Two of the major available forms, purees and concentrates, vary in terms of the Brix level. The manufacturer will need to compensate with sweetener from a different source because when if the acid level is adjusted downward, the sugar content dips as well.Īn industry standard preparation in this case is a “five plus one,” says Maguire - five parts fruit to one part sugar, prepared by a specialty ingredient manufacturer, packed and ready to use in baking, confections or ice cream preparations. When the ratio of the two shifts - either more acid than normal compared to solids or vice versa - that’s when it becomes tricky. “If that is in line, even if Brix is a little high or a little low, it becomes a simple potency issue. It may be common to adjust a product formulation to account for seasonal flavor profile differences or to choose a fruit blend to help standardize desired quality and flavor attributes.Įd Maguire, an independent consultant with FLX Research, notes that manufacturers must consider the Brix/acid ratio in any fruit ingredient. The natural Brix of fruit can vary depending on the growing climate and from crop year to crop year. For example, a 100g sample of a solution that measures 40° Brix has 40g of sugar and other dissolved solids and 60g of water. The Brix scale equals the percent of dissolved solids in a solution. While Brix value is commonly associated with sugar, the most prevalent solid in many fruit and vegetable juices, Brix expresses the level of all solids, including sugars, pectins, organic acids and amino acids. That sort of compensation can be performed by the initial fruit processor or moved “upstream” to a further processor that creates filling or ribbons used in ice cream or baking, for example, to stabilize the viscosity and sweetness levels. This is a specification the end user can request from its supplier. The compensation or adjustments often involve balancing the Brix/acid ratio. Even tropical fruits currently in vogue can be sourced from a several geographical regions, he notes. Highbush Blueberry Council ( However the good news is that processors and ingredient suppliers often have a network of fruit growers from different regions to compensate for a lack of supply or quality for a particular type of fruit, according to Ed Maguire, an independent consultant with FLX Research. “The main challenges to fruit formulation and processing often come down to availability and format options,” says Jeannette Ferrary for the U.S. Various factors can affect fruit quality and availability, such as soil conditions, rainfall and other weather-related issues. When it comes to fruit-based ingredients, formulators have a wide variety of forms from which to choose, with major choices including juice, puree, concentrates in different strengths, freeze-dried, IQF or powders.
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