Consumers are increasingly embracing a healthy diet that is low in sugar. Many food manufacturers are therefore looking for ways to reduce the sugar content of their products. In line with this trend, the Hamburg-based ingredients specialist bolasco has now teamed up with its brand partner Ocean Spray to introduce reduced-sugar dried cranberries to the market.

German headquartered trading agency Bösch Boden Spies (BBS) has revenues of around €100 million, through its import of dried fruits, fruit purees and fruit concentrates, frozen fruits, canned food, powders and nuts into Europe. BBS handles more than 100,000 MT of fruit for European customers, of which 35-40% is frozen fruit concentrate, purees and the rest dried fruit and nut. 

Through their subsidiary “bolasco – functional fruit solutions,” new applications are being developed, trends are being analyzed and product innovations are being put onto the market. The bolasco platform has effectively allowed BBS to switch from being a 100% trading company into a full service agency that offers logistics, finance and ingredient expertise. Plans are in place to open an Ingredient Technology Center, with an application lab at the company’s new Hamburg location in February 2017. 

For the last 3 years, the bolasco application and technical team has been extended to four food scientists who are also conducting application work for customers. “They have been working on different food category segments and are basically constantly analyzing how their fruit ingredients are performing in every single application they create,” Kay Schumacher (pictured), head of product development and application support at bolasco told FoodIngredientsFirst in a recent interview: “We are trying to figure out the real benefits of the ingredients. We don’t only sell fruit ingredients for taste, but also for their functional and technological role that contributes to healthy applications.”

The company, which has around 100 employees, trades in products from well-known suppliers, including Blue Diamond Growers, Buderim Ginger, Cherry Central, Granor Passi, IQCitrus, La Invernada, Langeberg & Ashton, Morning Star, National Pecan, Niagro, Ocean Spray, Oxford, Quicornac, Sun-Maid Growers, Sunsweet, Superfruit and Terrafertil.

By working with leading partners, bolasco succeeds in gaining expertise in highly specific fruits. “We do not have a wide portfolio, but believe that we are the experts in specific fruits that we continuously develop,” he notes. The company therefore tries to focus on the specific health or technology side of the products that they are selling. Superfoods such as cranberries, wild blueberries, goldenberries, ginger, plum and acerola are perfectly suited as fruit ingredients. Among others, they are enforcing the immune system, combating free radicals, alleviating pains, reducing blood pressure, supporting digestion and sugar reduced products. 

Compared to regular sugared cranberries, bolasco’s reduced-sugar version contains 50 percent less sugar, 36 percent fewer calories and three times more fiber. 

This is made possible by the fact that the producer Ocean Spray replaces a portion of the sugar with soluble corn fibers, which are naturally sweet but contain fewer calories than conventional sugar. This also sets bolasco reduced sugar cranberries apart from those of other manufacturers, who often use artificial sweeteners such as sucralose to reduce the sugar content of their dried fruits.

Bolasco offers two product variants: whole fruits and halves. With their wealth of vitamins, dietary fiber and antioxidants, as well as their lower sugar content, cranberries are the ideal ingredient for healthy snacks – whether in cereals, baked goods, dairy products, or as a topping for convenience salads. The red berries also enhance chocolate products both visually and functionally, which makes them a good choice for health-conscious consumers who want to eat a sweet snack without the guilt.

The full interview with Kay Schumacher is featured in the February 2017 issue of The World of Food Ingredients. 

by Robin Wyers & Elizabeth Kenward

To contact the editor of this article elizabeth@cnsmedia.com.