Cargill’s ‘Healthy Cookie Base’ targets wholegrain demand

29-Jan-2009 - Last updated on 29-Jan-2009 at 13:36 GMT

Cargill has released a high fiber vitamin and mineral-enriched base for cookies and bars designed for manufacturers to customize with their own ingredients.

The ‘Healthy Cookie Base’ contains 57.5 percent whole grains and more than 25 percent dietary fiber, which allows companies to tap into demand for nutritious, high-fiber products, and make on-pack claims for fiber and whole grains, the company said.

The base uses a selection of ingredients exclusive to Cargill, including WheatSelect, a white spring whole wheat, and Oliggo-Fiber, a soluble fiber. Cargill has said that the mild flavors of its proprietary ingredients make it possible for companies to target their cookies as healthier options for children.

Cargill Bakery Category’s marketing manager Kyle Marinkovich told FoodNavigator-USA.com: “The development was driven by the increased need for better-for-you foods for kids. It’s a perfect fit and a great way to deliver the nutrition in a kid friendly application. If the kid won’t eat it, it doesn’t matter how healthy the cookie is.”

Customization and claims

He added that the company acknowledges that the concept of a healthy cookie is not appealing to everyone. “Therefore, we formulated the base to be very adaptable and you can just as easily create a healthy bar as a healthy cookie,” he said.

Manufacturers need to add sugar, flavors, fats and raising agents to the base, as well as their own inclusions, such as fruits, nuts, or chocolate chips, to create customized cookies or bars. In terms of whether companies will qualify for on-pack health claims, such as the Whole Grains Council logo, Marinkovich said: “It depends on what’s added to the cookie; the base offers a sound nutrition foundation.”

Concentrated nutrition

The cookie base also uses part of the wheat kernel called the aleurone, which contains the grain’s highest concentration of vitamins and minerals.

“It is loaded with vitamins and minerals, including essential vitamins, including B6, niacin and E, as well as important minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc,” said Marinkovich.

Cargill’s affiliated miller, Horizon Milling, developed a way to isolate this layer last January when it launched its GrainWise Wheat Aleurone.

Horizon said that by using this aleurone layer alone, the nutritional benefits of wholegrain can more easily be incorporated into more processed foods. Although wheat aleurone contains 45 percent dietary fiber, the company said it has the “pleasing sensory qualities people enjoy in foods made from white flour: Soft texture, high volume, mild taste and light color.”