With cooking cues like grilled, sautéed and smoked becoming popular drivers for consumers today, dairy flavor specialist First Choice Ingredients, Germantown, Wisconsin, is introducing a new line of cheese concentrates. These “toasted” cheese ingredients, which come in paste and powder form, provide that third-dimension cooking cue flavor that makes the cheese component jump out. The initial rollout is toasted cheddar and toasted parmesan, with more varieties planned for the future.

“Our partners are constantly looking for unique, authentic, on‐trend cheese and dairy ingredients that will take their formulations to the next level,” says Roger Mullins, vice president and chief operating officer. “Our new toasted cheese concentrates are the perfect solution because they add a subtle yet impactful layer of complexity to a variety of applications, including breadings, prepared meals, sauces and much more. From mild flavor nuances like sautéed or caramelized notes to more distinct characteristics like charred or burnt, our concentrates can boost flavor and give manufacturers the competitive edge their customers are looking for.”