SUPERFOOD INGREDIENTS yacon product formats

Our wholesale Yacon products, are available in the following formats:

Powder: Organic Raw Yacon Powder

Syrup: Organic Yacon Syrup

Some further detail on each product format and their possible applications in the Food, Beverage, Nutraceutical and Cosmeceutical sectors is provided below.

Organic Raw Yacon Powder

Our Organic Raw Yacon Powder is ideal for raw treats, health supplements, smoothie mixes, desserts, ice-creams, protein shakes, baking and much more. Its sweet flavour lends itself well for providing sweetness without the addition of sugar. Our Yacon Powder is made 100% from the yacon root, is free flowing and shelf stable.

Organic Yacon Syrup

Our Organic Yacon Syrup is medium-dark, with an intensely sweet and floral and fruity flavour, that has been compared to lychee and malt. Our Yacon Syrup is a great in applications such as cereal bars, desserts, ice-creams, smoothies, beverages and baking. It provides a great Low-GI alternative to other cane sugar based syrups. Our Yacon Syrup is made from the yacon root, heated in water until a syrup has formed.

SUPERFOOD INGREDIENTS yacon harvesting and production

Rediscovering ancient foods for today’s needs

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is a sweet-tasting root known for being low-caloric, low-glycemic and prebiotic. Also called the Peruvian Ground Apple, this root has been used as a natural sweetener for centuries by the locals in the region from which it is native, the Oxapampa region of the Peruvian Andes. Two forms of a natural sweetener are derived from the Yacon root; an organic and raw powder and an organic syrup, both of which are finding their way into a variety of applications in the international food & beverage sectors.

Superfood Ingredient’s Organic Raw Yacon Powder and Organic Yacon Syrup both contain high concentrations of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), complex sugars that are not easily digested, attributing for its sweet flavor whilst having a minimal impact on blood sugar levels and calorie counts. This natural sweetness combined with Yacon’s light fruity flavor lends itself particularly well for use as a sugar substitute in low-GI beverages, bakery, health snacks and desserts.

Like the Peruvian Lucuma fruit, Yacon Root was listed in the 1989 publication “The Lost Crop of the Incas”.  This ancient crop is another example of a traditional local food that until recently was little known outside of its homeland. The Food & Beverage industry around the world is now embracing this new ingredient in a plethora of new product releases.

Organic, pure and naturally healthy

After being organically harvested by local communities in Peru, the yacon root is washed, peeled and then either air dried at low temperatures before being milled into our Organic Raw Yacon Powder, or the root’s juices are extracted and then slowly evaporated to produce the wonderfully perfumed lychee flavoured syrup that makes up our Organic Yacon Syrup.

Both products are 100% pure with no other ingredients added. Its natural content of FOS makes our Yacon products prebiotic, aiding in the regulations of the body’s intestinal flora, thereby improving gut health.

SUPERFOOD INGREDIENTS yacon benefits

Many natural sweeteners are gaining in popularity as awareness around the health impact of sugars in everyday foods has become a concern not only for dieters and diabetics, but also for a growing number of health-conscious consumers. From Coconut Palm Sugar to Agave there are some exciting choices, although few that offer Yacon’s Glycemic Index of only 1. Add to this Yacon’s prebiotic and nutritional health benefits, and its versatility as a powder or syrup, there is a lot to love when it comes to this amazing Peruvian Superfood.

At the bottom of the GI Scale

The sugars present in the Yacon Root are in a form called fructooligosaccharides, or FOS, that because of their complexity are rendered indigestible when passing through the human digestive tract. Since these sugars are not metabolized during digestion, they have little impact on blood sugar levels (explaining its Low-GI level) and add little to the caloric content. As such, using Yacon Powder or Yacon Syrup in formulations such as ice-creams, desserts, yoghurts, chocolates, iced teas and protein or cereal bars for example, will provide all of the sweetness that would be desired without the negatives. This characteristic makes Yacon an ideal natural sweetener for diabetic and weight management products.

There are few foods cultivated with such a high natural concentration of FOS as found in Yacon, with levels tested at over 30%. This is a truly exceptional natural sweetener with a fruity flavor that lends itself to many applications.

Prebiotics and Gut Health

As we have seen, the complex structure of Yacon’s FOS resists the action of digestive enzymes. This means that they pass through the digestive tract to the colon largely unaffected. This is good news for the intestinal microflora that is so important to gut health, as these good bacteria thrive on  FOS-rich foods, which in turn further aids our digestion and nutrient uptake. This is why Yacon is such an effective prebiotic food, and why it provides health benefits beyond its own rich nutritional content.

Calcium Absorption

Yacon’s beneficial action where calcium is concerned is actually two-fold: as well as being a good source of this vital mineral in its own right, studies have also found that by eating foods high in FOS the body’s ability to assimilate calcium increases, thereby through Yacon’s FOS content increasing the bioavailability not only of the calcium in Yacon itself, but also in any other foods eaten together.

The reason for this increase in Calcium absorption is explained by the fact that when the FOS are fermented by the intestinal microflora the overall pH of the colon becomes more acidic. As calcium is highly soluble in acidic conditions, it is quickly dissolved and then efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream. It is believed that in this same way other vital nutrients such as magnesium and B vitamins are also made more bioavailable.

Added Benefits

A far cry from the empty calories of cane sugars and corn syrups, Yacon Powder and Syrup have an additional benefit as an alternative sweetener, since they provide a good source of essential minerals potassium, calcium, phosphorus and Iron, as well as Vitamins A and C (which in turn are antioxidants). In addition, this low-fat food is a source of dietary fibers and protein.