Dive Brief:
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Gluten-free whole grain oat and quinoa ingredients for powdered drink mixes could help companies qualify for the Whole Grain Stamp, reports Baking Business.
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Glanbia Nutritionals’ BevGrad Oats GF and BevGrad Quinoa are dispersible, fine-milled products with a smooth mouthfeel, the company says. The ingredients are intended to appeal to manufacturers looking for ways to incorporate seeds and whole grains into beverages without grittiness.
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The oat-based ingredient is certified gluten-free through Glanbia Nutritionals’ OatSecure supply chain process.
Dive Insight:
Most consumers know they should eat more whole grains, and 65% claim they are eating more than in the past, according to the International Food Information Council’s 2017 Food and Health Survey. However, many struggle to consume half the amount of whole grains recommended in the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. At the same time, studies from the Whole Grains Council estimate 40% of Americans never eat any whole grains at all.
Whole grains tend to be associated with products such as granola bars, breads, cereals and tortillas. As consumers look for new ways to get more fiber, even beverage companies are beginning to get in on the act. Plant-based dairy alternatives company Elmhurst introduced its whole grain Milked Oats and Milked Brown Rice drinks earlier this year, providing 20 grams of whole grain per serving.
Beverages with added whole grains meet consumer demand for convenience and portability. The concept is still in its infancy, but on-the-go breakfast products alone brought in more than $1 billion in 2015. An increase in the number of whole grain breakfast drinks could help consumers increase their consumption.
Ingredient suppliers have come up with a range of options for beverage companies to boost fiber content in their products, such as Tate & Lyle’s Promitor soluble corn fiber and its PromOat soluble oat fiber. Fibersol is another corn-based soluble fiber intended for health-focused drinks such as juices and meal-replacement beverages. A prototype of spiced cold brew coffee with Fibersol was introduced at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and food exposition in Las Vegas last June.
Moving beyond soluble fiber toward whole grains may prove more appealing to consumers looking for natural, whole foods, however. In addition, products containing gluten-free whole grains are on the rise. More than half (54%) of new products with the Whole Grain Stamp had a gluten free first ingredient in 2015, compared to 33% in 2007 to 2009.