Move over goji, here comes Baobab

The fruit pulp of the Baobab tree is the latest ingredient for confectionery, cereal bars and smoothies, following Novel Foods approval by the European Commission.

The Baobab tree is known as the upside down’ tree, and is a common feature of the landscape in southern Africa. Its fruit has up to three times the vitamin C content of oranges, and is high in antioxidants, natural fibre, and is an excellent source of calcium and iron.
The optimum level of Baobab pulp in products such as cereal bars is between five and ten per cent, as determined by preliminary work by Leatherhead Food International. Phytotrade Africa, a trade organization that represents thousands of rural southern African producers, brought the novel foods application in 2006. “Approval is fantastic news for Africa,” said Cyril Lombard, market development manager for PhytoTrade Africa. “Opening up the European market to this product will make a real difference to poor rural communities there, offering them a potentially life-changing source of income.”

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