CreaNutrition, the Swiss marketing and sales division of Swedish oat company SOF, has announced that its soluble oat fibre is to be used, making it the first 'functional food' in Sweden.
Promoting the new oat-based ingredient at HiE this week, CreaNutrition said that OatLife was the crucial ingredient in Primaliv, a yoghurt and muesli combination which is the first food to be labelled as a 'functional food' following new legislation in Sweden.
OatLife is a concentrated beta-glucan derived from oat bran through a proprietary extraction process. CreaNutrition claims that only 3.4 grams of the ingredient in food will ensure 0.75 g of beta-glucan per serving, whereas a tenfold amount of rolled oats, oatmeal or oat flakes would be required to reach the same level of concentration.
Skanemejerier, the manufacturer of Primaliv, claims that the beta glucans in the yoghurt provide an even blood sugar level and a lower insulin response after a meal. The beta glucans also have a cholesterol-lowering effect, it notes.
Peter Gloor, CreaNutrition manager of science and marketing activities, said the company would concentrate on the European and Japan markets, moving into the more competitive US at a later date.
The ingredient will be targeted for use in several different functional food products. "Retailers like to have product ranges rather than a single one, so we offer a full service from the ingredient development to marketing concepts and our partners can produce the final good for a customer," said Gloor.
He added that the company would continue to use its marketing concepts SmartHeart, EnergyInBalance and Vitality50Plus to promote the ingredient.