Conimex Prawn Crackers with 70% less saturated fat

Conimex wants to carry tasty products to the market that form part of a healthy diet. Research into the influence of the separate ingredients on health has provided new insights. Conimex applies these new insights to the composition and the way it manufactures its products. For instance, sunflower oil naturally has a more favourable fatty acid composition than palm oil. The amount of saturated fat in the end product has been reduced by no less than 70% by frying Conimex Prawn Crackers in sunflower oil instead of in palm oil.

Retaining the taste, appearance and crispiness.

Prawn Crackers have been part of the Conimex range for a long time. It is an original Asian snack eaten both with a meal and in between meals. The popularity of Prawn Crackers is still increasing. Conimex now markets 6 different taste varieties: Original, Bali, Java, Cassava (vegetarian), Hot and Saté.

Original flavour Prawn Crackers are made from tapioca flour and fresh prawns. This is what gives the crackers their specific taste. Original flavour Prawn Crackers fried in palm oil contain 13 grams saturated fat per 100 grams. When fried in sunflower oil they contain only 3 grams saturated fat per 100 grams. Per portion of 15 grams this comes down to 3% of the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA).

At first sight choosing to use sunflower oil for the preparation of Prawn Crackers would appear to be just a simple change in the production process, but changing to a different oil does bring technological challenges with it. For instance, the possible effect on the sensory values, on rancidity and the consequences for the shelf life had to be researched.

For these reasons various tests were carried out both on freshly prepared Prawn Crackers and on crackers that had been kept for some time. These samples were analysed and tested by a tasting panel. The appearance and the crispiness of the Prawn Crackers were found to be independent of the type of oil used. Prawn Crackers fried in sunflower oil is just as tasty as the variety fried in palm oil and the shelf life has not changed.

All varieties of Conimex Prawn Crackers are now fried in sunflower oil. Conimex has invested a great deal in communication and packaging.A special radio commercial for the renewed product has been developed to inform the consumer about the importance of unsaturated fats in food. All new packaging now has a complete list of nutritional values and information about the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA).
The claim ‘100% sunflower oil, 70% less saturated fat’ has been placed on the front and ‘70% less saturated fat than Prawn Crackers fried in palm oil’ on the back.

The Conimex brand was established in 1932 in Baarn. At that time the company concentrated on the import of foreign spices. The range was already extended with various Indonesian rice table products before the Second World War. Around 60 million products are now sold every year. One out of three people in the Netherlands now cook Asian food at least once a week, with fried rice (nasi) and noodle (bami) dishes being the favourite.

Conimex proves that tasty and healthy can go together.

Core points:

• Conimex Prawn Crackers are fried in 100% sunflower oil and therefore contain 70% less saturated fat.
• The appearance and the crispiness of the Prawn Crackers have been found to be independent of the oil that is used.
• Investing in good communication and packaging is of the greatest importance.