Fi Europe 2025: Meurens Natural highlights clean processing for low-sugar and barista syrups

At Fi Europe 2025 in Paris, France, last week, Meurens highlighted its portfolio of clean label solutions, including low-sugar syrups and a barista oat syrup.

The family-owned Belgian company focuses on natural production, offering ingredient solutions that cater to consumer demands for healthier, plant-based, and sustainable products. As the “first” firm to produce oat syrups for use in oat drinks, Meurens Natural has years of expertise in integrity-driven processing methods and clean label credentials.

Some of the company’s solutions at the trade show included cereal-based syrups, extracts, powders, and proteins produced through a hydrolysis process using flour, which allows for a wide variety of cereal raw materials, including oats, rice, wheat, spelt, corn, barley, and manioc.

Food Ingredients First spoke to Christophe Dewilde, Meurens’ sales and marketing manager, on the show floor. He outlined the company’s approach to clean label cereal extracts, and how they are helping brands meet rising consumer demands for transparency, as well as how the company’s oat technologies are playing a significant role in next-generation dairy-alternative products.

“Our philosophy is grounded in a 100% natural, non-refined process that uses no GMO enzymes. By preserving each cereal’s inherent minerals, color, and flavor, our ingredients remain remarkably close to the profile of the original grain.”

Christophe Dewilde, Meurens’ sales and marketing manager, outlined the company’s approach to clean label cereal extracts.“For brands, this translates into the ability to offer products with shorter, simpler and more transparent ingredient lists — an increasingly valuable advantage as consumers scrutinize processing methods and seek greater clarity about what goes into their food.”

“Our extracts naturally support this expectation: they require no “E-numbers” on the label, allowing manufacturers to meet the growing demand for clean and uncomplicated declarations. Imagine a product made with ingredients you can actually recognize. Instead of glucose syrup, maltodextrin, sugar, and milk powder, brands are turning to a simpler, more natural solution — giving you a cleaner label and a little peace of mind with every bite or sip,” Dewilde continues.

Short and simple ingredient lists allow brands to showcase the clean label credentials of products with a compelling message that promotes processing integrity and reassurance of allergen-free ingredients. 

Dairy alternatives

From plant-based beverages to vegan yogurts, ice creams, and chocolate applications where oats can replace milk powder, the company’s solutions help brands meet demands shaping the future of the dairy alternatives category.

Dewilde explains how dairy alternatives have undergone remarkable development in recent years.

“The first generation of products centered primarily on nutritional benefits but often fell short in delivering the taste consumers expected. The second generation shifted focus toward improving flavor and texture, sometimes compromising nutritional value in the process.”

“The next generation must now succeed on both fronts: exceptional taste paired with strong nutritional performance. This is precisely where Meurens Natural’s oat technologies offer a distinct advantage. Our natural, non-refined oat ingredients enable manufacturers to create dairy-alternative products that achieve the ideal balance of flavor, creaminess, and nutritional value — while fully aligning with clean label expectations.” 

Oat Barista Syrup

Among the clean label solutions Meurens highlighted at Fi Europe 2025 was its Oat Barista syrup, which addresses one of the significant challenges in the plant-based barista sector — getting coffee presentations to hold for longer. The company’s solutions included cereal-based syrups, extracts, powders, and proteins produced through a hydrolysis process using flour.

Barista syrups are formulated to adjust viscosity and protein interactions, and mimic the texture of cow’s milk by allowing consistent microfoam at high temperatures for hot drinks like lattes and cappuccinos.

Meurens Oat Barista syrup achieves consistent foaming and reliable performance in coffee without relying on added proteins, gums, or stabilizers. Naturally rich in oat proteins, the syrup eliminates the need for brands to fortify their final product to obtain the desired foam quality, according to Dewilde.

“It also excels in hot applications, delivering significantly improved stability in coffee compared with conventional oat drinks.” 

“By combining natural protein functionality with a clean formulation and outstanding in-cup performance, it fills a critical gap that many current barista solutions have yet to overcome.”

With additional reporting by Joshua Poole at Fi Europe 2025 in Paris, France