SternLife offers customised solutions for bars that combine indulgence, optimum nutrient profiles and clear USPs.

Norderstedt (Germany), November 2020: SternLife presents two new concepts for promising market placement of functional bars. Vegan Deluxe blends excellent taste with a high-quality nutrient profile to capitalise on the vegan megatrend. The prototype bar created by the company delivers 25 per cent of valuable plant proteins from pea, soy and rice, as well as 13 percent of saturating dietary fibres, and less than one percent sugar. In terms of taste, it combines a delicious cookie base with caramel creme. Indulgence is also the focus of the second concept, Grand Deluxe, an innovation that allows for nearly one-quarter (22 percent) of the bar to consist of filling – a novelty in the conventional protein bar segment, thanks to special SternLife technology. With its broad range of ingredients, the company is able to customise sensory, nutritional and functional properties of the bars according to desired positioning and target groups.

Functional bars and snacks have been rising in popularity in recent years. Premium products, high-quality nutrient profiles and vegan recipes, in particular, are all driving demand. As a result, the European bar market is fairly well saturated.

Lüder Holsten, Product Manager at SternLife, explains: “Our special focus is on those segments that still offer good positioning opportunities. There is definitely space for improvement when it comes to the existing range of vegan protein bars. This has inspired us to develop the Vegan Deluxe concept. Of course, saturated markets are more challenging in terms of successful product launches, but are by no means unmanageable. To stand out from the crowd, innovation and USPs are a must. Our Grand Deluxe concept is the best example of a new generation of protein bars. Never before has there been so much filling in an industrially produced functional bar.”

SternLife provides a comprehensive portfolio of proteins, dietary fibres and functional ingredients, as well as fillings, toppings, inclusions and chocolate coatings. This allows for the development of creative, customised and innovative functional bar solutions for all target groups and markets.

In addition, customers benefit from the company’s application-specific competence. Vegan bars are particularly challenging from a sensory perspective, as their texture and taste differ substantially from milk- and whey-based counterparts. For the Vegan Deluxe prototype, the functional food specialists therefore combined the raw materials in a clever way to create an excellent taste profile without the off-flavours often found in purely plant-based recipes. A crunchy peanut topping ensures a harmonious texture too.

SternLife provides advice and support from conception to formulation, development and production. Whether in the field of sports, weight management, health or healthy ageing: high-quality ingredients, state-of-the-art technologies and comprehensive application expertise make the perfect combination for successful market launches.