Sweet formula for clear fruit drinks

According to Germany-based Wild, processors can use its Fruit Up sweetener brand to customise these beverages to the specific demands of its customers.

As changing consumer demand turns away from carbonated soft drinks, the group hopes to cater for a growing number of companies turning to production of alternative products like water and fruit-based drinks.

Fruit Up is a natural sweetener derived from fruit, which Wild says has the same intensity of sugar crystals.

Beverages using the product can be marketed as being "sweetened with fruit".

Wild added that further to specific demands of consumers, the additive can allow for the creation of lower calorie beverages containing about 15 per cent to 30 per cent juice.

The company claims that beverages containing the additive can boast calorie content as low as 20 kcal per 100 ml, without compromising taste.

Wild pointed in particular to the market for these products in Germany, which grew by over 20 per cent in the first half of 2006, as a reflection of the potential of "water with additives" segment, according to its own research.

In the first half of 2007, the same market research also found rising demand for clear nectars, as part of growing interest amongst consumers for beverages perceived to be more diet-friendly.

As part of the product's design, manufacturers that adopt the system can create an array of flavored beverages from apple and lemon to more exotic varities like star fruit, the company says.

The concept also allows for the inclusion of functional ingredients that are increasingly being used to add value to products.