Barry Callebaut, a manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa products, has introduced a nutraceutical fruit drink containing cacaofruit, designed to preserve the nutrients of the fruit while providing a zesty fruity taste.
The cacaofruit naturally contains the required amount of flavanols to optimise the blood flow across the entire body, the company says. It’s a good source of iron, magnesium and potassium. Besides the 100% cacaofruit drink, the manufacturer says combinations with herbs and other fruits can be explored for other taste combinations and additional nutrients.
The drink has reportedly been tested and validated through consumer research by independent global research agency MMR in the UK and the US. As part of these studies its consumer appeal and purchase intent have been tested, indicating high interest in the nutraceutical fruit drink category, the company says.
Peter Boone, CEO of Barry Callebaut Group said: “The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated consumers’ interest in their own health as well as in the health of their environment. The introduction of this 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.”
The drink has been approved for a health claim relating to the effect of the cacaofruit’s flavanols on circulatory health by the EFSA, and approval by the FDA is pending for 2022. Cacaofruit flavanols reportedly help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels which benefits the blood flow to, for example, organs such as the heart, muscles, brain, and skin.