Orafti reaps rewards at Russian ingredients show
at this year's Ingredients Russia 2004 exhibition, more than any
other company, but major international groups did not have it all
their own way, with a number of local producers also earning
praise. Angela Drujinina reports.
Orafti was one of the silver award winners in the distribution category, with its Raftilose P95 oligofructose product singled out for particular praise. Other silver award winners were meat processor Moguntsia Interrus for its range of ingredients used in dried meat products, Israeli firm Frutarom for its green tea extract, local ingredients group J.Elan for its natural flavour additive Crab, and TTK Centurion for consistency regulator Pro-Quick.
The gold award winner in the distribution category was BioIod for its Ioddar product, an iodine protein additive. Rodion Puliavsky, the company's regional manager, said that the award was well merited. "We have been on the market for just one year but have been working for a long time on the development of Ioddar, and the level of demand for the product is quite amazing.
"Wherever we exhibit Ioddar it attracts a great deal of interest from specialists such as doctors, chemists and biologists, as well as from ordinary visitors. Our particular iodine formulation is widely accepted as the most acceptable for the human body and it is therefore logical that we have won the top award at the exhibition!"
In the new product development category, another Russian company came out on top. Oils and fats producer NMZhK won gold medals for its Protein Plus (a confectionery ingredient) and Margarine for Creams brands.
Dmitry Steshov, NMZhK's special projects manager, told CEE-foodindustry.com: "We selected two of our products to participate in the contest and both of them won the gold. We believe that the jury's decision was right. These two ingredients are very popular among food manufacturers because they really help to make high quality products."
This, he said, gave the company a competitive advantage. "Russian food producers are attracted to our ingredients not just because they are of good quality but also because of the lower price. Our products are 20-25 per cent cheaper than imported ingredients."
Other golds awarded to Russian firms in the new products category went to the Aromaros-M group for its flavour and taste additive Gribnoi Bouillion 421 (Mushroom Bouillion) and to Scorpio-Aromat for its Irlandskiykrem 7112 flavouring ingredient.
The prize in the new technology category was awarded to the GU Scientific Research Institute for Food, represented by a renowned food scientist V. Spirichev, for its work on the role of vitamins and minerals in the development of healthy bones and the prevention of osteoporosis in the human body.
