CFF has the right solution for your product

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CFF’s Food business focuses on functional dietary fibres that help food manufacturers improve product quality, texture, stability, and nutritional value. Under the established SANACEL^® brand, a broad range of high-quality dietary fibre concentrates, complex fibres, and fibre blends support manufacturers in developing innovative, clean-label, and consumer-oriented food applications.

SANACEL^® dietary fibres can be used in a wide range of food applications, offering tailored solutions for different product concepts and formulation requirements. In addition to well-known such as enriching pasta with dietary fibre, extending the shelf life of bread and cakes, improving the texture of meat products, or preventing grated cheese from clumping, CFF offers solutions for problems that are less commonly considered…

The first application demonstrates the potential of SANACEL^® sugarcane fibre to improve the mechanical stability of cookies. Breakage during production, handling and transport can lead to product losses and reduced quality. The trial compared a conventional control with a cookie formulation containing SANACEL^® sugarcane SC200.

The results showed a clear improvement in resistance to breakage. In the induced breakage test, the control reached a breakage rate of 5%, whereas the fibre-containing cookies showed no breakage under the same test conditions. Texture analysis further indicated increased firmness together with reduced brittleness. At the same time, the dough remained similarly soft to the control during processing, supporting straightforward integration into existing production processes.

These findings demonstrate the practical value of SANACEL^® fibre concentrates beyond simple fibre enrichment. By influencing the structure and mechanical properties of the product, the fibre can help reduce breakage, improve product robustness and potentially lower losses during handling and distribution. At the same time, the fibre contributes to the overall nutritional profile of the finished product, creating an opportunity to combine a quality benefit with a nutritional benefit in one formulation step.

This application focuses on a common quality challenge in chilled pudding and dairy-based desserts: syneresis, or the release of free liquid from the product during storage.

In the trial, SANACEL^® oat fibre variants were evaluated for their ability to reduce visible liquid separation while maintaining a pleasant sensory profile.

The results were clearly positive. The reference pudding showed a syneresis level of 1.64%, while the fibre-containing variants achieved values of 0.78%, 0.59% and 0.46%, depending on the fibre used. Overall, the trial demonstrated that syneresis could be reduced by approximately two thirds through the use of fibres. The results also indicated that longer oat fibres showed a stronger effect. Importantly, all tested samples maintained a good mouthfeel, demonstrating that the functionality of the fibres can be achieved without compromising the creamy character of the pudding.

The application offers an additional benefit beyond product stability. At an inclusion level of 3% fibre, the formulation can also achieve meaningful dietary fibre enrichment. This means that the same ingredient concept can contribute both to a technological improvement and to a nutritional positioning of the product. The fibre level could potentially be increased further depending on the desired formulation and claim strategy. However, higher inclusion levels should be evaluated in additional sensory trials to confirm that texture, mouthfeel and overall consumer acceptance remain appropriate.

For manufacturers, this multi-functionality is particularly attractive: SANACEL^® oat fibre concentrates can help improve physical stability while simultaneously supporting fibre enrichment. This may allow manufacturers to address nutritional targets without introducing a completely new technological system and can provide additional formulation flexibility when optimising the product for storage stability and sensory quality.

The third application demonstrates how SANACEL^® add fibre blends can support the development of functional alternatives to cost-intensive marzipan-based fillings. The objective is not to imitate marzipan itself, but to create a neutral, functional mass that can be combined with genuine marzipan while contributing volume, structure and a pleasant mouthfeel.

SANACEL^® add fibre blends can be used as part of a tailored functional system to modify the structure of a filling without dominating its sensory profile. This opens opportunities for manufacturers to reduce the proportion of high-cost marzipan while maintaining the characteristic product experience. Depending on the product concept, the approach can either support a cost-reduction strategy or increase filling yield while retaining the desired level of authentic marzipan character.

From a product development perspective, this flexibility is particularly valuable. The fibre system can be adapted to the desired texture, mouthfeel and economic target. Instead of replacing the sensory identity of the product, SANACEL^® add fibres act as a technological tool that helps optimise the overall formulation. This makes them interesting for fillings where structure, consistency and raw material efficiency need to be balanced.

Across the three applications, SANACEL^® dietary fibres demonstrate their versatility as functional ingredients for modern food development. Their benefits range from enhancing mechanical stability to reducing syneresis and improving structure and formulation efficiency. The examples also show that the effect of a fibre depends on its specific characteristics, making the selection of the appropriate fibre important for each application. CFF’s sales representatives are eager to support your product development with the right choice.