AGRANA attends the Food ingredients Europe trade fair showcasing numerous novel products for plant-based applications

The global food group AGRANA will again be demonstrating its innovative strength, in Paris, from 6 to 8 December. Along with AUSTRIA JUICE, a joint venture between AGRANA and Raiffeisen Ware Austria, the AGRANA group will be showcasing its holistic solutions for the dairy, bakery, ice cream, food service and beverages industries. For the first time in three years, Food Ingredients Europe (FiE), the leading trade fair for the food processing sector, is again taking place in Paris. The innovations being presented by AGRANA include, in particular, plant-based concepts which are targeted at the growing segment of flexitarians in Europe.

Vegan yoghurt alternatives with creamy nuts

In its Fruit segment, AGRANA has extended its portfolio to include vegan concepts with creamy, nut-based preparations and will also be presenting a vegan dessert based on coconut and without flavour enhancers at the FiE. This is in response to product trends with nuts as a healthy snack due to their health-promoting fats and proteins. This concept can be based on almonds or cashew nuts and also combined with fruits. A vegan hazelnut dessert is just one example of the diverse options which AGRANA offers as tailored dairy alternatives. These include, for example, ready-to-use solutions based on coconut, hemp or spelt for manufacturers of vegan yoghurts, spreading cheese and ice cream alternatives, who can then easily and rapidly launch new products with various textures and taste variations as a result.

From rice to ice cream with a fluffy texture

Ice cream is a product which offers consumers unwilling to compromise on taste and indulgence a delightful snack between meals. That’s why ice cream manufacturers who use purely plant-based ingredients face the challenge of living up to these expectations in terms of texture and taste. AGRANA now offers a new solution in the form of a fluffy, vegan soft ice cream based on rice. Besides the soft, creamy texture, a subtle, sweet hint of rice this new development also delights consumers with its low sugar and high fibre content. This combination is easy to use in a standard ice cream machine such as those used in the catering sector. AGRANA also showcases other – vegan and conventional – ice cream varieties ranging from lavender and blueberries to oats and chocolate.

 
Creamy, all-vegan panna cotta on a pool of fruit glaze

AGRANA has also converted the popular Italian dessert panna cotta into a vegan delicacy. This product relies on a combination of two corn starches to replace the gelatine from animal origins or agar-agar traditionally used as a gelling agent. This plant-only and also low-fat panna cotta based on oat products has the perfect creamy colour, soft mouthfeel and a mildly sweet and vanilla-based taste.

Betaine drinks for more stamina and strength

Betaine is an ingredient which has a positive nutritional impact on our fluid balance and metabolism, meaning that it promotes physical performance and stamina. AGRANA produces betaine from GMO-free sugar beet, leading to a highly pure form (at least 99% pure betaine) of this natural substance contained in sugar beet molasses, which is available in the form of a free-flowing, white, crystalline product.

In order to demonstrate the positive characteristics of betaine, two beverage concepts that have been developed by AGRANA together with AUSTRIA JUICE can be tasted at the FiE stand: an isotonic sports drink with red berry juice and corn starch, on the one hand, and an energy drink with vitamins, caffeine and betaine, to replace taurine, on the other. The beverage base has been developed by AUSTRIA JUICE through the addition of betaine and starch.

New taste experiences from AUSTRIA JUICE

By bundling its expertise, from the market research to the beverage concept and from fruit growing to finished formulations and ingredient supplies, AUSTRIA JUICE offers its customers a wide range of support when it comes to implementing diverse projects. The company also takes the latest developments in the beverages market into account, such as the trend in the direction of natural, calorie-reduced products. That is why AUSTRIA JUICE is also showing off its most recent innovation at the FiE – a 100 % fruit juice with 30 % fewer calories. This involves reducing the sugar content by means of a biological-physical process while at the same time retaining the key ingredients of the juice.

Another trend which AUSTRIA JUICE is following in the area of product development is the rise of collagen beverages. They are rich in proteins, promote well-being and also a more health-conscious lifestyle. These collagen drinks, which are also being presented at the FiE, come in a variety of taste variants, namely mango and coconut, raspberry and cranberry as well as yuzu and grapefruit.

About AGRANA

AGRANA converts agricultural raw materials into high-quality foods and numerous industrial intermediate products. Around 9,000 employees at 55 production sites worldwide generate annual Group revenue of approximately € 2.9 billion. The Group was founded in 1988, is the global leader in fruit preparations and also a major producer of fruit juice concentrates in Europe as well as being a key manufacturer of customised potato, corn and wheat starch products as well as organic ethanol in its Starch segment. AGRANA is one of the leading sugar companies in Central and Eastern Europe.

For queries, please contact:

Markus Simak
Public Relations
+43 1 21137 12084
markus.simak@agrana.com

Hannes Haider
Investor Relations
+43 1 21137 12905
hannes.haider@agrana.com
 

This press release is available at https://www.agrana.com/en/.