Cranberry Extract Powder

Fruit of the American cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, is the starting material for this cranberry extract, and the tart, deeply colored berry sets its character. Water extraction concentrates the soluble fruit fraction of Vaccinium macrocarpon, and the liquor is dried to a purple red powder.

This is a 10:1 ratio extract, not a proanthocyanidin-defined grade. The 80 mesh powder blends easily into dry mixes and disperses in water. The standardized PAC extract, the dried fruit powder and the freeze-dried powder are separate products.

SKU: BOT-BEX-0014 Category: Botanical Extracts Tags: Bars & Bakery, Cranberry, Fruit & Berry, Gummies & Chews, Plant Extracts, Water Extracted

Cranberry Fruit Identity & Plant Part

The botanical entity is Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton, the large or American cranberry, a low, creeping evergreen shrub of acidic North American bogs. The part used is the ripe fruit. Leaves, stems and seeds are not added separately to this cranberry extract, and neither the small cranberry Vaccinium oxycoccos nor the lingonberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea is used. Berries are harvested in autumn, many of them by flooding the bog so the fruit floats free.

Cranberry is easily confused with its relatives. Lingonberry is sold as “cranberry” in some regional markets, and blueberry and bilberry share the genus but carry a wider range of anthocyanins. The anthocyanins of the large cranberry are almost entirely cyanidin and peonidin glycosides, so a common name alone does not say which fruit is meant.

The fruit holds organic acids, chiefly citric, malic and quinic, along with flavonols, anthocyanins and A-type proanthocyanidins. They give cranberry its sharp acidity and astringency.

Cranberry Extract vs Powder & Standardized Grades

Form	What It Is	Choose It When
10:1 Cranberry Fruit Extract	Water-extracted, concentrated and dried cranberry fruit	A dispersible, tart cranberry extract is wanted
Cranberry Extract 10–50% PACs	Standardized extract with a defined PAC range	The specification names a proanthocyanidin figure
Cranberry Powder	Dried, milled whole fruit	Whole-fruit fiber and flavor are wanted
Freeze-Dried Cranberry Powder	Whole fruit dried by freeze-drying	Gentle drying and fresh-fruit character matter

The 10:1 ratio counts cranberry fruit going into the extract. It does not tell a buyer how much proanthocyanidin or anthocyanin the extract holds, so it is not a substitute for the PAC-defined grade in the table.

The whole-fruit powder and the freeze-dried powder keep skin fiber and fruit solids. The ratio extract gives tart flavor and red color with less bulk, which makes it the lighter option when the formula wants cranberry character but not fruit fiber. If the label must declare a PAC level, the standardized grade is the row to choose.

Typical Specifications

Specification Item	Product Information
Latin Name	Vaccinium macrocarpon
Plant Part	Fruit & Berry
Processing	Water Extraction
Common Name	Cranberry
Ingredient Type	Ratio Extract
Extract Ratio	10:1
Appearance	Purple Red powder
Solubility / Dispersibility	Water Dispersible
Quality Parameters
Moisture (LOD)	≤5.0%
Total Ash	≤5.0%
Particle Size	80 mesh
Heavy Metals	Lead ≤2 ppm · Arsenic ≤1 ppm · Cadmium ≤1 ppm · Mercury ≤0.1 ppm
Microbiology	TPC ≤1,000 cfu/g · Yeast & Mold ≤100 cfu/g · E. coli Negative · Salmonella Negative/25 g
Shelf Life	24 months in unopened original packaging, cool and dry storage

Application Areas

Tablets Without Speckle

Purple-red extract speckles white excipients in a tablet blend, so color-match the blend or film-coat the tablet. In capsules the color shows through clear shells, which suits some brands and not others, and an opaque shell hides the fill entirely.

Tart Drink Mix Sticks

Sticks use cranberry extract for a tart flavor and a natural red tint. Sweeteners are usually needed to balance the acidity, and the powder disperses readily in cold water to a slightly hazy red, so no heating step is needed in the consumer’s preparation.

Gummies and Sugar-Coated Chews

Add cranberry extract to the gummy mass after the cooking stage, once it has cooled, so color and acid notes are not degraded by prolonged heat. Acid from the extract lowers the pH of the mass, which affects how gelatin or pectin sets, so re-check set time.

Bar Dry Mixes

Bars use the extract for red color and sharp fruit flavor in the dry mix. Compared with sweetened dried cranberries, it adds the berry tartness without their sugar and chew, and the fine powder disperses evenly through the dry mix before syrup is added.

Formulation Notes

The powder is purple red with a sharp fruity aroma and a tart, astringent taste that dominates unsweetened formulas. In water it gives a clear to slightly hazy red liquid whose shade follows pH, deeper red in acid and duller toward neutral.

Alkaline ingredients such as calcium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate neutralize the acid of the extract. In a wet system they release carbon dioxide, and the pigment shifts toward blue-grey, so keep them apart from the cranberry extract in drink mixes.

Organic acids and fruit solids in the powder absorb moisture, so close the liner after each draw. Anthocyanin red fades slowly in light, which is the reason to keep opened containers in the dark.

Packaging & Commercial Supply

Essencefield supports product evaluation, formulation trials, commercial orders, and ongoing ingredient supply. Packaging, storage, and shipping arrangements are determined by product characteristics, order quantity, stability requirements, and destination-market needs.

Supply Item	General Information
Sample	Available upon request for formulation, testing, and supplier evaluation
Order Quantities	100 g · 1 kg · 5 kg · 25 kg · 100 kg · 500 kg · Bulk
Sample Lead Time	Typically 5–7 days after sample confirmation
Production Lead Time	Typically 15–30 days after order and specification confirmation
Packaging	Suitable protective inner packaging with bags, cartons, drums, or other appropriate outer packaging
Storage	Store in tightly sealed, suitable protective packaging in a cool, dry environment. Protect from moisture, heat, and direct sunlight. Specific storage conditions follow the approved product specification.
Documentation	COA · Product Specification · TDS · SDS · Applicable declarations (as applicable)

Final order quantities, lead times, packaging, documentation, and shipping arrangements are confirmed according to the selected product and commercial requirements.