Taura Natural Ingredients has introduced Mini’s, which are described as being “possibly the world’s smallest real fruit pieces”, because they are as small as a grain of quinoa. The innovative range of extremely small real fruit pieces has been developed to enable food manufacturers to “add the benefits of real fruit to applications where it has not before been possible”.
Peter Tinholt, General Manager Asia-Pacific at Taura Natural Ingredients, said: “The market is crying out for very small real fruit pieces that offer an alternative to ingredients that contain high levels of added sugar and other additives, such as sprinkle-style products. Our expertise in the fruit ingredients market has enabled us to create the perfect solution in the form of Mini’s. Each piece offers a tiny explosion of flavour, aroma, colour and texture in a wide range of products. Mini’s enable our customers to use real fruit ingredients in places where they have never been before.”
Demand is increasing across Asia-Pacific markets for very small real fruit pieces that are suitable for use in fine bakery and confectionery applications such as ultra-thin biscuits and premium thin chocolate tablets. This increased demand can be attributed to health-conscious consumers seeking out indulgent products with fewer calories so they can enjoy snacking on treats without the guilt.
Mini’s are also expected to be popular as toppings on donuts and muffins and as inclusions in fruit & nut mixes. They are perfect as a fresh addition to frozen dairy beverages and desserts, and as a fruity twist in popcorn products. Their high fruit content means Mini’s are bursting with flavour, aroma, colour and a have a soft, chewy texture – a set of benefits Taura Natural Ingredients has dubbed ‘F.A.C.T.’
Taura’s head of sales and marketing EMEA, Peter Forceville, said the company wants to continue to be a market leader when it comes to innovating with fruit. “We take a piece of fruit and we ask ourselves: ‘This is fantastic already, but what can we do to make it even better?’ We never stop being creative with fruit. It’s a key part of our value proposition.”
Created for the Asia-Pacific market, Taura Natural Ingredients is targeting Mini’s at a range of sectors including industrial food manufacturing, bakery, confectionery and quick service restaurants. The small size and the consistency of the Mini’s pieces means that they travel easily through production equipment such as depositor nozzles and rollers, offering exceptional distribution.
Produced using Taura Natural Ingredients’ unique URC process, Mini’s offer the same superior performance that the company’s other products are already known for. They contain high fruit content with no artificial colours or preservatives, which means they are perfect for clean label products. They are free-flowing and bake stable, so they won’t burn, bleed or discolour during baking, and they have a water activity of 0.41 – 0.45 to suit both dry and moist applications.
URC (Ultra Rapid Concentration) is a unique process of concentrating the taste, texture and natural goodness of fruit into pieces, flakes and pastes for use in applications such as cakes, snacks, confectionery and chocolate for both the retail and quick service restaurant sectors.
