No more sugar coating breakfast cereals: Innovative fruit-based additive slashes sugar content

05-Apr-2019 - Last updated on 05-Apr-2019 at 08:37 GMT

Gat Foods has developed a fruit-based additive that negates the use of refined sugar in breakfast cereals. Pic: ©GettyImages/Whitestorm

Israeli company Gat Foods has launched Fruitlift, a fruit-based formulation containing natural plant fibers that add ‘a delicate sweetness without the refined sugar’ in breakfast cereals.

The company presents its patent-pending technology as big brand breakfast cereals come under fire for being overly high in sugar.

“Refined sugars can make up anywhere from 15% to a whopping 40% of a typical box of cereals,” said Michal Katzir Emek, international marketing director for Gat Foods.

“We decided to face the challenge head-on and give manufacturers the option of offering consumers the next generation of cereals – cereals that are more nutritious, with cleaner labels and infused with more natural ingredients, yet without sacrificing the organoleptic qualities. And, most importantly, attaining a delicate sweetness with zero refined sugar.”

Bridging the sugar gap

Fruitlift is composed of 90% fruit components in a liquid base that can be injected into any flour mixture in the extrusion line, or applied via the coating drum in the production of cereals, without the need for anti-caking agents.

It is also unique in that it overcomes the challenge of integrating a wet solution into a dry product without reducing the cereal’s crispy texture.

Available in four flavors – including apple, banana, mango, citrus fruits and pineapple – Gat Foods recommends adding at 15% volume for a ‘pleasantly mild sweetness’.

However, sweetness levels and fruity notes can be dialled up or down, according to client preferences.

According to the wholly owned subsidiary of Central Bottling Company Group, the base has already undergone a successful round of initial trials in a UK extrusion pilot lab.

“Consumers reluctant to give up the convenience of RTE breakfast cereals are voicing a desire to see more healthful attributes attached to these products to fit their busy lifestyles,” said Hila Bentman, international brand manager for Gat Foods.

“There are numerous cereals on the market with a fruit coating, however they still contain relatively high amounts of refined sugar. Our fruit base is designed to permeate the entire expanded cereal as a complete substitute for the refined sugars that have historically been an inseparable part of RTE cereals.”