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The EU’s revised Breakfast Directive will reshape how jams and jellies are formulated across Europe. By increasing the minimum fruit content required in jams and extra jams, the regulation encourages products with less added sugar, but also introduces new formulation challenges for manufacturers. Clarisse Loiseau, R&D application specialist for fruit at Cargill, explores how higher fruit content affects texture, gel formation and processing stability – and what product developers should consider when adapting recipes ahead of the June 2026 deadline.

The European Union’s revised Breakfast Directive (Directive) introduces updated compositional and labelling standards for several staple breakfast products, including honey, fruit juices, jams, jellies and marmalades. One of the most significant changes affects jams and marmalades. Under the revised Directive, the minimum fruit content required for jam will increase from 35% to 45%, while extra jam will require at least 50% fruit, up from 45% previously. These changes are intended to reduce reliance on added sugars while encouraging products with a more fruit-forward composition.

The Directive (EU) 2024/1438 was adopted in April 2024. Member states must transpose it into national legislation by December 2025, with the new requirements applying from June 2026.

Although the regulation primarily focuses on improving consumer transparency and supporting healthier dietary patterns, its implications extend deep into product development and industrial processing. For manufacturers, increasing fruit content may appear straightforward from a regulatory perspective, but from a formulation standpoint, it introduces several technical considerations that must be carefully managed.

While the Directive specifically applies to jams and marmalades, the broader shift toward higher-fruit formulations is part of a wider market trend across fruit-based products.

Consumers increasingly associate fruit-based ingredients with more natural and higher-quality products, in line with wider clean-label trends. For example, Innova Marketing's research shows that 42% of global consumers define clean-label foods as those made with natural ingredients, while nearly half have increased their purchases of fresh and minimally processed foods. This has encouraged manufacturers to explore fruit-forward formulations across applications such as yogurt preparations, ice cream ripple sauces and bakery fillings, where higher fruit content can support both clean-label positioning and product differentiation.

These products rely on similar formulation principles, where the balance between fruit solids, sugars, acidity and gelling systems ultimately determines texture and stability. As fruit levels increase, developers must consider how ingredient functionality performs across different applications and processing conditions to maintain the desired product quality.

Why higher fruit content changes the formulation balance

Traditional jam formulation relies on a delicate balance between fruit solids, sugar concentration, pectin and acidity to create the desired gel structure and texture. Increasing fruit content alters that balance in several ways.

In practice, when the fruit proportion increases, the amount of added sugar in the recipe is typically reduced so that the final product still reaches a similar dry matter level, usually around 60°Brix. The objective is therefore not necessarily to reduce the total soluble solids, but to rebalance the formulation while maintaining the composition required for jam.

The challenge then shifts largely to the processing stage. Because fruit contains a high proportion of water, manufacturers must carefully manage the cooking process to evaporate sufficient water and reach the target dry matter level while preserving fruit quality, flavour and colour. Achieving this balance requires precise control of time, temperature and concentration during cooking.

At the same time, fruit naturally contains calcium ions, organic acids and fibres, all of which influence how pectin behaves during gel formation. The concentration of these components can vary depending on the fruit variety, growing conditions and season, introducing an additional layer of variability for manufacturers.

Together, these factors mean that increasing fruit content often requires adjustments not only to the formulation itself but also to the processing conditions used during production.

The role of pectin in high-fruit jam systems

Pectin remains the primary gelling agent used in most fruit spreads, but not all pectin systems behave the same way under changing formulation conditions.

High-methoxyl (HM) pectins traditionally rely on high sugar concentrations and acidic environments to form stable gels. As long as the formulation maintains a sufficiently high dry matter level, typically above ~ 60°Brix, HM pectins can continue to perform effectively even when the relative proportion of fruit increases.

Low-methoxyl (LM) pectins offer an alternative approach and are often more suitable for formulations with lower sugar content. These pectins form gels through interactions with calcium ions naturally present in the system rather than relying primarily on high sugar concentrations. However, this also means their performance becomes closely linked to the calcium content naturally present in fruit.

Amidated low-methoxyl (LMA) and conventional low-methoxyl (LMC) pectins provide optimal gel strength within a specific calcium range. If the calcium concentration is too low, the pectin cannot form a sufficiently strong three-dimensional gel network, resulting in a softer texture. At the other extreme, excessive calcium can increase pectin reactivity and trigger premature gelation during processing, which may lead to reduced gel strength, a granular texture or an increased risk of syneresis.

For product developers, selecting the appropriate pectin system therefore becomes essential when reformulating products with higher fruit content or lower added sugar.

Reformulation challenges for manufacturers

As manufacturers prepare for the Directive’s implementation, several practical challenges may arise during reformulation.

One important consideration is cost. Fruit is typically one of the most expensive components in jam formulations, meaning that increasing fruit content can have a direct impact on the overall cost of the recipe. Manufacturers, therefore, need to balance regulatory compliance with cost efficiency, ensuring that higher fruit levels do not compromise product affordability or production margins. In this context, selecting ingredient systems that deliver strong functionality and efficient performance becomes increasingly important for optimising overall formulation cost.

Manufacturers also must consider how to maintain the expected sensory properties of the final product. Consumers are typically highly sensitive to changes in texture, spreadability and flavour balance in fruit spreads.

Increasing fruit content can also influence sweetness perception, requiring careful adjustment of sweetness systems to maintain the desired taste profile.

In addition, production processes may need to be optimised. Changes in fruit concentration can alter the behaviour and reactivity of the pectin system, which in turn affects key processing parameters such as filling conditions and setting times during industrial manufacturing.

Application trials illustrate this effect clearly. When fruit content in a strawberry jam formulation (60°Brix, pH 3.1) increases from 35% to 45%, the pectin system becomes more reactive, and the setting temperature rises by approximately 7.5°C. Such changes can significantly influence processing behaviour and must be taken into account during reformulation.

Manufacturers must therefore evaluate both the formulation and the processing environment when adapting recipes.

Preparing for the transition

Although the Directive introduces new requirements, the broader shift toward higher fruit formulations has already been underway for several years. Consumer demand for products perceived as more natural, fruit-rich and lower in added sugars has encouraged manufacturers to explore higher fruit formulations well before the regulatory changes were announced.

For this reason, many manufacturers have already begun exploring reformulation strategies. Early testing and formulation trials will be essential for companies that have not yet adapted their recipes.

Access to application expertise and ingredient functionality knowledge can help accelerate this process by allowing manufacturers to evaluate different formulation approaches and identify the most suitable gelling systems for their specific products.