Cargill has announced it is investing $35m (32 million euros) in Europe to add soluble fibres to its current broad portfolio of starches, sweeteners and texturisers.
Cargill’s new soluble fibres will enable sugar reduction up to 30% as well as calorie reduction and fibre enrichment in confectionery, bakery goods, fillings, cereals, ice cream and dairy, whilst maintaining the desired appearance, taste and texture, the company says. The investment is part of Cargill’s continued efforts to offer on-trend solutions and marks its first move into soluble fibres in Europe.
“Calorie and sugar reduction remains a key priority for many manufacturers amid growing interest from health-conscious consumers. As a holistic provider of sweetness solutions, Cargill is addressing this need by developing fibre ingredients which enable improvement of the nutritional profile, including sugar and calorie reduction, in consumer products,” says Jan-Peter Scheurwater, Cargill global strategy and business development director, sweetness.
In terms of market activity, Innova notes an average increase in European product launches with fibre claims of 23% and a 16% increase in products with sugar-reduced claims over the past five years. Especially low sugar claims showing the strongest growth.
“This is a crucial investment to complement the broad portfolio of starches, including label-friendly functional and native starches, texturisers and sweeteners, ranging from full- to no-calorie Cargill makes available to our manufacturing customers. Our expanded offerings support the wide range of product formulations our customers need, while helping them meet changing consumer preferences,” said Alain Dufait, Managing Director Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturisers Europe.
The new product line will be based on patented, advanced proprietary technology in order to offer great taste and mouthfeel, combined with enhanced product quality. The Cargill soluble fibre products are expected to be launched in 2021 – expanding quickly into other categories and adding more market innovations.
