Givaudan and US-based company Fiberstar recently announced that they have entered into an agreement allowing Givaudan to commercialize and use Fiberstar’s natural, plant-based texturizing ingredient Citri-Fi. The collaboration will support the expansion of Givaudan’s Taste & Wellbeing portfolio while extending Fiberstar’s geographic footprint and research & development opportunities.

The collaboration combines Givaudan’s broad customer reach and leadership in Taste, Sense, Nutrition and Health with Fiberstar’s expertise in the foodstuff texturizing market space enabling food manufacturers to better respond to consumer demand in plant-based ingredients for products that combine desirable texture and taste.

Citri-Fi is a clean label, non-GMO, vegan solution, free of commonly recognized allergens, that improves the texture, taste and stability of a variety of foods ranging from baked goods to meat alternatives. Citri-Fi is derived from soluble and insoluble orange and lemon fibers through a mechanical process that converts what was once a by-product of the citrus juicing industry into a sustainable, nature-friendly ingredient.

Serge Sabrier, Global category director Sense, Givaudan said, “Foodstuff texturizers are an important component in supporting our customers and delivering great food experiences to consumers. We are excited to be partnering with Fiberstar, expanding our Sense Texture offering that today is strong in oat and quillaia. Both oat and citrus are considered superhero ingredients, offering exceptional functionality as natural foodstuff texturizers. Citrus fiber is a winning addition due to its high functionality and high consumer acceptance around the globe.”

John A. Haen, president and chief executive officer of Fiberstar added, “We are enthusiastic about this new commercial agreement. With more than 20 years of experience in the natural texturizers space, we are excited to work with Givaudan to bring clean label texturisers and our extensive applications knowledge to a wider customer-base while also benefiting from Givaudan’s R&D expertise.”

Citri-Fi can be used across a range of applications, adding body and mouthfeel to dairy and dairy substitutes; improving viscosity and mouthfeel in soups and sauces; enhancing moisture and freshness in bakery goods; and for boosting juiciness and texture in plant-based meat alternatives. In addition to these properties and benefits, Citri-Fi can also improve a product’s nutritional profile.

In 2022, Givaudan will initially offer Citri-Fi ingredients in Latin America* (*except Chile) and to selected customers in Europe. Fiberstar will continue servicing its current customer base and global distributor network outside of these areas. Givaudan will also use Citri-Fi in its development work as it co-creates formulations with its customers. In the future, Givaudan intends to offer Citri-Fi as an ingredient across all markets around the world.