GIVAT HAIM, ISRAEL — Gat Foods has launched Fruitlift, a fruit-based ingredient that has been shown to replace refined sugars in ready-to-eat cereal. The base may give a fruity flavor or may be blended into a cereal brand’s signature flavor.

“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 Israel-based 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.”

Cereal companies may choose from fruits such as apple, banana, mango, citrus fruits and pineapple when working with Fruitlift. Fruitlift is composed of 90% fruit components in a liquid base that may be injected into any flour mixture in the extrusion line or applied via the coating drum in cereal production. The fruit base delivers a mild sweetness, with or without a fruity flavor, according to the company.

Gat Foods’ patent-pending technology overcomes the challenge of integrating a wet solution into a dry product. The technology ensures flavor and sweetness without losing crispy texture in a cereal. No anti-caking agents are necessary. A built-to-fit approach allows the fruit base to be customized to fit any type of manufacturing or extrusion procedure. The solution may be formulated to fit any type of flour mixture.

Gat Foods recommends adding the fruit base at 15% volume for a pleasant, mild sweetness.

“Consumers reluctant to give up the convenience of R.-T.-E. 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 R.-T.-E. cereals.”

Gat Foods plans to have a booth in the new exhibitors’ area at IFT19, the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and expo scheduled for June 2-5 in New Orleans.