Enthusiasm for the concentrate has been steadily growing throughout the industry, said Kit Kats, technical sales representative for Futureceuticals, with growers already advised to increase production for the coming year.
An exclsuive agreement between VDF Futureceuticals and Vermont-based New Chapter, signed at the end of March to bring the CoffeeBerry 2500 Whole Coffee Fruit Concentrate to the North American natural products channel, is key to the anticipated demand.
The concentrate, available as a powder, granules, extract, liquid concentrate and flavor distillate, is said to have a pleasant mild flavor that compliments other flavors, an important factor for food formulators.
"It can be easily incorporated into various applications. Some examples are energy and alertness drinks, teas, coffee, beverages of all kinds, energy and snack bars, chewing gum and of course nutritional supplements," said Kats.
Coffeeberries, the outer layer of the coffee fruit, are a rich source of antioxidants, with research reporting that 400 mg of concentrate has a radical scavenging activity equal to 9.6 grams of fresh blueberries, 6.2 grams of strawberries, or 4.9 grams of raspberries.
This potent anti-radical power has not been commercially available previously because the fruit rapidly perishes, which is why only the bitter seed has been commercially exploited.
Kats told NutraIngredients-USA.com: "We have discovered a means of growing, harvesting and processing the whole coffee fruit so that we arrest the development of mycotoxins and thereby render the coffee fruit for human consumption.
Because no one until now has figured out how to do this in a cost effective manner, whole coffee fruit has simply not been available."
CoffeeBerry contains five of eight rare and essential sugars called monosaccharides, with research indicating that these are essential for the proper functioning of various biological systems.
Almost half of the dry weight of the concentrate is made up of polysaccharides, such as mannans and arabinoglactan. Conventional roasting destroys these nutrients, so they are not found in traditional brewed coffee.
Paul Schulick, Founder and CEO of New Chapter, said that the concentrate would become a core part of the company's nutritional program.
"CoffeeBerry is a complex whole-food antioxidant with extraordinary ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity) values, but it is so much more than just the finest fruit antioxidant. It delivers many of the essential glyconutrients, or essential sugars, necessary to support multiple physiological processes," he said.