Photo courtesy of Stiebs Pomegranate Products.	Photo courtesy of North American Blueberry Council.	Photo courtesy of Ocean Spray ITG.
Photo courtesy of Ocean Spray ITG.	Photo courtesy of North American Blueberry Council.	Photo courtesy of Ocean Spray ITG.

Nutrient- and antioxidant-rich superfruits entice consumers to baked products with their healthful appeal.

“Trends can be temporary, but health is something that requires long-term investment” says Kristen Borsari, senior marketing manager, Ocean Spray Ingredient Technology Group (ITG), Lakeville-Middleboro, Mass. “Consumers are continuing to make more healthful choices, not only expecting whole body benefits, but also great taste and value. Fruit remains a popular consumer choice, capable of transforming the image of less healthful products.”

Superfruits offer a high Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) value, a measure of antioxidant activity. Compare the ORAC value of a banana (813) or a pineapple (373) to those of superfruits, such as elderberries (145,000), blueberries (6,520), chokeberries (15,820) and cranberries (9,382). (Source: USDA 2007).

Individual superfruits are being studied for specific health benefits, says Brad Miller, Stiebs Pomegranate Products, Madera, Calif. Pomegranate, for example, has been linked to prostate health and cardiovascular heath; açai offers high omega oils and anthocyanins that attack free radicals and support skin and brain functions; and mangosteen carries xanthones, which are linked to intestinal health and immune system stabilization, Miller adds.

Many superfruits are receiving consumer attention, including cranberry, blueberry, açai, pomegranate, goji, guavasteen, mangosteen, and most recently yumberry, yuzu and noni. Some superfruits that are less well known to consumers include aronia, gac fruit and sea buckthorn berries.

Açai is especially trendy right now, Miller notes. He credits the media, Internet and various product promotions with açai's rise to popularity. Blueberries, because of their familiarity and positive publicity remain a favorite with consumers.

Bakers can add superfruit flavor with or without piece identity to achieve value-added appeal. “With this economic condition we're in today, consumers are looking for ways to reward themselves and their families without spending a lot of money. With that, there is still the health trend,” Miller says. Consumers have the desire to reward themselves, but also want to treat their body right and put the right things into it, he adds. “I think it bodes well for superfruits.”

Fusions

The trendy new way to add superfruits to baked applications is to add fruit fusions. “Fruit is notoriously difficult to work with in bakery applications. The rigors of processing-from thawing to kneading and freezing-often mean manufacturers are forced to sacrifice fruit,” Borsari says. Common issues range from loss of piece identity to color bleed or moisture migration. Fusions allow bakers to avoid these issues as they are highly process tolerant and easy to work with. Ocean Spray offers a line of fruit fusions, which can be incorporated directly into batter and doughs, without presoaking. They are available in mango, orange, blueberry, raspberry and strawberry. The fusions combine a cranberry base with natural fruit flavors, juices, natural colors and sweeteners. The result is a soft, plump fruit piece that maintains its structure. The product offers a 24-month shelf life and is free of artificial flavors, colors and preservatives.

Stiebs Pomegranate Products offers an infused pomegranate aril. Arils are the seeds and surrounding pulp of the fruit.

“We started with IQF frozen and it was feedback from the baking industry that said the frozen and freeze-dried product were good, but the ideal for some bakers was to have something where the moisture content was more similar to dried cranberries, so we began infusing dried pomegranate arils with apple juice concentrate for fruit identity.” The pomegranate product was well received by bakers already familiar with OceanSpray's line of fruit fusions.

Adding superfruits to baked products

Working with superfruits can be challenging. Not only can they be expensive, but because many are native to far away regions of the world, some of the fruits can be difficult to source consistently. Bakers should research before ingredient sourcing to ensure the ingredients meet U.S. standards.