Monk fruit juice concentrate may mask bitter dark choc notes
Steve Pearce, MD of the UK based ingredient and flavour supplier, said that it has an exclusive agreement with a Chinese producer for the supply of the luo han guo or monk fruit derived juice concentrate.
He explained that Omega's ingreident is the pure fruit juice concentrate and not the extracted and purified sweetener molecule itself.
According to Pearce, the monk fruit juice concentrate has a slow onset of sweetness as well as a long tail off, and has good synergistic properties when used with sugar or aspartame.
“Our European client base, which consists of chocolate confectionery, cereal and beverage manufacturers, were seeking a commerical supply of the juice concentrate.
They have been trialling it in low percentages in their products over the past few months and the feedback we have received has been very positive,” he reports.
Pearce said it works in chocolate bars or sweets as well as in chocolate flavours, baked goods, drinks and nutritional bars, and he claims the juice concentrate can be used and declared as a fruit juice.
Industry watch
A branded version of the pure version of the monk fruit – Fruit-Sweetness – has the green light for use in the US. Its manufacturer, New-Zealand-based BioVittoria is now planning to submit for regulatory approval in Europe.
Food and beverage makers internationally have been keeping a careful watch on developments around the sweetener from the fruit, although its uptake in the market is still several steps away, indicate analysts, who indicated caution on the part of the industry.
“Although it does mirror stevia in that it has been allowed in parts of Asia for many years, stevia does have the added advantage of being used in processed foods and drinks in Japan for many years, developing formulations and applications that could then be adapted more easily for the Western market,” says Innova Market Insights.
“Where it has yet to score is in being taken up by the major food and drinks companies and used in their products.”
Mintel also points to luo han guo as one substance that has recently emerged in the market to address the increasing consumer desire for ‘natural’ products.
Information from its Global new Products Database (GNPD) reveals that 56 products containing luo han guo have been launched globally since 2002. Most of these (19) come from China, followed by Hong Kong (7), the US (7), Taiwan (5) and Malaysia (5).
