingredients for human nutrition and health, returns to IFT FIRST to showcase better-for-you food and beverage concepts and share expert insights on elevating formulation. At booth #1407, visitors can sample delicious new functional beverages and high-protein snack prototypes powered by Balchem’s range of food and beverage solutions, including its new Milk Protein Z-Crisps®. The portfolio includes customisable beverage systems, advanced microencapsulated ingredients and functional powders designed to meet growing demand for products that support a healthy and balanced lifestyle, without compromising taste. Balchem’s experts will also host two presentations demonstrating exciting ways to formulate better-for-you products.
“Current market trends are driving demand for convenient, on-the-go options that support wellness while still delivering the flavours and textures consumers expect,” comments Andrew Hart, Director of Strategic Marketing & Business Development at Balchem. “Healthy snacking has become a daily ritual for most Americans, with 70 % actively seeking more protein1, while functional beverages are redefining the drinks category as brands race to deliver products that go beyond hydration. At IFT, we’re excited to showcase prototypes and concepts that demonstrate how our ingredient technologies can help brands meet these evolving demands for convenient options with real health benefits and standout sensory appeal.”
Unlocking solutions for better-for-you innovations
Visitors at the booth can connect with Balchem’s experts to discover how MeatShure®, an advanced microencapsulation technology, enables efficient, high-capacity production of premium meat snack sticks. MeatShure® eliminates fermentation times and added sugars for cleaner, protein-rich products. In beverages, Balchem will present its INjoy™ beverage systems, designed to deliver tailored functionality and consistent sensory appeal across applications like functional waters, RTD beverages and energy drinks. Rounding out the portfolio, VitalBlend™ offers fully customisable lipid-based powders enhanced with macro and micronutrients, supporting application-specific nutrition needs.
Spotlighting formulation expertise
Balchem’s portfolio will be brought to life through mouthwatering product concepts, including Dubai chocolate-inspired clusters featuring Milk Protein Z-Crisps®. Designed to optimise mouthfeel and flavour, this high protein concept demonstrates how Balchem can help brands create nutrient-dense products without sacrificing taste and texture.
Balchem’s experts will also host two presentations at the Taste of Science Stage, demonstrating the company’s formulation capabilities across high-protein, high-fiber functional food and beverage applications. In the first, “Formulating Better-for-You Indulgence in High Protein, High Fiber Applications”, attendees will discover how spray-dried lipid powders can enhance taste, texture and functionality. The following day, “Simplifying Beverage Innovation: Beverage Systems Built for Fast-Moving Markets” turns the focus to how systems-based formulation can reduce development complexity while delivering consistent sensory performance.
1International Food Information Council (IFIC), 2025 Food & Health Survey
More Delivered, Less Trucks Needed! Smart Cups’ efficient technology means fewer transportation vehicles needed with greater volume of products delivered. (Photo: Smart Cups)
Smart Cups, a pioneering sustainability-driven technology company behind innovative ingredient printing announced the publication of a new research study in the esteemed journal Resource, Conservation & Recycling. The study, titled “Reducing life cycle material, energy and emissions for liquid consumer products through printing,” conducted by UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and authored by Professor Deepak Rajagopal, has brought to light the remarkable potential of Smart Cups Technology in transforming the consumer-packaged goods industry and contributing to a greener future.
“The technology that Smart Cups has pioneered has the potential to drastically reduce the environmental burden of beverages and several other liquid products through a reduction in total packaging and transportation across the product lifecycle,” said Professor Deepak Rajagopal. “The implications of this research extend beyond the consumer-packaged goods industry. Major companies, including industry giants like Pepsi, Coke, and Proctor and Gamble, could benefit from Smart Cups’ ground-breaking approach to delivering products more sustainably. Embracing this innovation can help such large corporations achieve sustainability goals and become leaders in eco-friendly practices”.
The study focuses on the profound environmental benefits of Smart Cups Technology which enables direct printing of consumer product ingredients onto surfaces, leading to substantial reductions in packaging materials, energy consumption, carbon emissions and overall environmental burdens. The study unveils the far-reaching implications for not just the beverage industry, but also the consumer-packaged goods industry as whole, promising to revolutionise distribution logistics and minimise environmental impact.
Key highlights from the study include:
The study’s findings show that a single Class 6 or 7 beverage truck packed with Smart Cups can accommodate a staggering 21 times more beverage volume than PET bottles and 31 times than glass bottles.
Smart Cups printed on PLA cups, when paired with tap water, result in 20 % less packaging materials than aluminum, 40 % less than plastic, and an impressive 90 % less than glass-based packaging.
This reduction in packaging translates into a 23 % to 48 % decrease in lifecycle primary energy and a 40 % to 57 % decrease in global warming potential. With biogenic carbon credit for landfilled PLA, the reductions reach an impressive 50 % to 70 %.
Smart Cups Technology is the first of its kind, revolutionising the delivery of liquid consumer products and minimising their environmental impact. This research not only amplifies the positive impact Smart Cups Technology can have on the world but also strengthens the validation of its significant benefits by reshaping the consumer products industry. By eliminating the need for bulky packaging materials, such as PET bottles or glass containers, Smart Cups optimise beverage payload, allowing for substantially higher volumes to be transported within the same truck weight limits. This breakthrough not only enhances logistical efficiency but also reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation, as fewer trucks are required to transport the same amount of beverage.
The implications of this research extend far beyond the immediate benefits of increased payload capacity. By revolutionizing beverage transportation, Smart Cups are poised to transform the entire industry landscape, introducing a new era of sustainability and efficiency. With the potential to streamline distribution networks and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, Smart Cups offer a visionary solution to the pressing environmental challenges faced by the beverage sector.
The UCLA study underscores the profound impact of Smart Cups on beverage transportation, highlighting the unparalleled payload capacity that this innovative packaging technology provides. As industry leaders and consumers alike seek more sustainable and efficient solutions, Smart Cups stands at the forefront of a transformative movement. The researchers at UCLA are confident that their findings will inspire further exploration and adoption of Smart Cups within the beverage industry, ultimately leading to a greener, more efficient future.
SIG offers manufactures a new remote services solution to maximise filling line uptime
As part of its expanding Digital Service portfolio for customers, SIG has launched Remote Services, offering food and beverage manufacturers a smarter way to service their filling machines and to generate more filling line uptime.
Remote Services from SIG is a new digital service that can instantly connect a customer or service engineer to an SIG service expert from anywhere in the world. By using video-enabled smart glasses, SIG can provide a secure live-feed to an SIG expert who can guide users through solving any fault or issue.
SIG developed Remote Services in response to new customer challenges and demands. With the food and beverage industry facing higher competitive pressures, operational complexity and shorter production cycles, manufacturers can no longer afford long waiting times for support and the risk of downtime.
Remote Services ensures SIG’s customers receive fast response times, an improved first-time fix rate, more data insights and analysis, and ultimately more filling line uptime. In addition, Remote Services can help reduce costly travel times, expenses and CO2 emissions.
Remote Services is part of SIG’s value-adding Smart Factory platform – a commitment to deliver smarter filling line solutions and technical services that help transform customer filling plants into intelligent and connected factories.
As part of the Remote Services solution, SIG smart glasses provide a live-feed from the customer plant to an SIG Remote Services expert. This remote service creates a secure data connection and enables the SIG expert to see exactly what the onsite customer or service engineer sees. The Remote Services expert can then send detailed instructions or technical drawings and guide them through resolving the issue. At the same time, the Remote Services expert can identify any parts that need replacing and order them for fast delivery and repair.
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