Low-GI bubble tea: Malaysian companies develop healthier ingredients for popular drink

18 Oct 2019 --- Australian biotech company Holista CollTech (Holista) and Malaysian beverage producer SunFresh Fruit Hub (Fruit Hub) have entered a research and development collaboration to produce three key healthy ingredients for bubble tea, a globally popular tea and milk beverage. In light of high consumption levels across Asia, the drink craze is currently raising concerns about its effect on diabetes and obesity. The three low-GI products will be tested by the Sydney University GI Research Service (“SUGiRS”) by the end of next month before hitting local and international markets by the first quarter of 2020.

“The Bubble Tea fad is not going away. The challenge is to offer a healthier version which can significantly reduce the potential of higher incidence of diabetes and obesity. We are combining science with the market reach and understanding of the needs of bubble tea manufacturers and vendors to offer a healthier alternative without increasing cost of production,” says Dr. Rajen Manicka, Founder and CEO of Holista.

Bubble tea originated in Taiwan and has since spread rapidly to other parts of Asia and the rest of the world. Holista, a food ingredients specialist, and Fruit Hub, a fruit juices and beverage ingredients processing company, say that the bubble tea sector is growing rapidly, but note that many consumers are not aware of the consequences to personal health. 

A typical 500ml bubble tea drink contains at least 8.5 teaspoons of sugar, although customers can opt for a less-sweetened product. Each cup can contain anywhere between 281 to 640 calories. The drink is typically made with three ingredients: tapioca starch balls (“pearls”), sugar syrup and caramel.

According to a popular online food delivery app cited by the companies, bubble tea orders in Southeast Asia increased 3,000 percent in 2018 year on year. The app is connected to the 4,000 Bubble Tea outlets in the region, which are growing at a rate of 200 percent. Its data also shows that consumers in the region gulp down at least four cups a month, led by Thailand (six cups), Philippines (five) and three for each of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Holista and Fruit Hub seek to lower the GI value of bubble tea ingredients.Ingredients for stable sugar levels
Holista and Fruit Hub are positioned to co-develop healthy versions of the three bubble tea ingredients without altering the taste and mouthfeel. All three ingredients will have a lower GI, which measures a food’s impact on blood sugar. A lower GI is healthier as more time is taken to digest and absorb glucose. A higher GI spikes up blood sugar levels, causing diabetes and increasing the chances of obesity, stroke, heart disease and cancer.

The first is low-GI tapioca pearls, measuring 0.8 to 1.0 cm in width each, which account for about a third of the drink’s calorie count. Holista will combine its patented GI-Lite, an all-natural formula with tapioca starch to lower the GI without any discernible change in taste or texture. Fruit Hub is processing the “pearls” at its facility in Lanchang, Pahang state, Malaysia using a formula of its Taiwanese partner, YongDa Food Technology. Subject to final tests, the partners expect to lower the GI of the “pearls” from the current 70 to 75 level to below 55.

The second reformulated ingredient is a sugar syrup using Holista’s proprietary low-GI and low-calorie sugar, 80Less, which has 80 percent fewer calories and yet delivers the same taste sensation. This not only reduces unhealthy effects but also lowers costs for manufacturers and vendors, the companies note.

The third ingredient is Holista’s proprietary low-GI sugar caramel (brown sugar) which retains sweetness with lower calories. Made from molasses, it is used as a pre-pour to sweeten the tapioca pearls or as a medium to cook them.

Fruit Hub's parent company in Taiwan supplies tapioca pearls to several bubble tea chains in Greater China with a combined network of over 5,000 stores. Fruit Hub has started manufacturing the pearls in Lanchang, Malaysia with production expected to hit 12.5 metric tons a day or 300,000 metric tons a month – equivalent to six million cups of the drink – by December 2019. HCT and Fruit Hub through this collaboration will provide the low GI ingredients to some of this manufacturing.

“This is a Malaysian collaboration by an Australian company which can transform the global Bubble Tea industry for the better. Fruit Hub has a strong network among the major Bubble Tea chains. We are confident that these three ingredients will make a real difference and can take the creative beverage industry to a new level - a tastier and healthier version in which consumers can enjoy the drink without health concerns,” says Foong Wai Fong, Managing Director of Fruit Hub.

“It is our vision that this endeavour will place Malaysia as a center of innovation in the beverage sector,” she concludes.

Healthier bubble tea is not the first low-GI innovation in the Holista CollTech pipeline. SUGiRS has already validated the low-GI versions of flour-based noodles and flatbreads co-produced by Holista with scores that are significantly lower than products currently available.

Earlier this year, the Australian company teamed up with Malaysia-based Kawan Food, an exporter of frozen Asian food products, to produce healthier alternatives to traditional Indian flatbreads, such as roti canai, roti and chapati. The companies hope to tackle Malaysia’s growing obesity problem by offering healthier options to the nation’s staple foods.

Last year, Holista’s Reverse Sugar Sweetener hit the market. The ingredient is touted for its zero-calorie status and suitability for diabetics. Moreover, Holista’s Low-GI sugar has a patent filed for the world’s first low GI sugar made of all natural ingredients and reduces the rate that glucose is digested in the body.

By Benjamin Ferrer