Carob fibre hits the shelves

Specialty ingredients manufacturer, Nutrinova presented its Caromax™ dietary fiber at this year's FiE exhibition. This new ingredient enables Nutrinova to offer food manufacturers a total fibre solution that combines high nutritional content with good processing properties. Other ingredients on show from the company's fibre portfolio include Canadian Harvest™ Oat Fibres and Stabilised Brans. The carob fruit comes from the Ceratonia seliqua, a member of the legume family, and is native to the Mediterranean region. Caromax's composition is characterised by its high content of lignin, polyphenols and pinitol. This, according to the company, supports the healthy advantages of the 'Mediterranean diet' which includes a high content of dietary fibre, high content of low saturated fats, complex carbohydrates and bioactive substances. With a total dietary fibre content of over 80 per cent, Caromax offers a nutritional option for increasing fibre content in the development of products spanning the food industry, including bakery, cereals, dairy and snacks. Nutrinova adds that initial research suggests that carob fibre exhibits antioxidant properties which may be attributed to the naturally high levels of polyphenols..Nutrinova further states that Caromax has a good water-binding capacity and can prolong a product's shelf-life. Other benefits according the company include texture improvement, increased flowability, anti-caking properties and enhanced colouring. Nutrinova is one of the world's largest producers of potassium sorbate and sorbic acid and has recently entered the market for dietary fibres