Taura Natural Ingredients announced its URC® (Ultra Rapid Concentration®) fruit ingredients have been confirmed as low glycemic index (GI) ingredients following independent testing.
Products containing such fructose-rich fruit ingredients are in an ideal position to take advantage of the increasing awareness surrounding low GI diets and slow-release energy.
Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand found the company's JusFruit URC Apple Strawberry and Mixed Berry ingredients and ready-to-eat snacks registered scores below 45. Foods must register a score below 55 to be considered "low GI"—a measure indicating that they release energy slowly into the bloodstream, which can help to suppress hunger and control blood glucose levels.
Leading nutrition scientists recently gathered at the International Scientific Consensus Summit on Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load and Glycemic Response in Italy in June 2013 to support the GI as a reliable measure of the effect a food has on blood sugar levels. At the event, nutrition experts identified the beneficial role low GI foods have in weight management, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease and also called for GI ratings to be included on food labels.
In a separate development, the European Commission adopted into law an EFSA-approved health claim stating, "consumption of foods containing fructose leads to a lower blood glucose rise compared to foods containing sucrose or glucose." A condition of using the claim is that the sucrose or glucose content in a product should be at least 30% lower than in a comparative product. This is achievable using URC fruit ingredients, which are made using an Ultra Rapid Concentration process to concentrate the taste, texture and natural goodness of fruit into pieces, flakes and pastes for use in a wide range of applications like snack bars, baked goods, breakfast cereals, chocolate and confectionery.
"Support for the glycemic index, including the benefits of a low GI diet, is growing fast in nutrition and regulatory circles and it's a great time for food manufacturers to get on board and start adding fruit to their products to take advantage of this," said Peter Dehasque, CEO of Taura Natural Ingredients.
