Ingredient guides

Short explainers for buyers and product developers. They define the words used on the product pages. They are not legal advice and they are not nutrition claims.

• What is a fruit preparation?

  A fruit preparation is a heat-treated fruit ingredient, made from pulp, puree or pieces plus a sweetener system, acid and a stabiliser system, so a plant can dose a set texture and fruit level into yoghurt, ice cream, a filling or a drink.

• What is a fruit variegate in ice cream?

  In ice cream, a variegate, also called a ripple or a ribbon, is a thick fruit sauce pumped into the ice cream as it leaves the freezer, so it stays visible instead of blending into the mix.

• What are fruit analogues?

  Fruit analogues are shaped pieces built from fruit, a sweetener system and a gel system so they keep a visible bite through freezing, baking or a long trip, when fresh dice would not.

• Fruit preparation vs pulp, puree, jam and crush

  In trade use, pulp is crushed fruit, puree is fruit made smoother, a preparation is standardised for a factory food, jam is a high-sugar gel, and a crush is fruit in syrup. They are not interchangeable.

• How to read a fruit preparation spec

  A useful spec names the fruit, the application, the Brix and pH the sample was aimed at, the viscosity, the piece size, the allergens and any colour or sweetener. Dosage is fixed in your trial, not copied from another product.

• Labelling fruit preparations in India

  Labelling follows the actual ingredients and the standard for your finished food. A fruit preparation’s spec should name fruit, sweeteners and colours so your regulatory advisor can decide the pack. This page is not legal advice.

• FSSAI’s draft analogue paneer rule, and how to name a fruit piece honestly

  On 24 September 2026 FSSAI proposed a draft, not a final rule, so that products which are not made from milk would stop using the word paneer. Analogue in the dairy context is a defined lookalike of a milk product. A fruit piece is a different food. Name the fruit, and do not borrow paneer. This is not legal advice.

• Navratri fruit desserts and ice creams: starch, stabilisers and honest labels

  Vrat-friendly is a customer expectation, and it changes with the family’s tradition. It is not an FSSAI claim. The ice-cream standard allows fruit and, where it is functionally needed, starch, and it requires a starch declaration on the pack. Name the starch on the specification so a fasting buyer is not guessing. This is not legal advice.