Today’s top functional food and beverage trends include a greater focus on personalization, plant-based ingredients, and a clean label. Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables can help product developers innovate new functional food and drink products that offer authentic, plant-based nutrition, as well as natural color and flavor.
Check out these tips for inspiration:
Add functional benefits to protein shakes and powders
Freeze-dried smoothie powders and pieces can be blended in nutritional shakes and meal replacements for added flavor and a nutritional boost, or leveraged as a dry powder to mix in protein drinks. Consider experimenting with different flavor combinations, like banana, dragon fruit and pomegranate. Probiotics can also be added to the blend for additional nutritional benefits. Check out our other smoothie flavors and application ideas here.
Give a boost to protein bars and bites
Looking to go beyond traditional sweet and savory flavor combinations? Consider how freeze-dried fruits and vegetables can add new flavor profiles and enhance nutrition for protein bars and snacks. Freeze-dried pieces also add texture when used as an inclusion, while powders can add a pop of color as a topping or coating. See how we used cranberries, apricots and blackberry powder to add interest to these Cocoa Nib Chia Seed Energy Balls.
Create great-tasting, nutritious snacks for the toddler market
Innovating clean, nutritious products that appeal to a child’s palate can be a challenge. Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables can be puréed, blended and added to snacks easily, or packaged as a standalone snack. They deliver authentic color, flavor and nutrients, and have a long shelf-life at ambient temperatures. Check out our sweet and savory Snack Pack recipe ideas for added inspiration.
Innovate healthier snacks
Freeze dried fruits and vegetables have many versatile applications when it comes to healthier snacks. Serve freeze-dried vegetable pieces as a healthy, nutritious, whole food alternative to high-calorie fried potato chips, and pair with a high-protein dip. Check out other snack recipe ideas here.
Whether you are working on something new or reformulating to meet new trends, our team can work with you to find a solution that adds value. Contact us today at customer.services@chaucerfoods.com to request a sample or more information.