A little bit of Kiwi ingenu ity has gone a long way for global ingredients company Taura, who are recog nised worldwide for their innova tive approach to fruit ingredients manufacturing.
Specialising in the production of premium, concentrated fruit pieces and pastes for commercial snack food manufacturers and marketers, Taura offers manufacturing solutions, technical advice and innovative application product concepts that are driving new category growth. With production facilities in the northern and southern hemispheres complemented by support offices in the UK, Australia and the US, Taura is doing its part for healthy snack production on a global scale.
Fruit-based snacking
A general scepticism of processed foods is emerging, which is contributing to greater scrutiny applied to ingredient labels. Fewer and more familiar items are being perceived as less processed, more natural and generally better for consumers.
“Healthy fruit snacking is a rapidly growing global trend. Australia and New Zealand are at the front end of the innovation,” said Brent Duggan, Taura sales manager for Australia. “Consumers are also learning the difference between high fruit and high sugar. They’re demanding great tasting products made from real fruit.”
Consumers are demonstrating a greater awareness and interest in the role of dietary nutrition in relation to their overall sense of health and wellbeing.
Many manufacturers have been proactively reformulating products for some time, with the main focus on reducing added sugars, salts and fats, as well as eliminating artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.
Fruit snacks figures in this, as it is a natural source of sweetness and nutrition and provides instant product appeal.
With increasing diversification of the snack food market, no-added-sugar, high- fruit-content snacks are rising in popularity. Nutrition-aware, time-constrained consumers seek natural products that deliver on health and nutrition while still providing convenience.
Health tech
Taura’s propietaryUltra Rapid Concentration (URC) technology concentrates blends of fruit or vegetables to less than 10 per cent moisture in 60 seconds. Taura’s URC fruit products offer high fruit content, low water activity and bake stable ingredient products to manufacturers developing healthy and delicious consumer snacks.
The company launched its highest fruit content range at Food Ingredients Europe in November. Featuring up to 700 grams of real fruit per 100 grams of finished product, with no added sugar or preservatives, the URC formulation is made from all natural fruit origins with a high level of fruit purees that delivers more than one serving of fruit per 20 grams of finished URC product. (On average 20 grams of URC product is equivalent to a single fruit serving based on USDA and WHO/ FAO guidelines.)
The speed of concentration ensures the flavour of the fruit is retained with a high level of antioxidants and fibre.
The URC fruit ingredient range with no added sugar enables manufacturers to increase fibre content, lower glycaemic index ratings and deliver a portion of real fruit to nutritional fruit-based snack products.
Developed in response to a rapid increase in demand for 100 per cent whole fruit ingredients by manufacturers, the URC technology offers the highest fruit content formulation on the market, according to Taura.
The unique, high-fruit paste formats are designed as a natural sugar replacer; a building block for formed or baked bars, deposited or moulded shapes; or centre fills for confectionery and chocolate.
Clean and natural
URC products are not only enabling the development of new generation fruit-based product concepts, but they are also playing an important role in the reformulation of traditional products for increased health benefits.
“Where possible, formulators are using natural-origin and whole-fruit ingredients; for example fruit juices are being replaced by fruit purees,” said Duggan. “This is where URC- concentrated fruit pieces and pastes add real value.”
URC products can be used as natural sugar replacer and source of recognised health benefits, such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Taura’s approach to developing customised solutions for individual customers draws on a global network of industry experts and a culmination of fruit-processing expertise. A pioneering spirit and culture of innovation that draws from its New Zealand heritage, Taura is proof of kiwi ingenuity at work.
www.tauraURC.com