Purple Corn Nectar Lends Antioxidants, Sweetness, and Color

Its high antioxidant content supports heart, vision, and brain health.

Purple corn specialist Suntava (Afton, MN) now offers its ingredient in a high-maltose nectar that complements nutrition bars, cereal, granola, jellies/jams, beverages-and even craft beer.

The company leverages purple corn’s many benefits. Derived from Andean maize, Suntava’s purple corn can be used to boost whole grains in products like chips and tortillas. Its high antioxidant content also benefits dietary supplements, cosmeceuticals, and functional foods, supporting heart, vision, and brain health. Suntava’s purple corn extract boasts three antioxidants specifically: cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), peonidin, and pelargonidin. Additionally, the company offers a red-spectrum liquid colorant called Sayela, based on purple corn’s anthocyanins, to replace Red 40 in food and beverages.

The new purple corn nectar also offers these antioxidant benefits. Plus, it provides sweetness and color.

Terry Howell, Suntava’s business development director, describes the nectar’s taste as “mildly sweet and yet slightly tart, without a typical corn taste.”

As a sweetener, “the purple corn nectar might not be the primary sweetener, but it contributes to what we would describe as a sweetener system,” Howell tells Nutritional Outlook. “It would mix well with rice or agave syrup and other minimally processed sweeteners to provide a unique sweetness and color profile.” Suntava describes the ingredient as a “42-45 dextrose equivalent.”

Although Suntava already offers its Sayela colorant, Howell says the nectar also provides naturally rich purple color for those seeking the hue.

Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine
jennifer.grebow@ubm.com