Cargill enters European soluble fiber market with $45 million investment in Poland

As demand for reduced-sugar products continues to grow, Cargill is investing $45 million (EUR 38 million) to add soluble fibers to its European portfolio of starches, sweeteners and texturizers.

While the move marks the company’s first entry into the European soluble fiber market, Cargill is already a significant player in the sugar-reduction space, with a full line of sweeteners - ranging from full- to no-calorie. The new soluble fibers round out that portfolio, enabling the company to offer customers complete sugar-reduction solutions.

“Unlike most of the soluble fibers currently available, our new offerings were specifically designed to address the unique challenges facing food manufacturers as they aim to improve the nutritional profiles of their products, with fewer calories and less sugars,” said Manuj Khanna, business development manager for fibers. “Our soluble fibers shine in these complex applications, providing great performance in terms of taste, appearance, digestive tolerance and mouthfeel – all critical to consumer satisfaction.”

Based on micro-reactor technology developed in partnership with Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, for which Cargill has secured both an exclusive license and granted patents, the soluble fibers enable sugar reduction up to 30%, and support calorie reduction and fiber enrichment in confectionery, sweet bakery, fillings, cereals, ice cream and dairy, whilst helping to maintain desired appearance, taste and texture.

Cargill’s soluble fibers with botanical origin such as wheat and corn are especially relevant for applications where existing solutions fall short, such as sugar confectionery where digestive tolerance can be an issue for young consumers, breakfast cereals where taste and coating performance need to match existing products, and ice cream where consumers desire low-calorie products that still deliver on indulgence.

Product benefits extend to food manufacturing, as Cargill’s new soluble fibers can offer improved stability, easy handling, and scalability, enabling formulators to gradually increase the degree of sugar substitution with limited changes to their recipes.

Customer trials with Cargill’s new soluble fibers are already underway. Initial customer feedback affirms the ingredients result in improved appearance and great taste, while maintaining processability similar to sugar or glucose syrups.

The patented technology will also enable Cargill to produce next generation fibers. As with the initial offerings, these future soluble fibers will address key market needs targeting sugar and fat reduction.

“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. “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.”

Cargill’s soluble fiber product line will be manufactured at the company’s existing Wroclaw, Poland, facility. Construction of the new production unit has already begun, with full commercialization of the company’s initial offerings expected in the second half of 2022.

Cargill’s 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive. We combine 155 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture. For more information, visit Cargill.com 

Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturizers business develops and commercializes sustainable ingredients made from renewable and nature-derived sources. We employ about 10,000 employees in 40 countries who are committed to deliver our food, feed and industrial customers with high-quality products. We process corn, wheat, potato, peas, seaweeds, fruit-peels, sunflowers, rapeseed and soy to manufacture a comprehensive collection of value-added ingredients dedicated to the food & beverage, papermaking & corrugating, pharmaceutical, and animal nutrition industries. We take a unique approach to each of these categories to help our customers thrive and deliver them valuable products and services. In the food space, we focus on sweetness, texture and protein & specialties innovations, while our industrial offer is designed to supply renewable solutions. Our portfolio includes sweeteners, starches, ethanol, acidulants, proteins, texturizers, corn oil, dry corn ingredients, specialties and animal feed ingredients.

Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturizers Europe transforms renewable, nature-derived raw materials into sustainable ingredient solutions. We address the needs of a broad swath of industries with a diverse portfolio that includes sweeteners, starches, proteins, texturizers, fibers and animal feed ingredients, all supported by world-class expertise in formulation, processing, logistics and more. Our European footprint includes over 4,000 employees, spread over 16 production facilities, 14 offices and 3 innovation centers and applications labs, further supported by Cargill operations around the world.

From food & beverage to papermaking & corrugating, and pharmaceuticals to animal nutrition, we bring together the ingredients, knowledge and technology to help our food, feed and industrial customers thrive.