Fruit pulp is one of the most expensive ingredients in fruit juice drinks. Pulp replacers can be used as a cost saving substitute but National Starch said traditional replacement products have failed to reconcile cost reduction with stability, flavour and texture.
Precisa Pulp 02 is its answer to the challenge of balancing these demands for formulators of mango juice drinks. National Starch targeted this corner of the juice market because it saw a particular need for a product that would perform better than existing solutions which the firm claims fail to satisfy all sensory criteria.
Mona Rademacher, senior marketing analyst, beverages, told BeverageDaily.com that there are, for example, texturisers that could take care of the mouthfeel and viscosity but would be needed in a quantity that could disturb flavour.
Benefits and properties
Outlining the key benefits of Precisa Pulp 02, National Starch said it can reduce beverage recipe costs by up to 10 per cent.
At the same time, the ingredient supplier said Precisa Pulp 02 creates an “authentic pulpy texture and mouthfeel” and has a neutral flavour so avoids upsetting the taste of finished products. The company added that the ingredient is stable at high and low temperatures and low pH.
“At a time when beverage manufacturers continue to focus on value, we’ve developed Precisa Pulp 02 to help our customers deliver authentic beverages while keeping costs in check,” said Rademacher.
She added that the new pulp replacer should appeal to European manufacturers of exotic drinks and firms selling to the Middle East where thick and sweet mango juice drinks are particularly popular.
National Starch launched Precisa Pulp 02 at the virtual expo and conference, Drinks Ingredients 2010 at the end of May. Those registered for the event, which was hosted by BeverageDaily.com and our sister news sites FoodNavigator.com and NutraIngredients.com, can still access the show floor and conferences using their existing log-in details.