All natural hummus gets longer life with Jordanian tech breakthrough

Jordanian food technologist and food production company owner Khaled Kasih is celebrating a 15-year dream realised at Gulfood 2017, the world’s largest annual food event which runs at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) until Thursday night (March 2), with the launch of a 100% natural and gluten-free hummus range that has a shelf life of up to 18 months.

Khaled, who owns and runs Amman’s Kasih Food Production Co. has developed the technology which now produces, what he claims is “the world’s only UHT aspetic hummus.”

And the global launch of the product at Gulfood 2017, the largest in the show’s 22^nd edition history, has already won international approval with contracts initialled with companies from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

At Gulfood, Khaled, participating in a Jordanian national pavilion, has launched a ‘hummus-on-the-go’ snack, a larger catering version, handy, long-life home packs and even kids’ packs with funky toddler-friendly packaging.

“The problem with hummus is that for years it has been treated with preservatives and even so only had a shelf life of only two weeks. After that, there have been recalls. Now, caterers and family users can buy a product they can trust and will last.”

Khaled has even invested in kids’ versions of the product – Hammous and Hammousa – which are fortified with vitamins A, B6, B9, B12, D3 and D in kid-friendly packaging.

“Good hummus is perishable and could only be preserved previously with a two-week shelf-life. With our technology we have found a way of keeping the freshness which reduces costs significantly for everyone and promoting the product as a very healthy alternative to other snacks,” said Khaled. “We have had an excellent reaction, particularly from buyers from Saudi Arabia and Turkey and that’s just the beginning. This really is a breakthrough after years of study.”

Gulfood 2017 has achieved the biggest showing in the annual event’s highly successful 22 edition history.

The show is on course to draw up to 95,000 visiting food professionals globally who can interact with 5,000 exhibitors from 150 countries, 48% of which are new to the event and are vying for a stake of a multi-billion-dollar MENA f&b market. The show also encompasses the world’s biggest annual Halal food sourcing trade exhibition.

Spanning some 120,000 square metres – the size of 17 football pitches – the show spans all DWTC halls and two outside structures.

“Kasih is one of numerous international companies which have chosen to stage their global innovation launches at Gulfood,” said Mark Napier, Show Director, Gulfood. “This is testament to their belief in the power of the show to reach local, regional and international buying influencers.”

This year Gulfood features 88 national pavilions with four countries – Azerbaijan, Finland, Malta and Somalia – represented for the first time. India, Spain, Italy, the USA and China have mounted the largest pavilions which are up against a host of regional country promotions most notably from Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan and Morocco.

Gulfood 2017 is a strict trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors. The show is open 11am-7pm until March 1 and 11am-5pm on March 2.