LycoRed Natural Products is introducing a tomato powder with eight times more lycopene than similar products to boost the health properties of foods like bread, yogurts and cereal bars.
The dried tomato juice, called Lyc-O-Mato Fibers, has been produced from the same specially cultivated tomatoes used in the firm's Lyc-O-Mato, a lycopene-rich tomato complex. The firm has separated fibers from the fruit and dried them for formulation as a red powder.
No chemicals are involved in the process, which retains the natural lycopene content of the tomatoes in the fibers. Lyc-O-Mato Fibers are also free of additives, and, because they contain only a small amount of soluble tomato solids, they can be added to most foods without affecting its flavor, claims the company.
"The Fibers can be added to breads, yogurt, meats, snacks and nutritional bars," said LycoRed vice-president of marketing Dr Zohar Nir.
Tomato lycopene is receiving growing attention as a functional food ingredient and research on Lyc-O-Mato shows it could help promote healthy prostate, heart and skin.
The Fibers can also be used as a natural red colorant, claims LycoRed, with the high lycopene content boosting their coloring capacity.
LycoRed recently announced it had received self-affirmed GRAS from the Food and Drug Administration for its Lyc-O-Mato complex. The new Fibers will be on display at the IFT show, opening this weekend in Chicago.
For more information on this product, contact Sarah Clark.