Sugar reduction solution: DuPont develops pectin innovation for fruit spreads

14 Feb 2018 --- Capitalizing on the low sugar trend, DuPont Nutrition & Health has developed and launched GRINDSTED Pectin PRIME 541, a product that will allow food manufacturers to formulate new appealing reduced-sugar fruit spreads recipes faster and without processing hurdles.

GRINDSTED Pectin PRIME 541 is designed to increase flexibility: it doesn’t require calcium addition, has an improved tolerance to heat and can work in a wide range of fruit types, sugar levels and fruit levels.

“This product was developed in response to customer requests,” says Eva Lynenskjold, Principal Application Specialist, Fruit Application, DuPont Nutrition & Health. “The improved formulation and process flexibility make it possible, in a minimum amount of time, to develop and produce reduced sugar fruit spread with outstanding quality, and at the same time reduce the number of pectin SKUs needed.”

Jesper Kampp, MSc, Senior Group Manager, Food Protection for Microbiology, Fruit, Culinary & Meal Solutions told FoodIngredientsFirst: “The demand for reduced sugar spreads is intensifying globally as consumers are looking for healthier options and the concern for the negative impact from a high sugar diet is increasing. Also, more and more reduced sugar spreads are sweetened with fruit juice concentrates as a natural alternative to refined white sugar.”

“Formulating reduced sugar spreads is more demanding as compared to traditional high sugar jams and jellies. Natural batch to batch variations in e.g. the calcium content of fruit can have a major impact on the texture of the spread. This variation is minimized or completely eliminated through the use of GRINDSTED Pectin PRIME 541,” explains Kampp.

“Different fruit types may also require the use of different pectin types even when used for spreads which have identical sugar contents. Thanks to the flexibility of the new GRINDSTED® Pectin PRIME 541, manufacturers can now rely on just one single pectin type to be applied in spreads based on a wide range of different fruit types.”

“GRINDSTED Pectin PRIME 541 is also the ideal choice for reduced sugar spreads formulated with fruit juice concentrates. One needs, however, to pay attention to the flavor profile of the spread when substituting sucrose or other refined sugar types with fruit juice concentrates,” he notes.

“GRINDSTED Pectin PRIME 541 can also be used for a wide range of other reduced sugar fruit products such as toppings, fruit sauces and ice cream ripples.”

Increased consumer awareness of healthier diets makes sugar reduction a focal point for fruit spread manufacturers. As the premium fruit spread market makes new gains, continuously improving today's standards, it is essential that sugar reduction does not negatively impact product quality. Prime 541 allows food manufacturers to meet the quality demands on appearance, texture and flavor for reduced sugar fruit spreads, while also meeting clean label requirements.

GRINDSTED Pectin PRIME 541 provides maximum functional performance based on sustainable raw materials and processes. The company claims that through application knowledge from DuPont, food manufacturers can enter the market rapidly with minimum impact on their development time and cost.

By Elizabeth Green