CHESTER, N.Y. — Maxx Performance has introduced a microencapsulation solution that allows manufacturers to add green tea extracts and their antioxidants to baked foods and other formulations without compromising flavor. Through microencapsulation, the company coated the green tea extract with a thin, tasteless film of vegetable food-grade material to deliver a tasteless, free-flowing powder that may be used in baked foods, nutrient bars, soft chews, powdered mixes and other applications.

The green tea extract is 48% epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol/antioxidant known for its health benefits.

"Polyphenols are usually known for their bitter aftertaste," said Winston Samuels, chief executive officer of Chester-based Maxx Performance. "As a result most manufacturers have had to resort to expensive dairy products and other sweeteners to mask the bitter taste of polyphenols in their breads, scones and cakes, for example."