Ulrick & Short has expanded its delyte and avanté fat and sugar replacers portfolio, which offers the potential to reduce calorie content by up to 20 percent in various applications. The clean label ingredients manufacturer says the extended ingredients range is in direct response to ambitious calorie reduction targets set by Public Health England (PHE), which plans to cut the overall caloric value in a range of processed foods by 20 percent by 2024.

Last year, the number of children aged 10-11 categorized as “severely obese” increased by a third, to 4.2 percent, according to data released by PHE. This, coupled with increasing consumer pressure to improve nutritional profiles and generally make foods healthier, is increasing the pressure on manufacturers to reformulate.

“Calorie reduction is here,” Adrian Short, Director at Ulrick & Short, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “The obesity epidemic is now a public health crisis, which not only costs billions, it reduces the life expectancy of millions of people across the UK and beyond. While these targets are just guidelines at the moment, legislation in some form is an inevitability. Manufacturers should get ahead of the game and proactively look to achieve these targets before consumer and retailer pressure forces their hand.”

Short notes that there is little doubt that product reformulation is vital for manufacturers to achieve the 2024 targets. “This further refinement of our existing fat and sugar reduction range can act either as a total solution for manufacturers or as part of their broader calorie reduction strategy,” he adds.

The delyte and avanté ranges concentrate on product categories targeted by PHE, such as: bakery, processed meats, pastries, biscuits, ready meals, sauces and soups and food-to-go. Furthermore, the ingredients are marketed as clean label, vegan, non-GM, with most also being gluten-free.

Specifically designed to mimic the functionality of fat, Ulrick & Short’s delyte fat replacers provide the same texture, volume and mouthfeel as the standard product. The manufacturer markets this range as offering a reduction of up to 50 percent of all types of fat in a variety of applications including bakery, dips and dressings and soups and sauces.

The company’s sugar reduction line, avanté, has been developed for several applications, including breakfast cereals, desserts, performance foods and snack bars. The tapioca-based replacement solution provides the same volume, texture, mouthfeel and overall functionality of sugar while only using a fraction of it, according to the company.

Ulrick & Short processes its ingredients using no chemicals, to extract the natural functionality of the crop.

Previously, the company unveiled ovaprox, a gluten-free, clean label and wheat-derived egg replacement solution for baked goods. “We are tapping into two trends here, the gluten-free bakery market and also the vegan bakery market, which of course are driven by trends of plant-based proteins and plant-based diets being very much on the rise at the moment,” notes a company spokesperson.

The company is further anticipating the launch of novel organic ingredients in the coming weeks. “Very soon we have a brand new organic starch and protein range coming out. In the UK, we see the organic movement is gaining traction. Our new range pertains to many different sectors, mainly for bakery, with unique functionalities,” the spokesperson reveals. 

By Benjamin Ferrer

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