Enabling the UK’s leading oatcake producer to extend the shelf life of their products, using a natural solution that fits their healthy brand identity.
Challenge
Our client is a heritage brand and household name that produces a large range of healthy and gluten-free snacks. They’re a market leader in the UK, but want to increase exportation across global markets, particularly to North America.
This beloved independently owned brand prides itself on only using simple and natural ingredients, which has consequently resulted in products with a relatively short shelf life, which has prohibited ambitious exportation goals so far.
The challenge was to find a natural way to extend shelf life, that would be on-brand, and boost production efficiencies and international commercial prospects, in order to share exceptional oatcakes with the rest of the world.
Solution
We turned to a trusted principal partner, BTSA, who are experts in natural antioxidants, which can be used to solve the problem of oxidation in oat-based delicacies, which is what leads fats and oils to degrade and ultimately lose their freshness. After meeting with the client we suggested using a tocopherol-rich extract – a natural antioxidant derived from non-GMO vegetable oils. This can be thought of as nature’s own way to keep things fresh.
In partnership with BTSA we then experimented with different blends to see which would be the best at protecting the fat content within the product. The most effective result was a blend of tocopherol-rich extract with a secondary antioxidant of ascorbyl palmitate (a powerful form of vitamin C), mixed with sunflower lecithin. We then tested a number of concentrations and found that a very small dose improves the stability of the product by 130%, which is ideal.
Results
This naturally derived antioxidant blend with clean label standards will extend shelf life from 8 months (or less) to up to 12 months, and thus facilitate increased exportation.
The product retains the same splendid taste, along with a natural ingredient profile that avoids the use of preservatives, whilst managing to extend shelf life by at least a third.
At Camida, our strength lies in building close partnerships, working hand-in-hand with our customers and trusted principal partners to ensure we deliver the right solution every time. This collaborative approach has been central to our ethos from the very beginning, and in this case, it has enabled a much-loved national brand to achieve its global ambitions.
