Passina article from 'the FIE daily'

"Passina believes in baobab pulp
After gaining novel foods approval for the EU in June 2008, baobab pulp is heading towards so-called superfruit status. One exhibitor that recognised the fruit´s potential is Passina Products.

For FIE 2009 the company has mocked up proto- types of drinks containing baobab pulp to offer to visitors, demonstrating how the fruit could be used and how Passina could assist with the product development process.

'Upside Down Juice' is designed to appeal to the European market and contains orange juice concentrate, apple juice concentrate, baobab pulp, papaya puree and caj´ from the Amazon.

'Upside Down Drink', meanwhile, which is formulated more for Middle Eastern taste buds, counts apple juice, lime juice, lychee puree and baobab pulp among the ingredients.

Baobab is the fruit of the Adansonia digitata, a massive tree that grows up to 25 meters high in the hottest and driest parts of Africa. The tree is known for its strange shape, out of proportion trunk, crooked, root-like branches and large spreading crown, and is commonly referred to as the 'upside down tree'.

The baobab fruit is round or oval, grows to 12 cm or more in length and has a hard brown-greenish woody shell with a furry coating. Inside the shell, the fruit contains several seeds embedded in a whitish powdery pulp called monkey bread. The pulp itself has a tangy, slightly acidic taste.

Baobab pulp contains high levels of carbohydrates, calcium, potassium, pectins, vitamins B1, B3 and C and has a significant antioxidant content.

Baobab pulp has a long history of traditional medicinal use in Africa where it is used to treat fever, diarrhoea, small pox, measles and malaria."