FiE 2025: Beneo features high-protein and low-sugar concepts for metabolic health
08 Dec 2025 | Beneo
Beneo featured a high-protein sandwich, chocolate meal replacer, and sugar-reduced vanilla custard at the recent Food ingredients Europe (FiE) trade show. Karel Thurman, portfolio director, and Silke Ullmann, senior manager nutrition communication, explained how Beneo’s ingredients in these concepts can support consumer demand for enhanced nutritional profiles, healthy weight management, GLP-1 use, and other lifestyle goals.
This is Yolanda vanal from Nutrition Insight.
I'm here with Silk Umman and Kavel Thurman from Veneo at Food Ingredients Europe.
Thank you for joining us today.
And I know you have some prototypes on display at the show this year, and they highlight higher protein, more fiber, and reduced sugar.
Which of these innovations focuses most directly consumers using GLP1s or those seeking GLP-1 like satiety, which of course also lots of people.
Yeah, so our most GLP-1 relevant innovation is actually our ready to drink meal replacer that you see here.
It's chocolate flavor, very yummy, and it combines our high protein from fava, high fiber from chicory root insulin, and our smart carb palatinose, and that is scientifically confirmed to really help support your body's own release of GLP1.
Also supports a more balanced blood sugar level and the meal replaces a really great prototype because it also helps consumers with their increased demand of natural satiety support.
And then the ones, the people that are on GLP1 medication, on the GLP1 drug, they are very important nutrient density for them because you know they are already having reduced appetite.
Density is important and here at FIE we have lots of really nice prototypes that play a key role in that aspect.
So besides our meal replacer, we also have this really nice looking and tasting high protein sandwich.
So that is a combination of our plant-based proteins, fiber and rice.
It also contains inulin, and it's basically a nice high fiber, high protein snack.
Interesting.
And you already mentioned palatinos.
I'm curious how can manufacturers apply palatinose as a low glycemic carb for natural GLP1 release beyond meal replacers without compromising taste or texture?
Indeed, latinose is a low glycemic sugar, so it has the big benefit that it releases its energy in a complete but more sustained way.
And one of the big benefits for the use in food systems is that palatinos can Replace on one basis sugar, so you can change your formulation from sugar to palatinos without impairing texture or taste.
It still has a very mild sweet taste.
So in that sense it's a very good ingredient to use in these kind of applications.
So it's very versatile.
You can use it in a meal replacement as we have seen here, but also in snacks and cereals, and cookies, in bakery.
So it's a very versatile, but also even in liquid systems it's also possible to use.
Very interesting, and I'm curious what types of demographics are most responsive to these types of 1 online formulations like the concept that you're showing here with a nutrient density and satiety focus.
I'm thinking of things like active consumers, weight management, mainstream eaters that are trying to shift to.
Fuller for longer products, what would you say are the key demographics here?
So for those GLP1 aligned concepts, it's actually not just one demographic, but it appeals to a really broad range of consumers, which is nice.
And you know we know that consumers are looking more and more for sustained energy, for digestive comfort, for nutrient density, as you mentioned, and so we have really nice ingredients, a nice portfolio and solutions.
Can tap into these needs and provide these solutions.
So we have, for example, our plant-based proteins that help maintain with muscle mass, our functional fibers, our mulin, oligo fructose for satiety, digestive health, comfort, and also we do have our palatinos, of course, that helps us sustained energy and so basically a nice broad range that can really Support these needs of these individuals, lots of different consumers.
OK, and I also know you have a sugar reduced cust concept which I'm really curious about that delivers indulgence but with less sugar.
Are you seeing GLP1 users or other kinds of consumers driving demand for these types of low sugar comfort foods, and how do you think brands adapt this system across other sweet categories?
I think indeed GLP1 users are also looking for indulgence.
They are really targeting also to have their sweet moments and those moments where they really enjoy the food they eat.
It's less in portions, but the intensity of the of the sweetness and of the taste is very important taste and texture.
So here enters this short chain foss into this into this custard.
So.
What we are doing is adding fiber, so this is really beneficial for the nutritional score, but at the same time it gives the sweetness.
So this is really for those consumers, and we know out of research that I need to have a look, 2 out of 3 consumers in Europe are really looking for GLP1 friendly indulgence, so having still the sweetness, but having less impact on their, on their dietary behavior.
And also we've been talking about GOP1 and complementary products, but with these drugs they are now reshaping consumer behavior around hunger but also meal frequency.
How are you advising manufacturers to reformulate products for stable energy, digestive comfort, and sustained satiety in everyday eating locations?
You tackle a lot of topics there, so it's indeed usage will.
Reshape the whole food industry.
I think the way we have consumed food will change into the future, and there are a number of changes which we see.
First of all, it's a high protein trend, so people want to have a more dense food containing more nutrients in the smaller portions they eat.
It's definitely sure that Vo can tap into this because we have 3 sources of vegetable proteins being wheat gluten as a wheat protein.
Rice protein and the fava protein as a new addition to our portfolio.
Secondly, it's all about reducing sugar as we just discussed.
So there we can build on with palatinos or short chain foss, which help to reduce sugar on the one side, keeps the diety on the longer end, but also adds fiber, which is also important because people want to have a more healthy nutritional profile of the ingredients they eat.
And also.
Fiber sides we have with ingredients like insulin and oligo fructose also the aids to get that digestive comfort because when we are changing that formulation we will have more dense foods, more proteins, but this means also that you will have a change in how your intestines will react to your food.
So having that support from the prebiotic fibers which we supply is very beneficial.
Thank you so much.
