Custom food additive solutions for complex formulations & sourcing projects

The Atlas Food Additives Custom Solutions platform is designed for projects that cannot be served by a single commodity ingredient. We help food, beverage and nutrition manufacturers develop tailor-made premixes, seasoning systems, cocoa-based concepts, functional vitamin–mineral blends and specialty ingredient solutions aligned with real production conditions, regulatory frameworks and commercial targets.

By combining access to leading ingredient producers in China with technical know-how, documentation support and export logistics from Ankara, Turkey, Atlas acts as an extension of your R&D, purchasing and quality teams. Our objective is to transform a broad and sometimes fragmented ingredient market into clear, reliable and scalable solutions for your brands.

✓ Custom premixes for beverages, seasonings & nutrition

✓ Specialty ingredients and cocoa-based concepts

✓ Tailor-made sourcing and supplier consolidation

How Custom Solutions works Share your project brief

You can also explore our core ingredient families in the Product Groups section, browse detailed entries in the Product Index (A–Z), and read formulation and regulatory articles in Atlas Academy.

Concept

From single ingredients to integrated food additive solutions

Standard additive sourcing usually means buying individual ingredients – sweeteners, acids, thickeners, vitamins – and combining them in-house. In many projects, however, this approach consumes R&D time, increases weighing complexity at the plant and multiplies the number of suppliers that must be audited and managed. Atlas Custom Solutions exists to address these pain points.

When Custom Solutions is the right approach

Manufacturers typically choose a custom solution instead of single-ingredient sourcing in the following situations:

Complex formula structure: the product requires a combination of several additives – for example sweeteners, acidulants and flavour enhancers – that must be dosed together at precise ratios.
High number of SKUs at line level: operators have to weigh and handle many individual ingredients, increasing the risk of scale errors and cross-contamination.
Multi-site or multi-country production: the same taste and nutritional profile must be replicated in different factories and export markets.
Limited internal blending capacity: the plant is optimised for finished products rather than premix manufacturing.
Need to consolidate suppliers: quality and purchasing teams want fewer, stronger partners instead of many niche suppliers.

In these cases, a well-designed custom premix or ingredient system can simplify operations, reduce quality risk and create a more robust foundation for brand growth.

What Atlas contributes to custom projects

Atlas Food Additives combines three types of expertise when developing custom solutions:

Ingredient knowledge: understanding how sweeteners, acidulants, thickeners, phosphates, vitamins, proteins and other additives behave in different matrices and processes.
Sourcing capability: access to a wide network of certified Chinese producers, with the ability to benchmark quality, price and service.
Export & documentation experience: the ability to package, document and ship combined solutions to multiple regions while meeting customer and authority expectations.

The result is not just a list of ingredients, but a functional solution that has been tested against your process, your regulatory environment and your commercial objectives.

Cocoa powder concepts and cocoa-based premixes

Many beverage and dessert products rely on cocoa powder for flavour and colour. Atlas can help you select suitable natural cocoa powders with defined fat content, colour intensity and flavour profile, and then integrate them into:

Ready-to-mix chocolate drink bases that also include sweeteners, stabilisers and flavourings.
Cocoa systems for bakery and fillings where colour stability, fat compatibility and process tolerance are critical.
Cocoa blends for ice cream and frozen desserts aligned with your fat phase, overrun and storage conditions.

Instead of sourcing cocoa powder and associated ingredients separately, you receive a pre-balanced system designed around your process and brand positioning.

Beverage sweetener–acidulant premixes

Beverage formulations frequently include several sweeteners (high-intensity and bulk), organic acids and sometimes mineral salts. Small weighing errors can significantly change the taste profile. Atlas can work with your R&D team to transform your beverage formula into a single premix that:

Delivers the exact sweetness intensity and sweetness–acidity balance you want.
Is easy to scale between pilot plants and industrial lines in different factories.
Reduces the number of raw materials that must be handled, approved and stored.
Can be used in carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, juice drinks, flavoured waters and powdered beverages.

Premixes can be supplied in dry or liquid form depending on your production setup, storage conditions and preferred dosing systems.

Seasoning and marinade systems for meat, poultry and snacks

Snack seasonings, burger mixes and marinades are complex systems containing dehydrated vegetables, spices, flavourings, salt, sugar, acids, phosphates and sometimes functional proteins. Atlas can help build:

Dry seasoning bases suitable for snacks, coating systems and ready meals.
Marinade blends for meat and poultry that combine flavour, yield improvement and colour stability.
Injection brine concepts managing ionic strength, water binding, pH and sensory attributes.

The objective is to supply your factories with consistent, ready-to-use seasoning systems rather than many small components, reducing risk at the line and simplifying recipe management.

Functional vitamin–mineral premixes for fortification

Micronutrient fortification is essential in many categories such as breakfast cereals, dairy drinks, infant and young child nutrition, sports nutrition and supplements. Atlas can support the design of vitamin–mineral premixes that:

Match your target claims (per serving, per 100 ml, etc.).
Use vitamin and mineral forms compatible with your pH, fat content and processing conditions.
Take into account overages required to maintain label claim through shelf life.
Allow uniform distribution in powders, liquids or bar matrices.

Instead of dosing many individual micronutrients, you dose a single premix that has been tested for stability and analytical reproducibility.

Specialty ingredient and process-aid solutions

Some projects require specialty ingredients or process aids that fall outside the classic food additive families, such as certain grades of ethanolamine or surfactant systems. In such cases, Atlas can:

Clarify the intended technical function of the ingredient in your process.
Identify producers that can meet your purity, impurity and safety expectations.
Provide the documentation your regulatory and safety teams need to determine whether the ingredient is suitable for the markets you serve.

Final responsibility for regulatory approval and product labelling always remains with the manufacturer; Atlas’ role is to provide transparent, high-quality information and sourcing options.

Tailor-made sourcing and supplier consolidation projects

Because Atlas works with many producers across multiple food additive categories, we are often asked to rationalise supplier bases or source ingredients that are not yet part of your portfolio. A typical tailor-made sourcing project includes:

Defining the ingredient scope and specification in cooperation with your quality and R&D teams.
Screening potential producers in China based on technology, capacity and quality systems.
Comparing technical and commercial offers, including documentation, certifications and service models.
Coordinating sample shipments, pilot trials and potential audits where required.
Establishing a long-term supply plan once a supplier has been selected and approved.

This approach helps global manufacturers tap into the Chinese supplier landscape without having to manage every relationship directly.

1. Project briefing & feasibility

The process begins with a structured briefing, usually involving R&D and purchasing. You share:

The product category (beverage, dairy, meat, bakery, snack, nutrition, etc.).
The functional objectives (sweetness, texture, shelf life, fortification, yield improvement, etc.).
Process parameters such as mixing steps, heat treatment, pH range and filling conditions.
Regulatory constraints and labelling preferences for each target market.
Expected annual volumes, launch timing and cost-in-use targets.

Based on this information, Atlas confirms feasibility and outlines the type of solution that is likely to fit: premix, seasoning system, functional blend or a sourcing project.

2. Concept proposal & ingredient selection

Next, we propose one or more concept directions describing:

The ingredient families that will be involved (sweeteners, acids, vitamins, phosphates, etc.).
The intended form of supply (dry premix, liquid concentrate, cocoa-based blend, etc.).
Initial ideas on dosage and application in your finished product.

At this stage we align on any ingredients that must be used or avoided, and confirm the documentation package you require for internal approvals.

3. Sampling, trials & adjustment

Atlas then coordinates sample production and shipment. Your technical team runs lab or pilot trials, checking:

Functional performance (taste, texture, colour, stability, yield).
Compatibility with other ingredients and processing conditions.
Impact on analytical parameters and label declaration.

Feedback from these trials is used to refine the concept, adjust ratios or switch component ingredients where necessary. This loop continues until your team approves both sensory and technical performance.

4. Final specification, contracting & rollout

Once a solution is approved, Atlas:

Locks the technical specification, including analytical limits and packaging format.
Defines COA parameters and any additional tests needed for sensitive applications.
Agrees commercial conditions, Incoterms, lead times and minimum order quantities.
Plans scale-up and rollout to other plants or regions, where relevant.

During routine supply, Atlas acts as your central point of contact for quality, logistics and potential continuous-improvement projects.

Documentation you can expect from Atlas

For custom solutions, Atlas typically provides:

Product specifications describing composition ranges, physical and chemical parameters.
Certificates of Analysis (COAs) for each batch of premix or specialty ingredient.
Safety Data Sheets and, where relevant, detailed information on allergens and contaminants.
Statements regarding GMO status, irradiation, BSE/TSE, allergens, Halal, Kosher and other topics as required.
Support for customer questionnaires and supplier-approval forms.

These documents are adapted to the specific needs of your organisation and the regulatory expectations of your target markets.

Role of the manufacturer in regulatory decisions

While Atlas provides extensive data and background, final responsibility for regulatory approval, product labelling and claims remains with the manufacturer. Your regulatory, legal and nutrition teams decide:

Whether each ingredient is permitted and appropriate for the intended use.
How the premix or solution must be declared on the label.
Which claims (if any) can be made in marketing communication.

Atlas supports these decisions by ensuring that information from producers is transparent, complete and up to date, and by sharing insights into how similar ingredients are used in other markets.

For additional context, you can refer to regulatory articles in Atlas Academy, such as EU E-number labelling guidance and regional export checklists for the Middle East and Africa.

Ready to explore a custom food additive solution?

Whether you are launching a new beverage, reformulating a meat product, strengthening a fortified nutrition range or consolidating your supplier base, Atlas Food Additives can help design and supply a custom solution that fits your technical and commercial targets. Share your brief and we will respond with potential approaches and next steps.

Contact Atlas about a custom project

Customised Solutions & Services

Beyond standard catalogue items, Atlas Food Additives supports customers with tailor-made blends, premixes and service solutions.

Turnkey micronutrient systems

Custom Vitamin & Mineral Premixes

Designed-to-spec premixes for beverages, dairy, infant formulas, bakery and sports nutrition, manufactured to tight homogeneity and analytical specifications.

Premixes Micronutrient fortification

Ready-to-use drink bases