Taura Natural Ingredients is launching a range of next-generation URC fruit concepts combining the goodness and flavour of real fruit with the health benefits of functional ingredients.

There are three variants in Tauras new functional fruit line-up: URC Fruit & Protein, which is fruit enriched with milk and pea proteins; URC Fruit & Energy, which is fruit with natural caffeine from green coffee, plus guarana; and URC Fruit & Fibre, with natural fibre from fruit and healthy grains.

Taura states that each concept has been developed to provide both natural health benefits and great taste. Functional URC fruit is suitable for creating flavoursome and nutritious bagged snacks and snack bars, and is available in different shapes and sizes for inclusion in applications such as chocolate, baked goods and breakfast cereals.

Snack products developed using Tauras functional URC fruit can be differentiated from existing grain-based products on the market because they are made using the goodness of real fruit and contain no fat and no added sugar.

Protein – a nutrient that is rapidly growing in popularity all over the world – is often incorporated into conventional grain-based snack bars, but can just as easily be added to fruit snacks, enabling companies to create a new, more natural segment in the protein category.

Taura CEO Peter Dehasque says, "Energy, protein and fibre are among the key trends in the nutrition category at the moment, but delivering the benefits of these to consumers is always a challenge. Tauras URC fruit is the perfect carrier for these ingredients, as it enables food companies to create next-generation products that provide functional benefits in a way that is natural, convenient and pleasurable – ticking all the boxes in terms of what consumers are looking for."