Sanam is a Colombian Company established in 2008 by two young entrepreneurs who carried out important research and development activities within the coffee value chain. As a result, they developed a science-backed technology that enables efficient use of the whole coffee fruit by transforming co-products extracted during the post-harvest process into healthy ingredients for human consumption.
The company wants to repurpose this ‘waste’ into a food ingredient, with health benefits to the consumer, and to the environment!
Juan Carlos Jaramillo, one of the company´s co-founders had experience working for a large company in the food and beverage industry and understood the potential of innovative ingredients in the context of new applications;
Andres Ramirez, his partner in this venture, had a thorough understanding of agribusiness value chains and coordinated the initial fundraising campaign for the project in 2007. Both shareholders were confident that Colombia, being the third-largest producer of coffee in the world, could provide enough raw material to approach the mass market with the right product.
The scientific name for the coffee plant is Coffea, it produces a red coloured fruit known as coffee cherry or coffee berry. Inside each fruit, there are two green seeds that are better known as coffee beans and once roasted and ground used to make coffee, one of the most popular beverages worldwide. As with any other fruit, the pulp (or mucilage) and the husk (or caracara) have their own nutritional properties and physicochemical characteristics.
Juan Carlos and Andres explored different alternatives to develop applications using the coffee mucilage and husk and, in their journey, identified that these are an important source of antioxidants, containing chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and catechins. It was then, in 2011 that they decided to claim intellectual property on their discovery filling for a patent on the process and final products which were granted and further registered in different geographies.
About antioxidants in the coffee fruit
The body is exposed to free radicals from a variety of sources, including pollution, a poor diet, sunlight and smoke. Free radicals are unstable molecules that are missing an electron and therefore destabilize other molecules in our body causing oxidative stress, a process that can trigger cell damage and contribute to premature ageing. Natural antioxidants contribute to neutralizing this effect by matching the unpaired electron.
The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables per day for the prevention of chronic diseases. Furthermore, adding high antioxidant foods to the diet have been linked to the prevention of lifespan shortening disorders including cancer1, diabetes2 and cardiovascular diseases3.
Due to the high content of antioxidants the coffee fruit can be considered a superfood. Co-products extracted from the berry contain 80% to 90% more antioxidant capacity than blueberries or pomegranates and five times more polyphenols than green tea4. SANAM´s patented method maximizes the number of antioxidants in its ingredients while implementing best practices in the manufacturing process from the plantation to the final products including traceability to farm level.
Sanam at Gulfoods 2021
Sanam promotes its plant-based ingredients as a functional option for applications in the food and beverage industry. This year the company was selected by Procolombia, Colombia’s export promotion agency to exhibit in its isle during the Gulfood show happening in Dubai between February 20th to the 25th. Sanam will be presenting its coffee fruit extract an ingredient extracted from the coffee mucilage which is available in several presentations: liquid, spray-dried or freeze-dried.
This ingredient, which does not taste like coffee, has a brown colour and a bittersweet taste, it is ideal for the development of healthy applications for cold or hot drinks (RTD and RTM); beverage enhancers, sauces, pastry fillings or jams among other alternative uses. The company is confident that during these difficult COVID times consumers will be looking for healthy alternatives and products that can deliver a promise towards healthier lifestyles.
1. Mojsilove G, Kuchta M. Dietary flavonoids and risk of coronary heart disease. Physiol Res 2001;50:529-535
2. Asmat U, Abad K, Ismail K. Diabetes mellitus and oxidative stress-a concise review. Saudi Pharma J 2016; 24:547-553.
3. Krauss RM, Eckel RH, Howard B, Appel LJ, Daniels SR, Deckelbaum RJ, et al. AHA scientific statement: AHA dietary guidelines Revision 2000: A statement for healthcare professionals from the nutrition committee of the American Heart Association. J Nutr 2001; 131:132-146.
4. Base on laboratory results that measure ORAC units
