Sean Moloughney11.01.10
With roots dating back to 1895, Colloides Naturels International (CNI), Normandy, France, has grown into a gum acacia expert in terms of raw material sourcing, supply assurance, quality and traceability, offering innovative products supported by a wealth of scientific research.
CNI is part of Iranex Group, a world leader in natural ingredients for the food and nutraceuticals industries that is composed of five major entities: CNI, Bio Serae Laboratoires, Starlight Products, NutriProcess and Afritec.
“The group’s companies share a strong commitment to carefully protect the natural supply of their products, to highlight their properties through numerous research projects, and to guarantee their quality and efficiency to their customers,” said Catherine Lecareux, marketing and communications manager for CNI and Bio Serae. “One of the objectives of Iranex Group is to strengthen the synergies existing between the companies, which all have the same goal: to develop and market innovative active ingredients while preserving their sustainable plant origin.”
CNI was originally established as a trading company to leverage its relationships in Africa to source a variety of specialty products and commodities. Over time the business focused more on acacia gum, or gum arabic. Today, the company maintains a strong international network that includes subsidiaries in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Russia, Germany and the U.K.
“For more than 110 years CNI has been investing in the diversification of acacia gum sources all over Africa in order to select the highest quality gums and to secure its supply source,” said Ms. Lecareux. “CNI oversees the acacia gum transformation process, from harvesting to marketing, contributing to the development of new technologies, improving the properties of its products and developing new applications.”
CNI’s Fibregum line, based on 100% acacia gum, is used in a range of food and nutraceutical applications to provide dietary fiber and other benefits such as moisture management and extended shelf life. “Fibregum is guaranteed to contain a minimum of 90% soluble dietary fiber and can be used in tablets, nutrition bars, beverages, juices, baked goods and any application where additional fiber is required,” said Ms. Lecareux.
Fibregum offers a prebiotic effect, a high digestive tolerance and a beneficial impact on the glycemic index of finished products. Its low caloric value and non-cariogenic properties also make it suitable for numerous functional food formulations (beverages, cereal bars, extruded products, etc).
More than 20 studies have been performed since the late 1970s to understand the relationship between acacia gum and the colonic microflora, said Ms. Lecareux. “It is widely recognized that acacia gum, like Fibregum, induces a prebiotic effect, a specific stimulation of short-chain fatty acid production and a high gut tolerance.”
The company also offers Equacia, a co-processed ingredient made of two all-natural fibers (soluble acacia gum fiber and gluten-free insoluble wheat fiber). Manufactured through a proprietary process, Equacia is designed to mimic fat texture and reduce sugar content, while fortifying food products with fiber (90% guaranteed on dry extract), according to Ms. Lecareux.
“Equacia addresses one of the critical needs of the food industry, which is to develop healthier and great tasting products. In addition, the ease-of-handling and neutral taste and odor have further enhanced formulation possibilities of products with Equacia. And being a natural ingredient, it enables clean labeling, which is one of the most influential consumer trends in developed countries.”
Ms. Lecareux said innovation, quality and security, as well as strong scientific backing of products are essential to success in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Traceability and quality control are also critical elements on which more consumers are focusing, she added. “As a major ingredient supplier, CNI is committed to thoroughly control the quality of its acacia gum product range all along the production process—from acacia trees to the consumers.”
CNI believes its future success depends on offering customers a combination of health attributes with technical functionality. “These elements add value and attractiveness to a food ingredient,” said Ms. Lecareux. “CNI has a proactive strategy of innovation, supported by continuous investments in terms of research; its objective being to constantly anticipate and fulfill the future needs of its clients.”—S.M.
Colloides Naturels International
15 Somerset Street
Somerville, NJ 08876
Telephone: 908-707-9400
Fax: 908-707-9405
E-mail: samples@cnius.com
Website: www.cniworld.com
