According to SIAL, Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology (CFST) hosted the 23rd China Instant Food Conference, with the theme of "Expansion and Extension in a Changing Situation", and discussed how to drive the industry's high-quality development with "Chinese-style innovation" from the perspectives of science and technology and the industry. At the meeting, the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology released nine major scientific and technological progress and innovation trends in China's instant food industry in 2022-2023.

Trend 1: Commitment to technological breakthroughs to restore the family flavor and texture of noodles

The adoption of new processes such as static waking in the production of instant noodle dough has effectively improved the sensory quality of the noodle, restored the texture of handmade noodles, and made the cakes more delicate and translucent after cooking, with a soft, elastic, smooth and sinewy texture. Noodle industry is becoming more mature in the semi-fermented noodles processing and related equipment transformation. The noodles have a special flavor and porous structure. At the same time, technological breakthroughs both enhance the content of mixed grain noodles, and change the coarseness.

Trend 2: Gourmet ready-made, instant food industry to increase capacity

With the support of frozen and other mature technology, ready-made dishes industry is riding on the policy tide to promote explosive growth in product categories. Popular catering delicacies after industrialized production of prefabricated into prepackaged food, such as pepper pork belly chicken, fat juice rice noodles and other specialties have been formed and dishes. And to all kinds of meat as the main ingredient of frozen prepared food thanks to the ready-made dishes of the wind, the product category is also constantly enriched, and the taste is closer to the kitchen cooking.

Trend 3: "professional + chef" advantageous combination, cracking the pre-prepared dishes "pot gas" lack of problems

The flavor ingredients industry adopts the new technology of combining traditional heating reaction and concentration, as well as flavor analysis technology, to learn the key flavor substances and flavor characteristics of the target ingredients, so that the products can better replicate the natural flavor presented by the target ingredients. With the advantageous combination of "professional + chef", an important step has been taken in solving the problem of "pot gas" easily disappearing from prepared dishes, which also enables the flavor ingredients industry to expand from serving instant foods to serving prepared dishes.

Trend 4: Cross-integration of segments, prompting more instant food to the kitchen and dining table

The instant food industry chain is becoming more and more perfect, and the cross-fertilization between various segments is becoming more and more distinct. The combination of traditional noodles and flavor ingredients not only enhances the instant attribute of the product, but also meets the needs of consumers; dumplings, buns and other staple food represented by the traditional frozen noodle and rice products, industrial production to help further standardize catering and cooking; savory flavors and seasonings penetrate and extend each other to form the flavor advantage of instant foods to provide a source of innovation.

Trend 5: instant food from "health-oriented" to "health action"

Convenient food industry in the health of the road continued to deepen, pay attention to product nutrition and health attributes to improve and improve. On the one hand, increase the application of high value of healthy ingredients, local characteristics of the traditional raw materials, natural raw materials, raw materials and compound raw materials, as well as raw materials from the same source of food and medicine and other clever application in the product, such as grains, turmeric, angelica, matsutake mushrooms, ginseng, etc., and on the other hand, the use of non-frying and other technological innovations, to enhance the health attributes of the product, such as instant noodle products, non-fried noodles, the percentage of the significant increase.

Trend 6: The search for flavor has become a trend, and "hemp flavor" is very popular.

The roots of China's distinctive flavors are found in the traditional food of China's folklore, and research and sampling for consumer demand has gradually become a necessary step in product flavor innovation. Data analysis based on this has become an important basis for accurately grasping the market demand for local specialty resources and specialty snacks. In addition to the mainstream salty, fresh, spicy flavor, hemp flavor has gradually become the focus of product development, such as pepper flavor, pepper flavor, pepper bud crunchy sauce, etc., are reflected in the better innovation.

Trend 7: instant foods play the emotional card

Centered around consumption scenarios, instant food meets different consumption needs with a diversified product matrix. Corresponding to the consumption mode of innovation, matching the "light cooking" home appliances and kitchen utensils, the development of a series of microwave ovens, air fryers and even gas stoves applicable to the family instant food, so that cooking is more convenient; the addition of soft canned meat products, vegetables, etc., so that the ingredients of the side dishes are more authentic; printed birthday noodles, to meet the emotional needs of consumers of the culture and customs. Demand.

Trend 8: The research and development of new products such as fresh and wet noodles has forced the innovation of related technology and equipment.

In order to meet the micro-fermented active noodles, fresh wet noodles, wet rice noodles, non-fried noodles and other innovative product development, the industry is also synchronized with the research and development of the roll pressure cutting and forming, extrusion molding, extrusion and roll pressure composite molding and other new processes and new equipment, such as extrusion automation, large capacity non-fried noodle equipment, micro-fermented active noodle processing technology and equipment, as well as intelligent fresh and wet noodles, fresh and wet rice noodles, production lines and other large-scale production lines.

Trend 9: instant food equipment integrated innovation, independent development of key equipment

Convenient food equipment enterprises are making efforts to improve production efficiency, reduce production waste and energy saving. Independent innovation capacity has been further strengthened, and gradually established a "localized" theory of basic scientific research, and created a manufacturing system of independent development of key equipment. The pace of innovation has been accelerated for both "single machine" and "whole line", and core key equipment such as extrusion processing have been developed to realize the large-scale production of extruded noodles (rice flour). The company focuses on overcoming the "choke point" problem, realizing process optimization and single-point innovation, and improving processing efficiency and product quality while reducing energy consumption and manpower input.

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