All-natural high-fibre wholegrain BarleyMax is being made available to UK and Ireland businesses through AB Mauri.
The ingredient has already proved a success in Asia and Australia, according to the business, and is used in a wide range of products including baked goods, noodles, rice and breakfast cereals.
BarleyMax was developed following decades of research by Australian government agency the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. It is described as providing more than twice the dietary fibre of conventional cereal varieties such as barley, wheat and oats and has four times the level of resistant starch of most grains, 70% more beta glucans than oats and is low GI.
National studies have shown British consumers need to increase their fibre intake by 50% to bring it in line with the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommendation of 30g a day.
AB Mauri explained that the high level of fibre in BarleyMax makes it possible to make an on-pack ‘gut health’ claim, enabling manufacturers to capitalise on consumers’ increasing interest in how their gut effects overall wellbeing.
“Wholegrains that are nutritionally superior, such as BarleyMax, provide the food industry with a tool to innovate and offer consumers a wider selection of healthy products on the shelves, ultimately reducing the nation’s fibre shortfall,” said AB Mauri UK & Ireland bread development manager Hannah Parry.
The company’s product development director Jim Hawkridge added: “Hannah and the team have worked intensely over the last three years to ensure we can support food manufacturers that are interested in fully utilising this UK-grown, nutritionally superior barley.”
The first Australian commercial crop of BarleyMax wholegrain was grown in 2008, with the first breakfast cereals containing BarleyMax launched the following year.
“We are thrilled to announce the appointment of AB Mauri UK & Ireland as a distributor of BarleyMax in the UK and Ireland,” said Robert Burbury, CEO of BarleyMax owner The Healthy Grain.
“We know that the technical expertise, product development, sales capabilities and strength of the AB Mauri supply chain and logistics systems will ensure the unique benefits of BarleyMax are made widely available.”
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