Daesang Corporation used its IFT FIRST 2026 booth at McCormick Place in Chicago to press its case as a global ingredient supplier, unveiling allulose and its Capsulaid™ encapsulation platform to food manufacturers and foodservice procurement teams attending the three-day event, which ran July 13–15.
The Seoul-based ingredient group, which draws on roughly 70 years of fermentation and food-science expertise, centered its exhibit on four converging formulation priorities: clean-label reformulation, plant-based and vegan compliance, low-sodium reduction, and functional encapsulation. IFT FIRST — organized by the Institute of Food Technologists — is widely regarded as the largest food science and innovation expo globally, making it a primary stage for ingredient suppliers targeting North American and multinational food and beverage manufacturers.
The Ingredients in Focus
Allulose, a rare sugar with roughly 70% of sucrose's sweetness but near-zero caloric contribution, has drawn intensifying interest from beverage, bakery, and foodservice operators seeking to reformulate without sacrificing mouthfeel or browning performance. Daesang's allulose play positions the company alongside a small set of large-scale producers capable of supplying at commercial volumes — a meaningful distinction as QSR chains and packaged-food brands accelerate sugar-reduction roadmaps ahead of anticipated front-of-pack labeling changes in several markets.
Capsulaid™, the company's proprietary microencapsulation technology, addresses a persistent challenge in clean-label ingredient development: protecting sensitive actives — vitamins, probiotics, flavor compounds — through the thermal and mechanical stresses of commercial food processing. Encapsulation capabilities are increasingly relevant to foodservice operators and contract manufacturers working with health-forward LTOs and reformulated core menu items where ingredient stability directly affects shelf life and on-plate performance.
Why It Matters for Operators
For foodservice procurement and R&D teams, ingredient-supplier presence at IFT FIRST signals commercial readiness and regulatory confidence — exhibitors are typically positioned to support qualification and scale-up discussions on-site. Daesang's dual focus on sweetener alternatives and encapsulation reflects a broader supply-chain trend toward multifunctional ingredient partnerships, where a single supplier can address sugar reduction, sodium management, and bioavailability in one vendor relationship.
The low-sodium angle carries particular weight in the away-from-home channel. Regulatory pressure and consumer demand have pushed sodium reduction up the priority list for chain operators, and ingredient solutions that deliver on taste parity — rather than simply cutting salt — remain in short supply. Daesang's exhibition of low-sodium ingredient alternatives suggests the company is actively courting North American chain accounts where sodium-reduction commitments are increasingly embedded in corporate ESG and menu-health pledges.
Daesang did not release specific sales figures, AUV data, or contract announcements in connection with the IFT FIRST appearance.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
