Steensma, a global producer of ingredients for the chocolate manufacture, bakery, pastry, dairy and ice cream industries, said that its new all natural FruitEase line consists of strawberry, cherry, blueberry and blackberry which can be processed whole or diced.
Avoidance of flavour enhancers, artificial aromas and colours, modified starches and thickening agents for confectionery and snack items is on the increase, with the trend being driven by the boom in organic and natural foods, showing consumers' desire for authenticity and reliability.
Inne Brandsma, sales executive at the company, told ConfectioneryNews.com that the fruit ingredients are ideally suited to the chocolate industry as compared to frozen, freeze dried or recombined fruit ingredients in that they are low in moisture content and their original texture is retained.
Moreover, he said, as they are offered as individual pieces of fruit they can also easily be divided into chocolate tablet squares.
“Our infusion process involves the replacement of the water content with fruit concentrates rather than sugar or glucose, which appeals to the growing demand for sugar free and all natural products,” explained Brandsma.
He said that a combination of infusion and drying has also resulted in the fruits being bake and freeze stable, while trials at the company’s R&D facility have demonstrated that the fruit ingredients have a minimum of one year shelf life in a range of commercial applications including chocolate products.
Brandsma said the fruit line, which was given a release at last week's trade show, Food Ingredients Europe in Frankfurt, is competitively priced with a kilogram of a mix of the four fruits costing approximately €15.