“The sweet potato has a lot of benefits to offer folks in the nutraceutical and functional food field,” as well as in the conventional food and beverage arena, Nathan Holleman, vice president of sales and marketing at CIFI told FoodNavigator-USA.
For example, he said, the ingredient supplier, which launched in the spring of 2014, currently offers four – and soon to be five – types of sweet potato juice that can help clean product labels by replacing high fructose corn syrup, which many consumers are shunning.
The juices also can simplify ingredient decks by eliminating the need for added thickeners in some sauces, dressings and marinades because they are naturally viscous, Holleman said. He added the juice also can be blended with that from other fruits and vegetables to reduce sugar and calories while allowing beverage manufacturers to maintain a 100% juice claim.
Depending on which of the five juices are used, the ingredient can add functional benefits by contributing an added boost of beta-carotene, vitamin C and minerals. The most nutrient dense version is the decanted juice. The clarified juice has more clarity, but loses some of the nutrients, while the ultrafiltered juice, which will be available in early 2016, is more like a traditional sugar syrup, Holleman said.
On the dry ingredient side, the firm’s sweet potato granules and flour can add fiber, resistant starch and vitamins to functional foods. It also can be substituted for up to 20% of wheat flour to create low-gluten foods or be blended with other gluten-free flours for celiac-friendly products, Holleman said.
The supplier also offers purple sweet potato flour and juice, which can add a unique, natural color to snacks and beverages – helping them standout on store shelves as well as meet consumer demand for products that are free of artificial colors.
A domestic sweet potato source
CIFI’s sweet potato ingredients also are unique because they are 100% sourced from North Carolina, making the firm the only guaranteed supplier of sweet potato ingredients in the US, Holleman said.
“Most of the sweet potato ingredients available now come from China,” and while they meet standards the manufacturing process could leave something to be desired, he explained.
CIFI’s ingredients, on the other hand, are made in a “state of the art facility with all the bells and whistles” and is FDA-compliant, Holleman said. Plus, he added, CIFI can trace back all of its sweet potatoes to where they are growth for added food safety security.
Because CIFI is headquartered in North Carolina, it can turn around supply orders faster than most foreign suppliers, which typically require a month, and it does not require firm’s to order a minimum container-load, as done by many foreign suppliers, Holleman said.
As a local supplier, CIFI also helps North Carolina farmers fully use their crop – 20% of which previously was wasted because the potatoes were not the right shape for bulk sale, French fries or canning.
“We use the ugly, misshapen but still wholesome potatoes that were previously wasted,” and in doing so provide farmers added income, Holleman explained.
More fruit & veggie sources to come
Looking to the future, CIFI wants to offer a similar line up of ingredient sources from different fruits and vegetables, Holleman said.
“There is a lot of call for cucumber juice. We think blueberries also would be good, as would strawberries, muscadine grapes and any number of things,” he said.
He further explained that because the firm uses a gentle evaporation process, it can maintain the nutritional content of many types of source-produce.