Superfruits in the Spotlight

Exotic new fruit imports are packed with high impact health benefits.

By
Joanna Cosgrove
Online Editor

Fruits sporting names like mangosteen, goji, açai and cupuaçu don’t sound as familiar as “apple,” “orange” and “banana,” but natural product marketers are banking on the probability that these product names will pique consumers’ interest and drive them to learn more about the health benefits these exotic imports have to offer.

Jeff Wuagneux, president and CEO of RFI Ingredients, Blauvelt, NY, said the buzz driving the popularity of superfruits can be distilled into three parts. “One is simply the ‘fruit’ part of the message (we all know we have to increase our fruit and vegetable intake),” he said. “The second is what makes up the ‘super’ of superfruits – that most of these fruits are associated with longevity in a distinct population of people whose diet consists of regular consumption of these fruits. Everyone, especially our baby boomer generation, wants to live longer. And third, the exotic nature of these fruits also makes them appealing to consumers – it’s as if they are a new discovery, a sort of ‘cutting edge’ nutrition.”

Kevin Busby, general manager of EarthFruits, located in Para, Brazil, added that while these superfruits supply a combination of health benefits and great exotic flavors, “Consumers are [also] interested in tropical and ethnic influences, sustainability and niche appeal. Here in the U.S., it’s a novelty and an acquired taste but these superfruits are in hot demand.”

Many of these otherworldly looking fruits are being heavily implemented in the supplement segment in products like pills, powders, nutritional bars and beverages – both nutraceutical and alcoholic varieties. “Beverages containing superfruits like goji or açai offer an attractive combination of health benefits and exotic tastes,” commented Antoine Dauby, marketing manager for Naturex, Avignon, France, a purveyor of botanicals including pomegranate, cranberry, bilberry and red grapes. “The flood of continuing good news about their health benefits, backed by sophisticated marketing campaigns and innovative packaging, has propelled them into the consumer’s eye. Some products containing these fruits make specific claims related to the antioxidant benefits, while others simply indicate the presence of the fruits and do not make associated claims.”

Mr. Wuagneux agreed and added that there is a movement toward concentrating the active ingredients of these fruits for use in more figure-friendly applications. “While beverages have the strongest hold in the market right now for many exotic fruits, the idea of concentrating their active ingredients into supplement form is the next natural extension,” he said. “Juice products may contain added calories that the consumer just doesn’t want – so extracts of superfruits is the perfect ingredient to add to supplements to get the phytonutrient punch from the superfruits without having to drink the juice itself.”

While every fruit offers a phytonutrient profile with intrinsic health benefit, superfruits are adding a new wrinkle to the notion of fruit being a “good for you” food. “Some superfruits do have unique phytochemicals not found in our familiar, everyday fruits, which do give them another level of differentiation,” said Mr. Wuagneux, whose company supplies goji, açai, mangosteen and seabuckthorn – an up-and-coming newer superfruit – in a variety of incarnations to suit applications spanning foods, beverages and supplements.

“RFI specializes in phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables, so new fruits with distinctive phytochemicals are always of interest to us,” he continued. “We also specialize in antioxidants, and most of these fruits have antioxidant properties [that] we are particularly interested in understanding … beyond an ORAC value, and are researching specifically how these antioxidants work in the body, their bioavailability and what specific conditions the antioxidants apply to.”

Superfruit Rundown

With cranberries now firmly rooted into the superfruit landscape, one of the most current popular superfruits is the pomegranate, which has been cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region. “Pomegranate has received a great deal of attention as an antioxidant superfood for its healthy benefits,” said Mr. Dauby. “Pomegranate fruit extract appears to be a promising supplement for combating cancer and heart disease. We only purchase wild harvested pomegranate as it is the variety with the highest level of ellagic acid.”

According to those interviewed for this story, the next up and coming superfruit is açai. Pronounced “a-sigh-ee,” this purple berry, harvested from the açai palm in the Brazilian region of the Amazon rainforest, resembles a grape or a blueberry but is smaller and deep purple in color. Açai contains about 10 times the antioxidants as grapes, has a fatty acid content similar to olive oil, and is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid.

In addition to açai, goji berries (also known as wolfberries), part of the nightshade plant family and grown in the Tibet, the Himalayas and India, are typically dried whole and sold in health food and grocery stores. Goji berries are antioxidant and carotenoid rich, with high concentrations of beta-carotene and zeaxanthin.

Referred to as the “pharmacy in a fruit” by food writer and star of the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods” show, Andrew Zimmern, cupuaçu is a relatively unknown superfruit in the U.S. Hailing from the Amazon rainforest, the cupuaçu tree is a member of the chocolate family, and in some instances can even replace cocoa in many day-to-day foods. It is both a culinary delicacy and health remedy used by indigenous Brazilians.

Headquartered in Brazil and within reach of the Amazon Rainforest, EarthFruits directly oversees and supervises the harvesting and production of its superfruit ingredients. Mr. Busby said the company’s headquarters in Brazil are in close proximity to the Amazon Rainforest, enabling them to harvest not only cupuaçu but also organic açai and soursop with minimal processing and freeze drying to ensure the highest nutritional profile for each batch of fruit product supplied.

Other emerging superfruits to watch include yumberry, amlaberry, seabuckthorn, Amazon soursop, acerola, and cupuaçu.

Marvelous Mangosteen

Mangosteen is the deep purple, tangerine-sized fruit of the mangosteen tree. A good squeeze will symmetrically split the fruit’s hard rind to expose its sweet, juicy white pulp. Legend has it Queen Victoria offered knighthood to any subject who could bring her a mangosteen fruit in prime condition. No one succeeded because it was virtually impossible to preserve the fruit during the weeks-long journey home. But, some have suggested that thanks to the Queen’s admirable quest, the fruit achieved the nickname, “Queen of Fruits.”

Mangosteen is chock full of flavonoids and antioxidants. It’s primary beneficial components are xanthones, a class of biologically active compounds possessing numerous bioactive capabilities, such as antioxidant properties, which are thought to help maintain intestinal health, strengthen the immune system, neutralize free radicals, help support cartilage and joint function, and promote a healthy seasonal respiratory system.

Xango, Lehi, UT, is confident that mangosteen is the next big superfruit. When the company’s co-founder, Joe Morton, was traveling in Malaysia in 1997, he serendipitously discovered mangosteen at a roadside stand. After falling in love with the fruit’s flavor and unique structure, Mr. Morton enlisted his brothers, Gordon and David, and long-time friend Aaron Garrity to reviewing scientific research published about the fruit. Having many years experience in the natural products realm, it didn’t take long for Mr. Morton to decide that the unassuming mangosteen had definite commercial value so he created a beverage called XanGo Juice to showcase its flavor and health benefits. But it hasn’t been easy spreading the word about a little known fruit.

“Being a category creator as the first company to bring a mangosteen beverage to market, XanGo carries the banner for this heralded fruit,” said Bob Freeze, XanGo’s vice president of public relations. “We take our leadership position very seriously and strive through consumer, industry, media and government education initiatives to increase awareness of the mangosteen. This also includes charging forward with credible scientific research on the whole fruit, both rind and pulp, to further substantiate the efficacy of this wonderful botanical.”

To that end, XanGo conducted and published scientific research in the June 2007 issue of Separation Science. “This research established a xanthone measurement standard as well as a preliminary bioabsorption study that concluded that the body best absorbs nutrients from the whole mangosteen fruit if taken in small, daily quantities in accordance with the recommended dosage of category-creating XanGo Juice,” commented Mr. Freeze.

XanGo Juice is not sold through traditional retail channels; rather the company has a network of more than 800,000 independent distributors who educate their prospects about the mangosteen fruit largely through word-of-mouth advertising.

Much like the Queen Elizabeth legend illustrated, mangosteen is a delicate fruit that requires special handling. “One possible reason for the lack of mangosteen in most of the Western hemisphere prior to XanGo would be the difficulty surrounding importation and shipping of the fruit,” explained Mr. Freeze. “Once picked from the tree, the fruit usually only lasts a few short days, unless frozen or otherwise treated.”

The mangosteen also has distinct growing seasons so XanGo maintains facilities in Southeast Asia, where the fruit grows in abundance, to harvest and puree the fresh, whole fruit close to its source. Once pureed, it is shipped to the US, where the manufacturing and bottling is completed. For this reason, mangosteen juice can bear a higher cost. A 25.3 oz. bottle of XanGo Juice retails for $37.50. Distributors receive the product at the wholesale rate of $25 per bottle. “Of note, XanGo has secured long-term contracts for mangosteen supply, allowing the company to continue to flourish without major price increases for its product,” said Mr. Freeze. “This occurs amid the backdrop in which the price of mangosteen in the U.S. has risen to $10-15 per pound.”

Marketing Concerns

Although most superfruits offer few processing caveats, other than a gentle touch (e.g. no high heat) to preserve their high antioxidant compounds, there is the potential for superfruits to be dogged by a long range marketing issue.

For starters, consumers aren’t as familiar with these odd looking but good-for-you fruits, so from a marketing standpoint companies who market superfruit products are heavily promoting their goods by extolling the elevated antioxidant content - a very consumer-friendly market buzzword. But what happens when the superfruit landscape becomes saturated with fruits boasting high antioxidant levels? It’s a question taken to task by “10 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition & Health 2008,” a case study by Julian Mellentin and published by London-based New Nutrition Business. “There are some benefits to this, since antioxidants are of interest to health-conscious consumers (although most consumers do not know what they are) and are being widely communicated as beneficial by marketers of teas, dark chocolate and products such as cosmetics. Some superfruits can therefore ride on the coattails of the fast-growing consumer awareness of antioxidants,” noted the study. “However, making antioxidants the primary benefit of your superfruit presents the risk that another fruit with even higher levels of antioxidants may be discovered by the West. And as the number of superfruits on the market increases, almost all boasting of their high antioxidant content, the antioxidant benefit platform is progressively becoming more crowded and competitive.”

To remedy this, the study suggested, “The role of science should therefore be to find some genuine point of difference for your fruit (even if the active component that gives the benefit is still the antioxidant content) so that, as with all successful branded products, consumers associate your fruit with a relevant and specific health benefit. Such consumer perceptions, once established through effective marketing, and then continuously supported, are difficult to dislodge.”