Food Ingredients Comprehensive Guide: products for the food industry

Date: 25/09/2026

Food Ingredients is the term used by the food industry to describe the raw materials, components, and preparations employed in manufacturing food products. Proteins, flours, extracts, flavorings, oils, fibers, starches, and emulsifiers all belong to this group, although each item has its own functions, conditions of use, and regulatory framework.

These elements can form the base of a product, reinforce its flavor profile, improve texture and yield, or help keep the desired characteristics stable throughout shelf life. This is why ingredient selection needs to account for the need to maintain production efficiency, sensory improvements, greater stability, and simpler labels.

In clean label projects, for example, reducing or replacing certain additives cannot compromise food safety, shelf life, or performance in the application, which increases the complexity of the formulations. Even when a planned composition is achieved, a formulation can still show flaws during processing or in the consumer taste test. It is up to the R&D team to carefully evaluate any variables before taking the product to industrial scale.

The guide below maps each ingredient category to product requirements and the criteria that guide supplier selection. In this guide, you will find:

What are Food Ingredients?

Food Ingredients are raw materials, components, or preparations used in food manufacturing to achieve the composition and performance defined and desired for a project. Depending on their function, they can provide nutrients, form the structure, or modify sensory and technological attributes. Each ingredient has its own conditions of use and regulatory framework.

Growing industry demand for solutions capable of meeting different formulation goals is also reflected in the specialty food ingredients market. According to the Grand View Research report on specialty food ingredients, the global segment generated US$113.9 billion in 2025 and could reach US$163.3 billion by 2033.

Under the scope adopted by the report, the category covers sensory and functional solutions, such as enzymes, emulsifiers, flavorings, colorants, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and preservatives.

Within this scope, ingredients classified as sensory accounted for 58.6% of the revenue analyzed in 2025. This means that more than half of the total value was tied to solutions that affect how consumers perceive a product through attributes such as flavor, aroma, color, and texture.

This variety of functions is also reflected in the regulatory framework. Food Ingredients is a broad term that covers everything from components with a nutritional or structural base to substances used for a specific technological purpose. Some of these products, such as flavoring agents, are classified by law as food additives.

The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) defines a food additive as an ingredient intentionally added, without a nutritional purpose, to modify physical, chemical, biological, or sensory characteristics. Its use must be authorized for the product category, the intended function, and the applicable limit.

To make this distinction clearer, the table below summarizes the differences in concept, purpose, and rules of use between food ingredients and food additives:

Criterion	Food ingredient	Food additive
Concept	A component used in manufacturing and present in the final product, even if modified by the process.	An ingredient intentionally added to fulfill a defined technological function.
Purpose	Can provide nutrients, form the structure, or contribute to flavor, texture, and yield.	Can preserve, stabilize, color, flavor, or modify another authorized attribute.
Rules of use	Depend on the identity, composition, and application of the ingredient.	Depend on authorization for the food category, the intended function, and the limit of use.
Examples	Proteins, flours, extracts, sugars, and oils.	Preservatives, colorants, emulsifiers, and flavoring agents.

The term Food Ingredients therefore identifies a broad set of solutions intended for the food industry. The legal classification of each product depends on its composition, the function it performs, and its conditions of use — criteria that must be verified by the R&D and regulatory affairs teams before application.

What is the NOVA classification?

The NOVA classification was created by the Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health at the University of São Paulo's School of Public Health (Nupens-USP). Its purpose is to organize products according to the extent and purpose of processing. In this context, extent refers to the degree of transformation the food undergoes, while purpose refers to the objective of that processing.

It is important to clarify, however, that NOVA does not replace ingredient or additive regulations, nor is it meant to classify a raw material in isolation. The classification considers the final food product, its formulation, and the processes used. See below.

● Group 1: unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
● Group 2: processed culinary ingredients, such as salt, sugar, oils, and fats.
● Group 3: processed foods, made mainly with Group 1 items plus small amounts of Group 2 ingredients.
● Group 4: ultra-processed foods and beverages, formulated with substances and processes that are predominantly industrial.

The presence of a given ingredient, on its own, does not define the group. For R&D, the classification serves as an additional reference when evaluating a product and its positioning, while food health, composition, labeling, and additive use remain subject to their respective regulations.

How do Food Ingredients influence the development of processed foods?

Ingredients go beyond the recipe's composition: they interact with water, fat, proteins, starches, and process conditions. This interaction affects dough homogeneity, cooking losses, texture after cooling, flavor release, and stability during storage. It is up to the R&D professional to translate these effects into specifications, dosage, order of addition, and validation criteria.

A thesis from Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal) on sliced bread illustrates why shelf life does not depend on a single isolated decision. Across three lab-scale trials and one industrial test, surface application of preservatives contained mold in small samples but did not guarantee five days of shelf life in larger loaves. The crumb had not been treated and had high water activity — that is, a lot of water available for microbial growth. The result is specific to that application, but it shows the interaction between ingredient, matrix, and process.

In day-to-day development work, ingredient choice affects:

● technological performance;
● formulation;
● shelf life;
● stability;
● texture;
● flavor;
● yield;
● water retention;
● innovation.

What are the main types of ingredients used by the food industry?

The categories below meet different needs. The choice should be based on the expected function, the product matrix, and the real conditions of manufacturing, distribution, and consumption.

Natural Flavors

The importance of natural flavors lies in building, adjusting, or preserving specific notes in meat products, soups, sauces, snacks, and ready meals. The choice should factor in the desired profile, the composition, and the processing conditions, since the ingredient can respond differently to heating or storage.

This is why the relationship between natural flavors and sensory experience needs to be validated in the final product. The best way to carry out this evaluation is through sensory analysis methods, which are used to compare formulations and check the intensity of aroma or flavor and the consistency of results across samples or batches.

When evaluating the use of natural flavors vs. artificial flavors, the R&D team should consider origin, regulations, stability, dosage, cost per application, and label claims. Weighing these criteria together defines which alternative best fits the product's technical and commercial goals.

Meat Extracts

The Concentrated Meat Extract is obtained by cooking and concentrating meat-based raw material. It can contribute flavor, body, and protein content to broths, sauces, ready meals, meat products, and other savory bases. Solids content directly impacts fluidity and intensity, so the right version depends on the process, the dosage, and the expected result in the formulation.

Soy Proteins

Textured Proteins and Soy Flours provide protein content and perform technological functions, such as texture formation, liquid retention, and juiciness support. They are used in meat products, meat analogs, sauces, soups, baked goods, pasta, chocolates, and fillings. Heat treatment, enzymatic activity, and particle size guide the choice between the different versions.

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs form the outer coating and influence adhesion, appearance, texture, and crunch after baking or frying. Raw material, granule shape, porosity, color, and particle size all need to be compatible with the substrate and the process. Validation should also look at coverage, line losses, and how well texture holds up over shelf life.

Why is MBRF Ingredients a reference in Food Ingredients?

At MBRF Ingredients, production starts with a 100% integrated chain, which supports process traceability, access to fresh raw materials, and control from the source. The connection between supply and processing also makes it easier to monitor industrial specifications.

Dedicated research and development teams work with universities and technical institutes, while standardized, auditable operations support quality control. Making the most of raw materials from the chain also adds value to co-products and strengthens the circular economy, connecting technological development to fuller use of available resources.

The current structure includes authorization to export ingredients and a commercial office in the United Arab Emirates. Operations span Animal Nutrition, Food Ingredients, Human Health, and Plant Nutrition. In Food Ingredients, the portfolio includes Meat Extract, Natural Meat Flavors, Soy Proteins, and Breadcrumbs.

What solutions does MBRF offer as part of its food ingredients portfolio?

Each line serves its own set of applications. The decision should factor in the technical specification, the dosage, the process conditions, and testing in the final product, since results can change depending on the formulation and external factors.

Meat Extract

Meat extracts under the Pampeano brand are made with fresh, traceable beef raw material, through cooking processes that preserve natural flavor and technological functionality. The ingredient is stable at room temperature and clean label, with no genetically modified organisms (GMOs), allergens, preservatives, or additives.

● Pampeano — Meat Extract 60% Solids: offers greater fluidity and easier handling; recommended for broths, sauces, ready meals, and protein beverages;
● Pampeano — Meat Extract 80% Solids: delivers greater concentration and intensity; recommended for processed meats, canned goods, concentrated industrial sauces, and solutions for the pet market.

Natural Meat Flavors

The NatSense Natural Meat Flavors are prepared with fresh animal-based raw material from the integrated chain. The broths result from slow cooking and work to preserve the flavor profile; the enhancers are produced through enzymatic hydrolysis. The line can be used in developing other flavors or applied directly in final products.

● NatSense Sodium Reducer: aimed mainly at sausages and cured meats;
● NatSense Chicken Broth: with no added salt, for noodles and ready meals;
● NatSense Chicken Broth with Salt: for meat products and ready meals;
● NatSense Chicken: an enhancer for meat products and ready meals;
● NatSense Beef: an enhancer with a beef profile for meat products and ready meals.

Soy Proteins

Our Soy Proteins and Flours undergo treatments defined according to the desired function. The line offers options to structure products, retain liquids, support juiciness, or work into doughs and flours. The choice should factor in particle size, enzymatic activity, and process compatibility.

● Textured Soy Protein: available in different particle sizes for meat products and analogs, such as sausages, hamburgers, breaded products, meatballs, and bologna;
● Textured Soy Protein with Poultry Skin: available in powder and granulated form for meat applications;
● Supper-M — Defatted Soy Flour: has reduced enzymatic activity due to heat treatment and can be used in sauces, soups, baked goods, chocolates, sausages, and fillings;
● SoyMax-M — Active Defatted Soy Flour: preserves lipoxygenase activity, used to bleach flours and improve doughs for cakes, fillings, pasta, and baking.

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are produced by extruding raw materials such as wheat and corn and come in different colors and particle sizes.

Both versions are suited for oven or fryer preparation, with distinct structures that adjust the eating experience.

● Cracker Breadcrumbs: has dense, flattened granules, associated with a firmer crunch;
● Expanded Breadcrumbs: has rounded, porous granules that deliver a crispy-style crunch.

Food Ingredients: innovation, performance, and quality start with ingredient selection

Developing new food products depends on aligning composition, process, and the response in the final product. The right ingredients can improve yield, water retention, texture, and sensory consistency. On the other hand, an imbalance in ingredient selection can call for later corrections, increase losses, or reduce stability.

Shelf life, for example, is one of the most complex issues, because it is affected by the interaction between formulation, microbial load, pH, water activity, oxidation, processing, packaging, and transport and storage conditions. Changing one ingredient can alter several of these conditions at the same time. This is why shelf life should not be estimated solely from the raw material's technical data sheet: it needs to be validated in the final product, with microbiological, physicochemical, and sensory analyses, through a shelf-life study of the product.

Clean label projects, in turn, add another layer to the challenge. Preservatives, antioxidants, stabilizers, and emulsifiers perform functions that affect safety, texture, appearance, and stability. When reducing or replacing these components, a direct swap is rarely possible: it takes combining ingredients, adjusting dosages, process, and packaging, plus repeating tests to prove safety, shelf life, and performance in the new formulation.

A strategic supplier adds traceability, standardization, production capacity, and technical support to the ingredient choice. MBRF Ingredients brings this structure together with a portfolio built to support formulations that need to balance flavor, texture, functionality, and industrial scale.

Explore the complete Food Ingredients portfolio from MBRF Ingredients.

Frequently asked questions about Food Ingredients

What are Food Ingredients?

They are ingredients used by the industry to formulate foods and meet nutritional, technological, or sensory goals. The category includes raw materials and preparations as varied as proteins, flours, extracts, flavorings, fibers, starches, and emulsifiers.

What is the difference between food ingredients and food additives?

Food ingredient is the broad term for the components used in manufacturing. An additive is an ingredient added intentionally, with no nutritional purpose, to perform a technological function, such as preserving, stabilizing, coloring, or flavoring. In Brazil, its use requires Anvisa authorization for each category, function, and limit.

What are the main ingredients used by the food industry?

The list varies by product, but includes protein sources, flours, starches, oils, sugars, fibers, extracts, flavorings, cultures, emulsifiers, stabilizers, colorants, and preservatives. The key criterion is compatibility between the ingredient's function, the matrix, and the industrial process.

How do you choose ingredients for developing processed foods?

Start with the formulation's measurable goal. Compare composition, technological function, dosage, thermal behavior, stability, sensory impact, yield, regulatory compliance, and cost per application. Then validate the alternative through bench, pilot, and industrial-scale testing.

How do Food Ingredients influence the shelf life of foods?

Ingredients alter factors such as water activity — the water available for reactions and microbial growth —, pH, oxidation, moisture retention, structure, and sensory stability. The effect depends on the complete formulation and must be assessed together with processing, packaging, storage, and microbiological controls.

What should you evaluate in a food ingredients supplier?

Check origin and traceability, specifications, safety, batch-to-batch consistency, supply capacity, documentation, technical support, and application experience. Price per kilogram should be weighed against the yield and performance delivered in the product.

How do functional ingredients contribute to food formulation?

In day-to-day R&D work, functional ingredients are selected to fulfill a defined function, such as improving texture, retaining water, stabilizing a matrix, adjusting the sensory profile, or adding nutritional value. The benefit must be proven in the formulation and should not be automatically confused with a functional claim on the label, which follows its own requirements.