SMOOBEES are soft beads that are said to offer a creamy texture while ensuring rich taste in every bite. They come in different flavours and are claimed to be unlike any other inclusion currently on the market.

Not only does the new ingredient allow bakers to add a soft and smooth texture to baked goods without injection equipment, the company says, it also offers them a new flavour palette to play with. 

Adding fillings, fresh fruit or other inclusions to cakes can often be technically challenging for producers (need for injection equipment, frozen storage, limited bake stability, …), Puratos says. The company says that its latest innovation addresses this challenge: it offers producers a new creative playground to explore, without having to adapt their production processes. Moreover, while other inclusions can dry out produce over time (dried fruits, chocolate chunks, …) Puratos claims, SMOOBEES add extra indulgence, freshness and moist, flavourful pockets to every bite of cake. 

“One trend which emerged from the survey was the growing importance of texture. For consumers, texture is now the new taste,” said Puratos CEO Daniel Malcorps. “Through SMOOBEES, we have transformed this trend into a real-world innovation that can easily be used in a professional baking environment.”

“Existing inclusions often fail to deliver the desired flavour intensity or the wanted natural flavour profile patissiers are looking for. With SMOOBEES, we can now imagine including any kind of flavour inside cakes, opening the creative potential for new creations,” said Boris Willo, head of patissiers at Puratos and French-schooled patissier.

The new inclusion is set to launch in different flavours (lemon, blueberry, and caramel), across various European countries as of January 2020.