Chinova Bioworks has made possible a new application for its Chiber in sauces, spreads, dips and dressings. Chiber is a clean-label, natural fiber derived from the stems of white button mushrooms that helps improve quality, freshness and shelf life, while reducing food waste.

“Chiber for sauces, spreads, dips and dressings literally opens up more possibilities for companies to produce clean-label, plant-based products that fit gluten-free, vegan, kosher, halal, organic, paleo, Whole30 and keto-friendly lifestyles,” said Natasha Dhayagude, CEO and co-founder of Chinova Bioworks. “Life is typically not a picnic for these types of dietary restrictions, but Chiber will help change that.”

This new application of Chiber means it can be used in products such as dressings (low-fat mayonnaise, ranch and other salad dressings); sauces (BBQ, soy, tartar and steak); and spreads and dips (baba ghanoush, hummus, tzatziki and spinach dip). Chiber is certified vegan, kosher, halal, organic compliant, non-GMO, declared allergen-free, paleo, keto-friendly, low FODMAP (fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols), gluten-free, Whole30 and contributes no added sodium to the product.

Chiber is a 1 for 1 replacement for artificial preservatives that provides the same protection from microbial spoilage, in addition to being a natural and clean label ingredient. It works against all common spoilage microorganisms (including yeast, mold and bacteria), and can also inhibit the growth of harmful pathogenic bacteria like E. coli and Listeria.

Chinova Bioworks evaluated the effectiveness of its Chiber mushroom extract in a ranch dressing as a part of an antimicrobial challenge test. In this test, a high population of spoilage yeast, mold and pathogenic bacteria was inoculated into samples of the ranch dressing containing 1.5% Chiber mushroom extract. The samples were tested over the course of 42 days to determine how well Chiber performed. The results showed that Chiber mushroom extract inhibited the growth and reduced the population of the microorganisms and was effective against all types of microorganisms tested.

Chiber ingredient is safe to consume since it is a pure fiber extracted from mushrooms and does not contain any allergenic materials of the mushroom. Testing also confirms the absence of regulated allergens. Chiber is odorless and tasteless and does not alter the taste, color or consistency of any products. Chiber is a cost effective natural solution to shelf-life extension.

About Chinova Bioworks

Chinova Bioworks is a food technology company with a five-year track record of developing natural, clean-label preservatives extracted from mushrooms for the food and beverage industry. Headquartered in New Brunswick, Canada, since 2016, the company recently expanded its manufacturing with support from Prince Edward Island BioAlliance and moved to Bioscience Manufacturing Centre to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for Chiber.