Meurens Natural specializes in cereal-based syrups, proteins, and extracts—primarily derived from oats, millet, and rice. These ingredients are manufactured using enzymatic hydrolysis, which retains maximum nutrients and avoids refining. The company emphasizes local and European agriculture and produces mainly organic products.
We spoke with Tim Van de Gehuchte, International Sales & Marketing Manager at Meurens Natural, about their innovative plant-based ingredients, including low-sugar syrups, oat proteins, and vegan chocolate solutions. This interview offers insights into how they support brands in creating sustainable, health-conscious products while addressing key market trends.
Can you provide an overview of Meurens Natural core products and how they contribute to the quality of plant-based products?
Our syrups are manufactured by enzymatic hydrolysis and are not refined. This process mimics what happens naturally in our bodies, so that the syrups keep as many nutrients as possible. Our main products are oats, millet and rice, although we process a lot of other cereals depending on the desired functionalities. Several forms are available: syrups, dehydrated syrups and proteins, which are upcycled from our main production process.
We favor local and European agriculture whenever possible, and our main range is organic to ensure the best quality. We now have more than 30 years of experience with cereal syrups and strive to stay at the forefront of innovation. For example, we were the first to offer organic oat proteins. Our core values drive us to continually explore new projects, contributing to the evolution of the food industry. We aim to support all stakeholders in their journey toward sustainability, inclusivity, and innovation.
Can you share more about how your (oat-based) ingredients are used in applications like barista oat milk, low-sugar products, and vegan chocolate? What unique advantages do they offer for these specific plant-based categories?
The barista oat drink contains more protein than a regular oat drink and we have developed a product that does not need to be mixed with pea proteins in order to achieve a sufficient and stable foam. It can be used for coffee products but can also help improve texture in dessert creams or ice creams, for example.
Since we can also dehydrate our syrups, they can be used as replacement for cow milk in a plethora of applications, one of which is chocolate. We offer different grains which can complement different end products. With the cocoa crisis looming upon us, oat extract could be used to keep some bitterness in the chocolate and decrease the amount of cocoa. For a creamy and sweeter texture, millet and rice extracts are ideal to achieve a vegan-friendly chocolate comparable to milk chocolate.
Low sugar syrups or powders can also be used to reduce the amount of sugar in the end-product. In bakery, you can enhance the cereal flavor in cookies or cereal bars to keep an interesting product. For spreads, using low sugar-powder can result in a plant-based and less sweet indulgence. The possibilities are endless, and we also love working with customers and contributing to bring ingenious ideas to life.
You mentioned that Meurens Natural is planning to launch new products, including textured vegetable proteins. Could you provide more details about these upcoming launches and explain how they align with current plant-based market trends?
The low sugar range started in 2024 with Oat. Millet and Rice are the next ones on the line and are already available to order as samples. People are more and more health-conscious and with it comes the desire to cut down on sugar. Our low sugar range will allow manufacturers to develop low-sugar or sugar-free products like plant-based or hybrid beverages.
In what ways does Meurens support its customers in customizing and optimizing plant-based formulations for taste, texture, and nutritional profile? Could you share some recent examples of successful collaborations with food production companies?
We value innovative ideas from our customers and do our best to tailor solutions that suit the customers’ wishes and markets’ expectations. More and more consumers are aware of the importance of reducing sugar consumption, increasing their plant-based protein intake to ensure good health and a more sustainable nutrition transition.
We have helped several brands reduce the sugar content in their spread, developed a plant-based item and we have worked with several chocolatiers who have successfully commercialized their vegan lines over the years.
Meurens Natural has been exhibiting at many key industry trade fairs. How was the response at the most recent events, and could you elaborate on the specific plant-based innovations you showcased? How do these innovations align with the current market demands?
As an ingredient manufacturer, it is sometimes challenging to have visitors realize how versatile each and every product is. It requires the ability to explain in key words what concrete possibilities there are without limiting the creativity of the customer.
Once the frame has been set, the interactions are positive, and a lot of producers are interested in reducing sugar content, increasing protein content and proposing clean-label products.
In your view, what are the most important achievements of the plant-based ingredients industry in recent years and what challenges are we facing in the near future?
The consumption of plant-based products such as plant-based drinks or yogurts has significantly increased, even among non-vegan consumers. This shift also highlights the growing diversity of protein sources. While plant proteins were once considered inferior to animal-based options, perceptions have now changed, with plant proteins often viewed as of similar quality.
As for the challenges, climate change will be a key factor in the quality of crops for the years to come as droughts, extreme temperatures and floods will become more and more frequent. It is also one of the reasons why we need to focus more on resistant grains such as millet and oat.
To avoid aggravation of the effects of climate change, we must keep on finding sustainable solutions applicable on large scales.
According to EU recommendations, we need to shift our protein ratio from 60% animal/40% plant-based to 40% animal/60% plant-based. To achieve this, we will be focusing more and more on plant-based versions of conventional products as well as using upcycled food ingredients, and we can also expect the development of hybrid products with animal and vegetable proteins.
