sponsored content
Award-winning startup uses enzymes to cut sugar in fruit juice
31 Jan 2019Fruit juice has come under fire for its high sugar content in recent years, but an Israeli startup called Better Juice has developed an enzyme technology that cuts sugars by up to 80% without adding or subtracting anything from the juice.
![Award-winning startup uses enzymes to cut sugar in fruit juice](/img/ingnet-logo.png)
The company won the Most Innovative Technology award at the 2018 Startup Innovation Challenge at Health ingredients Europe in Frankfurt for its sugar reduction process, which it developed in conjunction with The Hebrew University in Rehovot, Israel, and The Kitchen Hub incubator. “I truly believe our solution is revolutionising the juice industry,” said Better Juice CEO Eran Blachinsky. “It’s a game changer for the juice and beverage industry.”
Consumers concerned about sugarFruit juices may contain the nutrients of fresh produce, but they lack fibre and are a concentrated source of calories and sugars. According to Mintel, juice manufacturers have seen a steady decline in sales over the past decade as they face increased competition from other beverages, like teas and waters, and as consumers have responded to concerns about high sugar content. A recent poll from market research organisation Sensus found that a quarter of adults surveyed in France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Sweden actively sought out low sugar products, and 60% said they monitored their sugar intake. “We are bringing a solution that answers an unsolved problem in the market,” Blachinsky said. A novel and natural solutionThe company uses enzymatic activity of non-GMO microorganisms to convert sugars into other compounds. While the technology can reduce the sugar content of any fruit juice, those that contain sucrose – like orange juice, for example – also get a fibre boost, as enzymes convert the sucrose to fructooligosaccharides (FOS), a prebiotic dietary fibre used to enrich many food products. “It’s cost effective and treats all types of sugars,” Blachinsky said. “We are focusing on the juice producer market – and juice is not just drinking juice that you are familiar with in the supermarket.”The degree of sugar reduction depends on the target product, with deeper reductions possible for those that use fruit juice as an ingredient, such as ice cream, confectionery, juice drinks and cakes. The process takes place in a metal column that would be installed on a juice manufacturer’s production line, and allows for sugar reduction of 30% to 80%.For pure fruit juice, the company recommends a 30% reduction to avoid any bitter or sour flavours, but in a product like ice cream flavoured with fruit juice, manufacturers could aim to cut sugars in the juice by 80%.Overcoming marketing challengesFrom a regulatory perspective, although nothing is added to or removed from the juice, European manufacturers will have to call the treated product a ‘juice drink’ rather than ‘juice’, and Blachinsky says this causes some companies to hesitate. “The juice industry is very conservative,” he said. “They are really afraid of not being able to call it juice, but this is only a marketing issue. Customers don’t know the regulation.”In the United States, the product can be called ‘juice’, but must be qualified as ‘enzymatically treated’ or ‘sugar reduced’ juice.Blachinsky says the company’s process has already attracted a great deal of interest, including from major multinational firms, and fruit juice produced with its technology should be available in supermarkets by 2020.Related news
![Could Mexico’s salt-cutting measures extend to reformulation?](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/47/45/th124745.png)
Could Mexico’s salt-cutting measures extend to reformulation?
25 Jun 2024
Mexico’s consumer watchdog has called on food industry to reduce salt in processed products available in the country to reduce cardiovascular diseases.
Read more![Will ASEAN harmonise food marketing rules for children?](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/47/17/th124717.png)
Will ASEAN harmonise food marketing rules for children?
21 Jun 2024
ASEAN Health Ministries and UNICEF release new guidelines on how food and beverage brands should market their products to children to protect them from harm.
Read more![Food scientists uncover new way to preserve nutrient and flavour quality](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/45/35/th124535.png)
Food scientists uncover new way to preserve nutrient and flavour quality
29 May 2024
Researchers have developed a method that guarantees food safety for low-moisture products, such as dried milk, while maximising quality by retaining vitamins, minerals, and flavours, they say.
Read more![Gatorade turns on the tap, introducing alkaline water to its latest product offerings](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/43/14/th124314.png)
Gatorade turns on the tap, introducing alkaline water to its latest product offerings
10 May 2024
PepsiCo’s Gatorade has diversified its product portfolio, launching unflavoured alkaline water and energy drink mixes.
Read more![Plant-based marketing 101: How to create a standout plant-based dairy product](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/42/32/th124232.png)
Plant-based marketing 101: How to create a standout plant-based dairy product
30 Apr 2024
Aurore de Monclin from HMT, the marketing firm that helped rebrand Oatly, shares her tips to create a plant-based dairy brand that stands out from the crowd.
Read more![Balenti adds the benefits of baobab to functional nut butters](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/41/94/th124194.png)
Balenti adds the benefits of baobab to functional nut butters
19 Apr 2024
French startup Balenti uses sustainably sourced, wild-harvested baobab fruit to make its healthy nut butters with functional benefits.
Read more![US legislative push to ban 7 food additives in schools](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/42/04/th124204.png)
US legislative push to ban 7 food additives in schools
17 Apr 2024
Proposed legislation would prohibit the use of seven additives – six artificial colours and titanium dioxide – in food and drink served in US state schools.
Read more![Portugal officially adopts NutriScore](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/41/57/th124157.png)
Portugal officially adopts NutriScore
10 Apr 2024
Portugal has adopted the NutriScore as its official – but voluntary – front-of-pack nutrition label to promote healthy eating, with researchers calling this “a great victory for science and public health”.
Read more![R3PACK Consortium backs BPA ban](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/41/14/th124114.png)
R3PACK Consortium backs BPA ban
9 Apr 2024
The EU-funded research project, R3PACK, urges a ban on Bisphenol A (BPA) and calls for rigorous rules, promoting transparency and prioritising health and the environment.
Read more![Ultra-processed food intake in South Africa at concerning levels, study suggests](/47/pdcnewsitem/12/39/42/th123942.png)
Ultra-processed food intake in South Africa at concerning levels, study suggests
19 Mar 2024
As South Africa considers introducing front-of-pack warning labels and strict marketing limits for unhealthy foods, research has found that low-income South Africans get around half of their calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – “a cause for con...
Read more