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GOURMET NEWS FEBRUARY 2015 www.gourmetnews.com Naturally Healthy NATURALLY HEALTHY 1 4 Yacon and Baobob Join the Natural Foods Lexicon as Two Healthful Food Additives to Watch BY DAVID BERNARD Natural foods retailers and health-con- scious consumers are delighting in two rel- atively new-to-market fruit- and vegetable-based natural food additives, each offering a broad range of potential ap- plications: yacon and baobob. Both long- treasured foodstuffs in other countries, for the first time, American consumers are tak- ing notice of these healthful ingredients. Yacon, a potato-like vegetable, seems an unlikely source of a delicious sweet syrup, but that is precisely what it pro- duces. The brownish root produces a molasses-like syrup with caramel notes that is low glycemic and carries a host of health benefits. It works as an all-pur- pose sweetener and contains half the calories of honey. The syrup can be used in baking, as a dessert topper, or it can be mixed into smoothies and other drinks. In addition, it works perfectly in soups and sauces. "Our Yacon syrup is selling well," said Zach Adelman, CEO and founder of Nav- itas Naturals, a Northern California- based producer of organic superfoods and alternative sweeteners. Adelman no- ticed a spike in demand for the syrup about a year ago after Dr. Oz featured it on his show. "Yacon is out there, and awareness has grown," Adelman contin- ued. "We have been doing more store trainings than ever. Retailers want to know more about how to use the syrup in recipes, so they can assist their cus- tomers." As consumers become more educated about healthful foods, some seek out yacon for its unique digestive and im- mune system-boosting properties. The root packs the world's highest content of FOS or fructo-oligosaccharides, starches that are only partially digested in the upper intestine but serve as ready food for the health-enhancing microflora or "good bacteria" of the colon. Yacon is also a source of protein, antioxidants, potassium, vitamins A and C, calcium, phosphorus and fiber. Navitas Naturals, which also sells packaged yacon slices (the raw root is likened to an apple in consistency and taste) enjoyed a further boost in sales after it debuted its syrup squeeze bottle last year. The company supplies retailers ranging from Whole Foods and other na- tionals to smaller specialty food stores and independent health food stores. Just as yacon packs nutritional punch into a delicious and versatile ingredient, so does the coconut-like fruit baobob combine great taste with good health- promoting properties. Baobob is often made into tasty chews that best power fruits like açai and goji berries on many nutrient measures. The fruit is also avail- able in a powdered form. Bellevue, Washington-based Baobab Foods Inc., the world's largest processor of baobab fruit powder, has seen its in- gredient sales triple in the last year, with the antioxidant, fiber, vitamin C and mineral-packed ingredient being used in cereals, granola clusters and nutrition bars, as well as in powdered drink mixes. Baobab contains twice the antioxidant activity of goji berries, three times the fiber (baobab fruit is a whopping 50 per- cent fiber), four times the vitamin C, twice the potassium, three times the cal- cium and 36 percent more magnesium. The fact that this single ingredient brings high levels of a variety of nutrients makes baobob particularly attractive to manufacturers, retailers and consumers who promote the consumption of foods in their natural state. "It's the synergy of getting all these nu- trients together instead of taking something and separating it, as you tend to have with man-made vitamins and nutrients," said Baobab Foods General Manager Stephan Broburg. "You have something that's been eaten for thousands of years, and manufac- turers take the nutrient value of baobab powder and work with it, whether it's one of 30 different ingredients, or it's the star of the show." Baobab Foods calls its tasty snack chews the "queen of superfruits." It offers the chews under both the company's own label and under various private labels. The snacks are available at a number of national, regional and local retailers, spanning several categories. Flavors range from mango and raspberry to pomegran- ate, Meyer lemon and tart cherry. Having just opened a new Missouri production facility, the company will expand signifi- cantly on its nine chew flavors this year as it begins new partnerships, and it plans to introduce the chews to new products like trail mixes. GN Arctic Zero Arctic Zero's Chunky Pints combine great taste with positive nutrition. With only 75 calories per serving and 12 grams of protein in every pint, there is nothing else like it on the market. MSRP: $4-5/pint www.arcticzero.com The Piping Gourmets The Piping Gourmets' Whoopie Pies are free of gluten, wheat, soy, egg, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, trans fats, hydrogenated oils and arti- ficial colors and flavors. The company recently updated the product packaging. www.thepipinggourmets.com CLIF Bar CLIF Bar's newest flavors, Berry Pomegranate Chia and Nuts & Seeds, are full of superfood ingredients, including chia, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds. The bars are now available nationwide. www.clifbar.com J.R. Watkins J.R. Watkins' Natural Gourmet Line has been ex- panded to include barbecue sauce, fajita dry sea- soning mix and chicken gravy dry seasoning mix, available now at mass retailers nationwide. MSRP: $6.99/barbecue sauce, $1.19/fajita season- ing, $1.39/chicken gravy www.jrwatkins.com Get Healthy! Four companies bringing something new to the natural foods aisle Middle Eastern Original Grain Product Freekeh Packed with Flavor and Nutrition First produced some 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, freekeh, a sweet and smoky tasting, nutty-textured grain product, has recently come to the attention of U.S. retailers and consumers. This high-protein, high-fiber product derives from green wheat, which is carried through a multi-step process, one of which is burning the straw and chaff. This step spares the seeds but adds flavor. Ideal as a side dish, hot breakfast cereal or an ingredient in soups and main dishes, specialty food companies are increasingly incorporating freekeh into breads and other baked goods. In terms of overall nutrition, experts praise freekeh for its health-promoting properties. Freekeh contains four times the fiber of some comparable grains. It is also high in iron. For those with minor gluten-sensitivity, freekeh may be a viable grain alternative. The product does contain gluten but in very small amounts. Based in Minneapolis, Freekeh Foods has generated strong sales of its ready-in-minutes freekeh pouches. The pouches are available in original, rosemary sage and tamari flavors. The product is sold nationally in chains such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, Wegmans and Earthfare, as well as in smaller chains and independent retailers. "The response from consumers has been very positive," said Freekeh Foods President Troy De Smet. De Smet's family boasts a 100- year history of growing, trading and processing wheat. "I think the success is coming from a demand for more whole grains, more nutrient dense foods," he said. "And the flavor, absolutely. People try it for the first time, and they want more."

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