Coconut Water: Positioned to Rescue the Juice Industry
while reducing calories in
the process
Industry
leader predicts that within five years, coconut water concentrate as an
ingredient could be as significant as pineapple juice concentrate. With tripled
capacity since helping to launch the coconut water trend in 2009, iTi
Tropicals, Inc. says this growth trend will continue.
"Some of the cleanest, least-processed
packaged foods on the market are 100% juice products," says Gert van
Manen, president of iTi Tropicals, Inc. "Compare the ingredients in a 100%
juice beverage to just about any other beverage and most will have added sugar,
many with unpronounceable ingredients. If ‘clean label' is a trend with
consumers, then 100% juices can capitalize on this! Currently, the focus is on the amount of
calories in 100% fruit juices, so address this and reduce the calories while
maintaining 100% juice. It is our challenge and goal to educate and provide the
tools to develop 100% juice products that are consumer-preferred alternatives
to sugary drinks."
Coconut water is the ideal ingredient
to accomplish this goal. In an 8 oz. serving of coconut water, there are 36 calories
versus 140 for grape, 113 for orange and 150 for pomegranate. Cranberry has
only 70 calories but is too strong as 100% juice. A combination of 100%
cranberry juice and coconut water could be a powerhouse of low calories and
full of nutritional value. Pomegranate, mango, coconut, cherry and other juices
have many well-known nutritional values. However, coconut water is translucent in
color, has a gentle flavor and low viscosity, making it easy to blend with any
juice.
"I don't quite understand how the
juice business is under attack for naturally occurring sugars," states van
Manen, "when you eat beets, carrots or even broccoli, you consume naturally
occurring sugars. Sure, some of the juices on the market have little fiber but
many purees we carry, such as banana puree, are an excellent source of fiber.
Nothing has been removed, just the peel." van Manen goes on to say, "All
smoothies have banana puree added to provide viscosity. Sometimes satiety is a
problem for high-viscosity beverages. Consumers are left with the feeling of
being too full or having consumed too much. Coconut water can be used to reduce
thickness of highly viscous purees and yogurts. Reducing viscosity using
coconut water allows you to formulate a product that's 100% juice, while using
water as a diluent reduces the juice content proportionally. And, being
relatively bland, coconut water does not interfere with other flavors.
Capitalize on the clean label, nutritional values, flavor and reduce the calories.
What beverage could compete with such stellar, clean and healthy attributes?"
We recently designed a new website (www.coconutwaterconcentrate.com) for developers with FAQs,
application ideas, news and a calculator for pricing and calories. This
calculator can simply be used to compare the cost and calories for several
ingredients, or as a more comprehensive cost and calorie calculation for new
beverage development.
Natural coconut water is the water
inside a coconut. It is naturally filtered for nine to twelve months through
the dense fibers of the coconut creating a nutritious, pure and refreshing
isotonic beverage. Coconut water is naturally sterile and has five essential
electrolytes, more potassium than a banana, no added sugars, no fat, no
cholesterol and no preservatives. It is excellent for replacing lost
electrolytes from exercise and illness. It may be incorporated into many
beverage applications and is regarded as a natural sports drink. In addition to
health benefits, coconut water concentrate (CWC) has another compelling
attribute for beverage companies: efficiency. The standard for coconut water is
such that one load of 60 brix yields approximately 18 loads single strength.
For comparison, one truckload of pineapple concentrate yields approximately six
loads.
Brand holders are discovering coconut
water, as a negative sugar juice ingredient. Stevia and erythritol are natural
sweeteners that are powerful tools for increasing perceived sweetness. However,
coconut water offers a way to reduce sugar without abandoning a 100% juice
claim. Using it in tandem with higher sugar juices subtracts sugar from every serving
of 100% juice blends. Growing awareness
of how much sugar is present, even in healthy 100% juice beverages, can drive
consumers away from the brands they love. Building a juice business requires
commitment and stamina. Long espoused by elite endurance athletes for hydration
and recovery, coconut water delivers a powerful recovery tool to help brand
holders recover from evolving consumer health concerns over sugar consumption.
It is important to distinguish
coconut water from coconut cream and coconut milk. Coconut cream is a smooth,
thick liquid made from the meat of fresh coconuts. The principle fatty acid in
coconut cream is lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in
mother's milk, and is known to promote normal brain development and promote
healthy bones. iTi Tropicals, Inc. supplies coconut cream both with and without
stabilizers to the food industry. The lactose intolerant population is growing
and coconut cream can be used as a dairy replacer in products like coffee
creamers and ice cream, but also as a replacement for milk when poured over
cereal.
When selecting a source for coconut
water, iTi Tropicals, Inc. urges customers to carry out authenticity testing to
make sure no sugars, additives and/or preservatives are added. While consumer
interest is strong, van Manen expressed concern that not all coconut water
beverages are labeled correctly. "Some products appear to have undeclared added
sugar. There is a big market for sugar added beverages-much bigger than 100%
juice, but they should be labeled correctly. Consumers
who don't want added sugar will be disappointed if they find out that they are
drinking a sugar-added beverage; regulators won't be happy either. This is why
we spend so much time travelling the world to select and understand supply, and
know who we are doing business with. We also always test for authenticity."
iTi Tropicals, Inc. has led the way
in providing the food industry with conventional coconut water concentrate 60
brix and has added organic coconut water concentrate, young coconut water,
acidified coconut water and soon will introduce an acerola acidified coconut
water concentrate, providing 100% daily value for vitamin C.
To capitalize on the growing coconut
water trend and for more information, visit www.coconutwaterconcentrate.com .
About iTi Tropicals
iTi Tropicals, Inc. is an independent
company headquartered in Lawrenceville,
NJ. Its sole business is
importing high quality tropical and exotic fruit puree & concentrates. They
are constantly searching the globe for manufacturers who meet their high
tropical and exotic fruit standards. In business for over 25 years, iTi
Tropicals has become one of the leading US suppliers of processed exotic
tropical fruits. Over time they have established many long-standing
relationships with their suppliers. These relationships enable them to guarantee
a reliable and quality supply of tropical fruit for their customers. They also
provide complete service with their fruit products including the expertise of
their in-house Food Scientist with backgrounds in Quality Assurance and Product
Development. iTi Tropicals maintains an
inventory of both frozen and aseptic tropical and exotic purees, juices, and
concentrates throughout the USA.
Their focus is on products such as: coconut cream, banana, guava, papaya,
mango, passion, pineapple, Açaí, acerola, mangosteen, tamarind and since 2009,
the groundbreaking coconut water concentrate.
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