In the opinion of one functional ingredients expert, fruit is the future. Research into the functional benefits of fruit-based ingredients is rapidly gathering pace, according to Allene Bruce, commercial business manager at New Nutrition Business.
Set against a backdrop of regulatory strife in terms of European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims, the inclusion of fruit-based functional ingredients is an increasingly powerful force for manufacturers, she says.
Not only are the health benefits of fruit already enshrined in consumers' minds, but studies are increasingly finding "new niches and benefits" with regard to satiety, immunity and digestion.
On one level, adding functional fruit-based ingredients to existing products is already reaping rewards for manufacturers, not least because only 15% of fruit per 100ml of product has to be used in order to use its EFSA-approved health claim.
Danone, which makes Actimel, is just one company that has tackled the marketing problems created by EFSA's refusal to award a digestive health claim to probiotics by incorporating more fruit-based functional ingredients and then advertising products from an immunity platform instead.
As Robin Wyers from research firm Innova Market Insights says: "They are using a vitamin C strategy by including acerola, which contains 20 times more vitamin C than lemon, and positioning the product around a more general health and wellness message. Manufacturers are rushing to make claims around vitamins because they are well-known, proven and widely accepted."
Danone has taken a similar approach with other products, says Bruce, by adding orange to its drinks to play on its immunity benefits, as opposed to its previous probiotic credentials.
Echoing Wyers views, Bruce told the recent NutraFormulate conference in Birmingham: "Consumers see fruit as a guilt-free ingredient. Even though it is high in natural sugars, its health benefits are already widely known."
While that may be the case, there are still an abundance of opportunities for manufacturers, as Wyers states: "Three out of four people in the US, UK and Germany do not get the recommended intake of vital nutrients."
All of which might go some way to explaining why there has been a flurry of functional product developments derived from fruit in recent months for manufacturers to take advantage of across a range of applications – as guests at the Vitafoods show in Geneva in May would have struggled to miss.
Flying dry
Frédéric Randet, business manager at Naturex, acknowledges that the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables are well known, but agrees with Wyers that many of these foods are largely absent from the average consumer's daily diet.
His firm is now offering "a simple and original" way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into savoury, sweet and baby food products by offering "convenient and tasty" fruit and vegetable powders through the cold and slow drying of purées.
The purées are then poured into the top of a 75M high spray drying structure known as the BIRS tower and a counter current of cool, dry air dries the droplets as they descend.
This, says Randet, creates powders that maintain the organoleptic properties of original, freshly harvested fruits and vegetables.
The powder is instantly soluble when poured into hot or cold water. "Drying purée instead of juice makes the difference in terms of texture and mouthfeel," says Randet.
"For example, the original fibre content of the apple is maintained throughout the process. When pouring into cold water, our apple powder can recreate unique and home-made-style apple sauce without the use of thickener."
The notion that incorporating fruit powders into products as a way to combat declining intakes is one that is increasingly gaining momentum – evidenced by DSM launching its tomato extract Fruitflow product in powder form – complete with an approved health claim for improving blood circulation.
What is still up for debate, however, its the most beneficial way of producing them.
While Naturex uses ambient temperature air that has been dried to create its powders, a team of Spanish researchers published a study at the end of 2012 suggesting that freeze drying fruits to produce powders could also be beneficial.
The team at Valencia University used freeze-drying techniques to make powdered versions of kiwi, grapefruit and strawberries.
They argue their method conserves the bioactive compounds responsible for the beneficial health effects, while maintaining levels of antioxidants.
Elsewhere, a study from researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University focused on the practical and public health implications, suggesting that using fruit powders could be an ideal way to incorporate nutrients into children's snacks.
Manchester Food Research Centre staff researcher Valentina Stojceska says: "While it is too early to say what commercial opportunities this might present, there is currently very little information about this field and it will give direction to manufacturers in terms of producing this sort of snack."
It's only natural
Naturex's powders, however, are already available and, while the potential nutritional benefits should not be overlooked, they also have another key benefit: the production process means they are free from additives or carriers and are therefore clean-label.
This means they are also well-placed to tap into the 'naturalness trend' that Bruce says is here to stay.
"The really good thing about products that are perceived to be natural is that they don't always need any other health claims because consumers already think that it has functional benefits," she says.
In this regard, functional fruit ingredients provide a triple whammy – not only are they already perceived to be beneficial in the mind of the consumer but, as Actimel and Danone have shown, they also have the benefit of approved health claims should a manufacturer wish to use it, alongside cast-iron natural credentials.
This was also highlighted at Vitafoods by Activ'Inside, which presented a natural lemon balm extract with an approved EFSA claim and Ecocert certification.
Natural Mg Lemon Balm Inside Co is a patented traditional dry extract of organic lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L) with a guaranteed content of natural magnesium.
Cécile Frémont, the firm's innovative projects manager, says the product associates a natural and traditional active ingredient implicated in stress and sleep disorders with a source of magnesium. And, of course, it's natural: "It is the only 100% natural extract with specific communication tools on the well-being market," she adds.
The product is obtained by an aqueous and patented process, specifically developed to preserve the best quality of the lemon balm.
Made in France, it contains more than 8% of natural magnesium and 2% of total hydroxycinnamic acid (a polyphenol sub-class of the phenolic acids class). Thanks to the high magnesium content, the firm says it is easy to include Natural Mg Lemon Balm Inside Co in nutraceutical or food formulation.
Regardless of the application or how it is derived, it is clear that the functional benefits and regulatory bonus provided by fruit should not be overlooked, both from a consumer demand perspective and as a tool to improve vitamin and nutrient intakes.
And there will be more to come.
As Bruce says, while innovation and studies into the benefits and applications of functional ingredients derived from fruit is taking off, in many respects it is still in its infancy.
"Research into fruit today is where it was in dairy around 20 years ago," she added. "There is a lot more potential here."