Same great muffin taste experience with fewer calories and fat

Cargill’s new muffin formula reduces calories and fat significantly while adding fiber

If a consumer purchases a blueberry muffin, the expectation is great taste. That’s why consumers purchase indulgence items. The top two attributes for consumers selecting foods and beverages are taste (86%) and price (73%), according to a report from GFK Roper US in 2010.  Cargill recently created a new muffin that maintains the satisfying taste and texture of a full fat muffin but reduces the calories and fat substantially and adds fiber.

Cargill’s new muffin is reduced calorie, low fat, and is an excellent source of fiber.  Compared to a full-fat control, it provides a 38% reduction in calories, a 77% reduction in fat and adds 5g of fiber as compared to less than 1g in the control formula. 

Striving to create more healthful versions of existing food or beverage products is a growth goal for many in the food industry. More consumers (58%) say they’d opt for a healthier version of the same product instead of outright switching (52%) to a healthier unrelated alternative product. (Source: 2010 Prevention Magazine & Food Marketing Institute 18th Annual Shopping for Health Survey). Taste, price and healthfulness represent the top three drivers of food and beverage selections.       

Cargill’s Bakery Technology team was approached by a customer recently who wanted to produce a healthier muffin. The team analyzed the nutritional profile of the customer’s current muffin formula and provided  formulation suggestions, along with a unique ingredient blend  approach.    

The new muffin formula uses CitriTex® stabilizer blend that significantly reduces fat and calories while maintaining the moistness and ‘springiness’ consumers enjoy and expect.  CitriTex®, a blend of citrus pulp fiber and other functional components does not require additional processing, hydration, or specialty ingredients.  It also incorporates Oliggo-Fiber® Inulin and ActiStar® RT starch.  ActiStar® RT starch is a resistant modified food starch derived from tapioca and Oliggo-Fiber® inulin is a soluble fiber that can be incorporated into many foods and beverages without affecting taste or texture. 

At the standardized serving size of 55 grams, the original muffin formula contained 210 calories, 11 grams of fat and less than 1 gram of fiber as compared to Cargill’s improved muffin formula containing 130 calories (38% reduction) with 2.5 grams of fat (77% reduction) and 5 grams of fiber. 

Cargill’s new muffin formula has enabled our customer to offer a healthier version of their muffin to their customers.  This new muffin formula would not have been possible if this customer had not been engaged in the development process with the Cargill Bakery Technology Team.  While some larger corporations have the food formulation knowledge to incorporate these types of ingredients, many smaller groups do not. Cargill’s Bakery Technology Team can help customers with their formulation challenges due to their intimate experience with each ingredient and their broad application knowledge.