In July, Beneo announced that its Beneo-Orafti, Beneo-Palatinit and Beneo-Remy business units now conduct business under the Beneo Inc., umbrella in North America, which is the North American subsidiary of Belgium-based Beneo.

 In July, Beneo announced that its Beneo-Orafti, Beneo-Palatinit and Beneo-Remy business units now conduct business under the Beneo Inc., umbrella in North America, which is the North American subsidiary of Belgium-based Beneo. The purpose of the strategic combination is to create value for North American food and beverage manufacturers.

Beneo offers functional food ingredients that are naturally derived from the sources of chicory root, sugar beet and rice. The ingredients provide highly specialized nutritional and technical advantages to food and beverage manufacturers. With more than 100 years of experience and a unique chain of services, Beneo is the ideal partner to help formulators improve the taste, texture, mouthfeel and nutritional value of products toward the development of more balanced and healthy food products. Beneo’s product portfolio in North America is as follows:

From chicory root: Beneo is the worldwide leading company in the production and sales of inulin and oligofructose for the food, beverage and nutritional supplement markets. In fact, the company’s Orafti inulin and oligofructose - active prebiotic fibers - promote balance of the intestinal flora by selectively stimulating beneficial bacteria in the gut. Besides being good for the digestive system, they also help the body to absorb more essential minerals from food, such as calcium, and they contribute to the body’s natural defenses and general well-being. Those findings have been scientifically investigated and supported through studies with human volunteers. Inulin and oligofructose also allow food manufacturers to produce non-guilty foods by replacing fat or sugar, and thus reducing the caloric value without altering the taste and texture.

From sugar beet: When it comes to sugar replacement and functional sugars, Beneo develops, manufactures and markets the next generation sugar Palatinose (isomaltulose) as well as Isomalt, the only sugar replacer made from sugar. Being derived from pure sugar beet, both have a sugar-like taste but are kind to teeth. Palatinose is the only fully digestible, low-glycemic carbohydrate that provides prolonged energy in the form of glucose. It is highly suitable for applications such as instant and ready-to-drink beverages (sports, energy, wellness, even beer, etc.) baby food, confectionery and cereals. Isomalt is the number-one sugar replacer in hard candy. Also, it is mainly used for sugar-free, low-glycemic and tooth friendly products within the field of confectionery but also for healthy bakery alternatives.

From rice: Beneo has an extended range of organic and non-organic whole grain flours. With the United States and the United Kingdom leading the way in whole grain new product launches, Beneo’s whole grain range lives up to the current trends and provides an opportunity for product innovation in the cereals, bakery, rice and pasta food categories. Whole grain rice flour improves the cooking behavior in pasta, and provides a perfect elasticity and bite; in breakfast cereals it improves crispiness and prolongs bowl life and there is a large range of applications in cakes, cookies and gluten-free bread. Beneo’s product portfolio also includes Nutriz, a rice concentrate that is used in non-dairy drinks and desserts.

Overall, Beneo’s rice ingredients help to address the rising demand for clean label, organic, gluten-free and hypoallergenic products and are used in diverse applications such as baby food, breakfast cereals, ready prepared meals, soups and sauces, bakery, dairy products and many more.

Beneo is part of the Südzucker Group, employs almost 900 people and has production units in Belgium, Chile, Germany and Italy. For more information, visit www.beneo.com.