Fall 2026 Newsletter: Fibre and Nutrition-Conscious Consumers, A Busy Fall, Functional Fibres
🍂 As we continue into the busy fall season, we want to take a look back and ahead at the latest ingredient innovations, trends, and events. From Fall sample boxes and fibre-forward trends to recent events and upcoming trade shows, there's plenty to catch up on! In this edition, we're putting the spotlight on two versatile fibres that fit right into the fibre craze that has started taking over food innovation.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
• Catching up on Fall: recent events, tradeshows, and Fall 2026 sample boxes
• Fibre and the Nutrition-Conscious Consumer
• Ingredient Spotlight: Carrot and Cocoa Fibre
• Case Study: See It in Action: Methylcellulose in Whipped Toppings
Catching up on Fall
In our Summer 2026 newsletter, we recapped the tradeshows we attended in the Spring, while also looking ahead to upcoming events. Here's our recap of everything since!
In July, Think Ingredients hosted its first-ever event: Women in Ingredients. Led by our very own Cassandra Ryan, this event brought together diverse women across the food and ingredients industry. With over 40 women in attendance, the morning was filled with fascinating discussions and plenty of new connections formed.
On September 28th, we attended MNIFT Suppliers' Day in Minneapolis, USA, for the first time! We had a great time meeting many new faces, introducing our products, and offering samples of our nutrient-dense crackers.
And, as with any fall, we have lots more planned!
November will be a busy month, with Chicago IFT Suppliers' Night on November 4th (Chicago, USA), Toronto CIFST Tabletop on November 10th (Toronto, CA), PLMA Private Label Trade Show from November 15-17 (Chicago, USA), and finishing off with Texas Longhorn IFT on November 19th (Frisco, USA). To stay up to date on our upcoming events throughout the year, see here.
In September, we sent out some Fall sample boxes! In one delicious chocolate muffin premix, we combined four exciting products: a chickpea-based egg replacement blend, cocoa fibre, carrot fibre, and rowanberry extract. The premix uses cocoa fibre as a partial replacement for cocoa powder, helping deliver a fluffy, moist final muffin with enhanced structure and texture. The result? An egg-free, high-fibre muffin premix showcasing the potential of these unique ingredients in one delicious application.
Interested in learning more about these products or receiving a sample box featuring our unique muffin premix? Contact us!
Fibre and the Nutrition-Conscious Consumer
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware and conscious of their eating habits. According to a study by NSF, 79% of US consumers read a product's ingredient list before purchase, 83% always read food labels, and 64% pay more attention to labels compared to 5 years ago (NSF, 2025). At the same time, as the focus on protein continues to grow, fibre is gaining more attention. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of fibre's benefits, including its role in blood sugar regulation, as scientific research and consumer education around fibre has expanded over the past 20 years (Canadian Grocer, 2025). As consumers become more aware of nutrition and ingredient labels, clean-label is becoming increasingly important. Consumers are looking for products that offer more than traditional options, forcing manufacturers to rethink familiar formulations.
With fibre's boom, why not combine nutrition and functionality? Functional clean-label fibres, such as carrot, citrus, cocoa, flaxseed and more, can increase the fibre content of food products while also contributing valuable functional properties. Depending on the fibre, these ingredients can support properties such as moisture retention, water binding, volume, texture, and mouthfeel, making them more than just a source of fibre.
Check out some of our functional clean-label fibres below!
References:
Canadian Grocer Article. (2026, June 29). Move over, protein. What’s driving the fibre craze? Canadian Grocer.
NSF Article. (2025, May 14). NSF Research Shows Americans Demand Greater Clarity and Standardization in Food Labeling. NSF.
INGREDIENT HIGHLIGHT
Innovative fibres: Cocoa and Carrot Fibre
Why These Fibres Stand Out
Each with its own unique features, carrot and cocoa fibre are ideal additions to a wide range of food products, particularly within bakery applications.
Carrot fibre offers instant swelling and high water-binding properties, making it useful for bulking applications ranging from fillings to gluten-free bakery products. Cocoa fibre provides a cost-effective way to partially replace cocoa powder while delivering a rich chocolate flavour and deep brown colour. At the same time, it enables sugar and fat reduction, while simultaneously improving moisture retention and increasing fibre content.
Carrot Fibre | Cocoa Fibre |
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APPLICATIONS
Carrot and cocoa fibre are versatile ingredients that are ideal clean-label additions to a variety of food products, such as:
GLUTEN-FREE | BAKERY | FILLINGS
DEVELOPMENT INSIGHTS
See It in Action: Methylcellulose in Whipped Toppings
What is Methylcellulose?
Methylcellulose is an allergen-free, versatile ingredient that can be applied to a wide range of food applications. With unique stabilizing and gelling properties, methylcellulose can form a thermally reversible gel when heated, then returns to its original viscosity as it cools to room temperature. In non-heated applications, such as whipped toppings, it binds water tightly at low usage rates, maintaining structure and preventing water leakage over time without making the product too thick.
While this video demonstrates the use of methylcellulose in whipped toppings, its functionality extends far beyond this single application. From supporting the structure of gluten-free bakery products to providing texture and bite in plant-based meats, modified cellulose can play an important role in various formulations. To explore the use of methylcellulose in more detail, read more here.
Watch a short clip from our video below to see how methylcellulose improves product stability!
What You'll Notice
Methylcellulose holds the structure of whipped toppings over a longer period, preventing water leakage and dispersion. By mixing it with other powders before incorporation, it supports the unique whipped topping structure over time while reducing leakage. The best part? Methylcellulose blends in seamlessly into all formulations, without impacting flavour or mouthfeel, making it practical for applications where improved stability is the goal.
Watch the full video HERE or discover our full Case Studies page:
Smart Ingredients, better food.
WORK WITH US! At Think Ingredients, we partner with brands to uncover clean-label solutions that work. Contact us and see how we can help you achieve success in your formulations.
