Ulrick + Short launches soluble fibre solution tailored for sweet bakery applications

UK – Ulrick + Short, a clean-label ingredients specialist, has introduced avanté 25, a pioneering soluble fibre solution tailored for sweet bakery applications to reduce sugar without compromising texture, structure or processing performance.

The avanté 25 is a specialist blend of soluble maize fibre-based blend that enables up to 30% sugar reduction in products like muffins, brownies, and madeleines, while replicating sugar’s vital roles in moisture retention, aeration, and crumb structure, all without compromising taste or texture.

The company describes the ingredient as a specialist blend of soluble maize fibre, wheat starch, and wheat protein, designed to replicate the multiple functional roles that sugar plays in bakery systems.

It stabilizes foams, provides plasticizing effects, and ensures consistent height, peak structure, and homogeneous crumb, matching full-sugar benchmarks in trials.

The company says that the solution was developed in response to rising regulatory pressures and increasing consumer demand for healthier bakery options.

Health benefits beyond sugar reduction

Unlike many sugar replacers, avanté 25 delivers benefits that extend beyond purely reducing sugar levels.

Being partially composed of soluble fibre, the solution helps reduce the blood glycaemic response compared to sugar and starch-based sugar replacers.

Soluble fibre also supports digestive health through the production of short-chain fatty acids in the gut.

Nutritionally, manufacturers can achieve up to 30% sugar reduction whilst adding up to 4 g of fibre per 100 g, enabling both reduced-sugar and fibre claims.

By increasing fibre content and reducing free sugars simultaneously, the ingredient supports improved nutritional profiles and helps manufacturers navigate evolving regulatory frameworks without sacrificing product quality.

Abi Sharp, Ulrick + Short’s R&D Technologist and Registered Nutritionist, said: “Fibres are becoming a well-earned hot topic in the industry at the moment.”

The launch also comes at a time when nutrient assessment frameworks, such as the UK Nutrient Profiling Model, are placing greater emphasis on free sugars.

Additionally, front-of-pack labelling schemes such as Nutri-Score continue to influence reformulation strategies across Europe.

Consumer expectations are also shifting, with 46% actively looking to reduce their sugar intake in baked goods and 43% finding high-fibre claims appealing in products such as muffins.

The company also showcased the ingredient in its Break Down the Bake technical masterclass, where product developers can see first-hand how sugar functionality can be replaced without compromising product quality.

The launch comes as the West Yorkshire-based company continues to invest in its capabilities. Ulrick + Short recently opened a second UK site at Leeds Valley Park in Stourton, a 25,000 sq ft production and warehouse facility, marking the company’s third-owned site and a significant milestone in its long-term growth strategy.

The site was secured as Ulrick + Short celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and the investment represents a natural progression in the company’s evolution.

It strengthens manufacturing and blending capabilities, enhances production agility and supports the development and scale-up of increasingly sophisticated ingredient solutions for an ever-evolving European food and beverage market.

Conveniently located just off the M1 at Leeds Valley Park, Stourton, the two-storey facility brings together UK warehousing, blending and production, a QC laboratory, sample room, dedicated development space and integrated offices.

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