Beverage · Energy drink
Triple V Purple Energy Drink
Give the lift people expect from an energy drink, without taurine.
Taurine-free Status: Launched
Sugar reduction · UAE · Gulf
Sugar reduction for UAE and Gulf drinks
To get a sweetened drink under 5 g of sugar per 100 ml without losing taste, you rebuild the formula instead of swapping the sugar: sweetness, body, acid balance and flavour change together. Firas Bader, The Food Engineer, reformulates drinks for brands and manufacturers in the UAE and Lebanon, and supports trials with your manufacturer.
The rule in one line
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Under 5 g pays 0
Since 1 Jan 2026, the UAE and Saudi Arabia tax sweetened drinks by total sugar per 100 ml: under 5 g pays no sugar tax, 5 → 7.99 g pays 0.79 per litre, 8 g and above pays 1.09.
Read the article -
Natural sugars count
Once sugar or a sweetener is added, natural sugars count too: fruit, dates and grape molasses go on the scale.
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Every SKU is tested
Each drink in the UAE needs a conformity certificate for its sugar content, based on accredited lab tests. Test every SKU again after any recipe change.
Why cutting sugar breaks a drink
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Sugar was doing more than sweetening
Sugar does three jobs at once: sweetness, body and acid balance. Cut it and the drink tastes thin or sharp.
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A sweetener alone is not enough
A sweetener mostly replaces the first job, so on its own it can linger or taste off.
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Traditional drinks are the hardest
Ramadan drinks such as jallab, tamarind and qamar al-din must taste rich, and their signature ingredients bring sugar of their own.
How the formula is rebuilt
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A sweetener blend
Several sweeteners working together, so no single one lingers or tastes off.
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The acid, retuned
With less sugar, the acid is tuned too, or the drink tastes sharp.
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The body, rebuilt
Fibres or hydrocolloids bring back part of the mouthfeel sugar used to give.
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Flavour that fills the gap
Flavours chosen to round out sweetness, so less sugar still tastes complete.
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Measured, not guessed
The tier depends on the measured total sugar, so every flavour and every change gets tested.
Drinks developed and launched
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Beverage · Collagen
Collagen water
At a high collagen dose, minerals in the water cause haze and sediment.
Zero added sugar Status: Formula delivered
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Beverage · Iced coffee
Triple V Iced Coffee & Mocha
Rich flavour within a tight cost target.
Cost-optimised Status: Launched
What I can do
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Reformulation & Fixes
Better taste, texture or cost for a product you already sell.
Proof: Cake mix optimisation Collapse fixed
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New Product Development
From an idea to a final, tested formula.
Proof: Pawpots 4 concepts → 2 SKUs
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Shelf Life & Stability
Keep your product fresh, crunchy and stable for longer.
Proof: Al Kazzi Shelf life 6 → 12 months
The Food Engineer
Meet Firas
I'm Firas Bader, a food engineer and R&D formulator. I develop products for startups and established manufacturers across beverages, dairy, snacks, confectionery, pet food and functional foods.
More about me
Watch: My name isn’t on the pack. My work is inside.
Watch on Instagram (opens in a new tab)The video has English subtitles burned into the picture; there is no separate captions track.
Process
How a project runs
Every project starts with a conversation. Not every project needs all six steps.
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Discovery & brief
We talk about your product, your goal and where you are now, then agree the brief.
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Assessment
I look at what the product needs and what is possible, before any formulation work.
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Formulation & prototypes
I build the formula and make samples, then refine them with you in rounds.
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Testing & shelf life
Samples are checked against the brief, including how they hold over time.
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Scale-up with your manufacturer
I write the factory process and support trials with your manufacturer.
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Market readiness
You receive the final formula and a clear handover, ready for your launch steps.
Questions
Can you get my drink under 5 g of sugar per 100 ml?
That is a reformulation brief: we set the sugar target first, then rebuild sweetness, body, acid and flavour, and test samples against the target.
How it worksWill it still taste the same?
The goal is the same taste experience at less sugar. We agree the target with you, then compare samples side by side against your current drink.
Do fruit, dates or molasses count as sugar?
Yes, once any sugar or sweetener is added. Then natural and added sugars count together, per 100 ml.
We want a lower-sugar drink for Ramadan. When should we start?
Start now. Ramadan 2027 is projected to begin around 8 Feb 2027, and a reformulated drink still needs testing and a new certificate.
Do you work in the UAE?
Yes. Working in Lebanon and the UAE. Egypt and KSA soon.
Do you have your own factory?
No. I write the factory process and support trials with your manufacturer.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. You can ask for an NDA before you share any details about your product.
Have a product challenge?
A new idea, a formula that isn't working, or a shelf-life problem. Let's talk about it.