Global microalgae company Allma has marked its recent entry into the ingredients market with the announcement that it has agreed partnerships with two new customers in the food and beverage industry.
“They are both great examples of how Chlorella can be used and they are quite different,” the company’s business development manager, Sofia Mendonça, told FoodIngredientsFirst. “One is more complex and the other is simpler, but both represent innovation and great vision about food products development.”
Allma has finalised a deal to supply its high quality sun-grown Chlorella to major Portuguese group Frulact, which supplies fruit-based ingredients to blue-chip food companies globally and markets jams, beverages and smoothies to consumers. Frulact has collaborated with Allma to develop an innovative ‘bubble tea’ containing tiny pearls of Chlorella that provide a burst of nutrition in every sip. Frulact is now seeking partners to take the concept to market as a consumer-ready product.
Meanwhile, leading Portugal-based frozen desserts company Santini is selling Chlorella-enriched sorbet in its chain of café-stores. Named ‘Greenfest’, the sorbet is made with pineapple, orange and lemon, plus 1.3% Chlorella powder, which gives the product a distinctive green colour. It has proved popular with customers, who bought 280 litres of Greenfest in an initial two-week trial.
Mendonça said: “We’re delighted to announce these partnerships with Frulact and Santini, both of which are highly respected companies with a strong innovative streak. Chlorella adds enormous value – and a real ‘health halo’ – to a range of food, beverage and dietary supplement applications and we are seeing more and more businesses discovering the benefits of incorporating microalgae into their products.”
Pilar Morais, Innovation & Technology Manager at Frulact, commented: “Bubble teas are increasingly popular with consumers so we are always looking for new twists to add excitement in the category. Incorporating pearls of Chlorella is a great idea – one that will really catch the eye in-store – and the level of quality and service provided by Allma means they are the ideal partner. We are exploring the use of Chlorella in other types of products, such as savoury spreads. Results so far have been extremely encouraging.”
Eduardo Santini, Director of Santini, added: “Our customers are always looking to be inspired by new ideas and Greenfest, our Chlorella sorbet, has done just that. People are increasingly subscribing to the view that ‘green is good’, so a treat like Greenfest seemed certain to be a winner – and it proved to be a real hit.”
Based in Portugal, Allma supplies high quality sun-grown Chlorella powder free of contaminants, rich in protein, and containing phytonutrients, Omega 3, vitamins and minerals.
To showcase the potential of its Chlorella powder, Allma has an application development partnership with renowned Portuguese chef Vítor Sobral. Alongside Mr Sobral, Allma works with customers to create new food and beverage products that harness the many benefits of microalgae. The development kitchen is backed by Allma’s highly qualified and experienced scientific support team.
Sofia Mendonça added: “Allma has entered the thriving microalgae space only recently, but we are already making significant progress in terms of bringing our exceptional quality Chlorella – which is grown in the strong Portuguese sun – to the global market. These collaborations with Frulact and Santini signal our intention to make a real impact with our unique proposition, which enables companies to source high volumes of premium Chlorella from a trusted European producer.”
