Gat Foods has launched Fruitlift, a real fruit-based ingredient that it says can replac refined sugars in RTE cereals.

The formulation includes fibres, and offers a wide range of fruits.

The base can give a fruity flavour or can be blended into a cereal brand’s signature flavour.

Recently, the company notes, RTE cereal has come under fire as a commodity that is perceived as overly high in sugar, artificial stabilizers, and other less-desired ingredients, and is increasingly being rebuffed by health-concerned consumers.

“The cereals market has been stagnant for some time,” said Michal Katzir Emek, International Marketing Director for Gat Foods. “Refined sugars can make up anywher from 15% to a whopping 40% of a typical box of cereals. 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.”

“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.”

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. The fruit base is said to deliver a mild sweetness, with or without a fruity flavour.

Gat Foods’ patent-pending technology is claimed to overcome the challenge of integrating a wet solution into a dry product, ensuring flavour and sweetness without losing any of a cereal’s crispy texture. Moreover, anti-caking agents are not necessary. Gat Foods applies a built-to-fit approach, allowing the fruit base to be customized to fit any type of manufacturing or extrusion procedure. The right solution can also be formulated to fit any type of flour mixture.

Fruitlift offers food companies a choice of fruits to choose from, including apple, banana, mango, citrus fruits, and pineapple. In addition, sweetness levels can be adjusted to anywher from just a hint of sweetness up to a more full robust flavour, in line with the desires of the client. (Gat Foods recommends adding the fruit base at 15% volume to endow a pleasantly mild sweetness.) The company says that the base has already undergone a successful round of initial trials in a UK extrusion pilot lab.