Sweet innovation from oats
OatSweet – claimed to be the first oat-based sweetener on the market - is currently available in a liquid (syrup) form, but may in future be available in powder form as well, says Oat Tech boss Rick Williams.
The sweetener, which had its official launch at Expo West, is being tested by a range of manufacturers in everything from bars to ready-to-eat cereals - where it replaces corn syrup - non-dairy ice cream, candies and desserts, said Williams.
Non-GM, all-natural and competitively priced with brown rice syrup, Oatsweet also contains “protein and fiber and natural oat lipids”, said Williams.
“It is also very easy to use. You can do a straight replacement with brown rice syrup, for example. We’ve alsodeveloped a caramelized version.”
OatSweet will be marketed as more cost-effective than cane sugar, honey, or stevia, without the negative associations of high-fructose corn syrup, and with flavor and texture characteristics that improve upon agave and rice syrups, he said.