Grower-owned cooperative Oregon Cherry Growers, known for perfecting the original maraschino cherry, continues its innovation streak with the launch of Stabilized Wild Blueberries. The fruit piece as a whole is now available for use in the dairy and baking industries as a value-add ingredient.
“We’ve received a great deal of interest from companies looking for a better way to include identifiable fruit — specifically blueberries — in ice cream, among other products,” said Tim Ramsey, Oregon Cherry Growers president and CEO. “Our research and development team is committed to creating innovative new products for our customers, and we’re thrilled to announce the availability of stabilized blueberries.”
Unlike most existing fruit in frozen dairy products, Oregon Cherry Growers’ stabilized blueberries are infused with just the right amount of pure cane sugar prior to being suspended in a viscous stabilizer, which maintains uniformity when added to the end product. This process, which is similar to what’s currently used with stabilized cherries, allows whole, identifiable blueberries to be added without becoming too hard when frozen, and the end result actually tastes like whole, slightly frozen blueberries.
The Oregon Cherry Growers Stabilized Wild Blueberries are sourced from Maine and use non-GMO sugar instead of corn syrup with a natural gum stabilizer.
