Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to FRUIT UP® and a reduction of post-prandial blood glucose responses pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

Following an application from WILD-Valencia SAU, submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Spain, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to FRUIT UP® and a reduction of post-prandial blood glucose responses.

The Panel considers that the food, FRUIT UP®, and the food (i.e. glucose, sucrose) that FRUIT UP® should replace in foods or beverages are both sufficiently characterised in relation to the claimed effect. A reduction of post-prandial glycaemic responses (as long as post-prandial insulinaemic responses are not disproportionally increased) is a beneficial physiological effect.

In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that in the human intervention studies, from which conclusions could be drawn, FRUIT UP® decreased post-prandial blood glucose responses compared with glucose but not compared with sucrose, and that this effect may be explained by the partial replacement of glucose by fructose.

The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of FRUIT UP® and a reduction of post-prandial glycaemic responses over and above the well-established effect of fructose on reducing post-prandial glycaemic responses when replacing glucose in foods.