Cargill invests $45m into production of soluble fibres in Europe

Cargill has announced an investment of $45 million to add soluble fibres to its European portfolio of starches, sweeteners and texturisers.

The move marks the company’s first entry into the European soluble fibre market and comes amid a growing demand for reduced-sugar products.

Cargill will manufacture its soluble fibres product line at its existing facility in Wroclaw, Poland, where construction of the new production unit has already begun. The company expects its initial offerings to be fully commercialised in the second half of 2022.

According to Cargill, the soluble fibres will enable sugar reduction of up to 30%, as well as calorie reduction and fibre enrichment in applications such as confectionery, sweet bakery, fillings, cereal and ice cream.

The new soluble fibres will extend Cargill’s existing portfolio of sweeteners and texturisers, enabling the company to offer customers complete sugar-reduction solutions.

“Our soluble fibres shine in these complex applications, providing great performance in terms of taste, appearance, digestive tolerance and mouthfeel – all critical to consumer satisfaction,” said Manuj Khanna, business development manager for fibres at Cargill.

Cargill will produce its soluble fibres using its patented micro-reactor technology, developed in partnership with Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute for Technology.

“Demand for products with improved nutritional profiles shows no signs of abating,” said Willian Oliveira, segment director sweetness for Cargill’s European starches, sweeteners & texturizers business.

He added: “This critical investment, combined with our existing portfolio of sweetness solutions and deep formulation and application expertise, ensures we have all the tools necessary to support our customers’ product development journeys.”

Last November, Cargill unveiled a $100 million investment to increase the production of starches and sweeteners at its Pandaan, Indonesian facility.