Amsterdam/The Netherlands and Zurich/Switzerland — Barry Callebaut, a manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, is leveraging its scientific knowledge of the cacaofruit and the fruit’s supportive health effect, to develop what it is calling the first nutraceutical fruit drink. The drink, made from 100 percent pure cacaofruit with a zesty fruity taste, is crafted to preserve the nutrients of the fruit, the company reports.
Barry Callebaut explains that the cacaofruit naturally contains the required amount of flavanols to optimize the blood flow across the entire body, adding it is a good source of iron, magnesium and potassium. The company says that the process upcycles the whole cacaofruit, positively impacting the environment and reducing food waste.
The drink has been tested and validated through independent consumer research in the U.S. and UK. As part of these studies, the company says the consumer appeal and purchase intent were tested, indicating a high interest in the nutraceutical fruit drink category.
Peter Boone, CEO of Barry Callebaut Group, says: “The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated consumers’ interest in their own health as well as their environment. The introduction of the new category of nutraceutical fruit drinks is another proof point of how Barry Callebaut, through its innovation capabilities and its profound knowledge of the cacaofruit, is able to cater to evolving consumer trends.”
Barry Callebaut notes the effect of cacaofruit flavanols on circulatory health are recognized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which resulted in the approval of the related health claim under the EU Nutrition and Health Claims regulation and pending FDA approval in spring 2022. Cacaofruit flavanols help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels which benefits the blood flow to, for example, organs such as the heart, muscles, brain, and skin, according to the research.
Composed of almost 20,000 types of molecules, the seed of the cacaofruit is one of the most complex food substances on earth, Barry Callebaut maintains, adding the R&D behind the cacaofruit elixir took Barry Callebaut more than 15 years.
