Combining high-intensity sweeteners to reduce sugar as much as possible
Investigating combinations of high-intensity sweeteners could yield new insights into lowering sugar content. Considerations include the sweeteners’ price, lingering off-flavors, and sweetness offset.
Blends of monk fruit and stevia, two naturally occurring high-intensity sweeteners, work well. Other high-intensity sweeteners, such as sucralose and acesulfame potassium (Ace K), may also function well in blends, depending on how a product is positioned.
Each high-intensity sweetener has advantages and disadvantages of its own, according to Jim Carr, PhD, director of global ingredient technology at Tate & Lyle, PLC, a London-based company.
According to him, monk fruit “has the taste performance of a high-potency sweetener and a great label appeal.” To achieve the desired flavor profile, some of these naturally occurring sweeteners with high potencies are even combined with sucrose. Naturally, sucrose has a very pure, sweet taste, and it can significantly lower the cost of formula overall.
According to him, one must take into account the temporal profile, which refers to the sweetener’s timing and intensity. Sucralose aids in reducing the bitterness that some sweeteners or proteins may leave behind.
According to Beth Neiman Hacker, director of Tate & Lyle’s global market research, sweetener blends for meal replacement drinks and protein shakes are utilizing stevia and sucrose.
Additionally, she stated, “we are seeing that combination play out in the categories of your snack, cereal, and energy bars.”
The sensory profile of sugar may be mimicked by sweetener blends, which combine various high-intensity sweeteners, according to Adela Casas, technical sales/business development manager at Sweetener Solutions, Savannah, Georgia.
“In comparison to sugar, acesulfame potassium has an early onset, while sucralose has a later onset,” the speaker stated. “You can achieve the desired profile by using these two sweeteners in the proper ratios.”
Due to their evolving nature, steviol glycosides—which are either produced by fermentation or found in the stevia plant—may now be blended together by formulators.
According to Akshay Kumar Anugu, PhD, senior associate, applications, global sugar reduction for Ingredion, Inc., Westchester, Ill., “Next-generation steviol glycosides, like Rebaudioside M, can provide up to 100% sugar reduction in beverages, but high-intensity sweeteners’ limitations in replacing sugar’s functional properties restrict its role in non-beverage applications.” It is common practice to use multiple steviol glycosides, such as Reb A, Reb B, Reb D, and Reb M, to optimize taste, cost, and performance when developing 100% sugar-reduction solutions for beverages. Because of its flavor and benefits for labeling, monk fruit extract is also used with stevia at lesser concentrations.
Formulators should consider who the product is intended for and whether it could be marketed as being more natural before selecting high-intensity sweeteners. Ingredion’s proprietary study divided consumers into five groups.
The first group, known as “naturelles,” makes up 16% of all consumers and is said to prefer natural products, according to Christina Coles, associate marketing manager, sugar reduction and specialty sweeteners. Making up 17%, the “balancers” exhibit a greater preference for sugar-based products over those containing artificial or other sweeteners. Making up 19%, the “sugar frees” aim to control their sugar consumption. They exhibit more stevia use and less concern for the use of artificial sweeteners. Though they should eat healthier, 17% of people have “sweet tooths” and still do not. Thirty percent are “carefrees.” They don’t think sugar is unhealthy, but they do have a greater interest in stevia and other natural, low-calorie sweeteners.
Additional options for blending
Certain food and beverage categories may need more than high-intensity sweeteners to replace sugar. Combinations of high-intensity sweeteners and complementary ingredients maintain the flavor and texture of products like ice cream without added sugar and sugar-free hard seltzers, said Sarah Diedrich, marketing director, sweetening solutions and fiber for Archer Daniels Midland Co., Chicago. ADM’s Fibersol dietary fiber is low viscosity, process stable and water-soluble. SweetRight Edge stevia, SweetRight allulose and Fibersol-2 may be combined in frozen desserts and novelties.
“We run the risk of having ice crystallization in the ice cream if we don’t blend it correctly,” Ms. Diedrich stated. “With no added sugars per serving, Fibersol and allulose both help minimize ice crystallization and maintain the desired creaminess consistency.”
Mouthfeel may return with a hydrocolloid when a high sugar replacement is given, according to Ms. Casas. According to Cargill’s technical service manager for polyols, Ravi Nana, of Minneapolis, erythritol is another polyol that might be taken into consideration.
“This calorie-free bulk sweetener balances out stevia’s sweetness profile, even though it’s not a high-intensity sweetener,” he stated. Erythritol also supports several functional roles, depending on the application of reduced sugar. It improves mouthfeel in drinks, which diminishes as sugar content is lowered. It gives freezing-point depression to frozen dairy products and adds bulk and texture to baked goods with lower sugar content.
Reaching zero added sugar via innovation in steviol glycoside
As people become more conscious of added sugars, more food and beverage applications are able to make the claim that there is no added sugar thanks to advancements in stevia extracts and other steviol glycosides.
Consumers and regulatory bodies are becoming more aware of added sugars.
Less than 6% of total calories should come from added sugars, according to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s July recommendation. This is less than 10% from the 2015–20 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. As of early October, the 2020 version was still unveiled.
Additive sugars are those that are either packaged as such or added during food processing, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. The Nutrition Facts Label is required by the FDA to list added sugars.
According to a January study by London-based Tate & Lyle, PLC, about 40% of Americans check the Nutrition Facts Label for added sugars as well as sugars. According to a study conducted in August by Chicago’s Archer Daniels Midland Co., 33% of respondents said they look for products without added sugar. In general, sugar reduction was the focus of the study.
“This research indicates that there is a growing demand for clean label sweeteners and sweetening solutions,” stated Sarah Diedrich, ADM’s marketing director for fiber and sweetening solutions. “For instance, eight out of ten consumers actively try to cut back on sugar; specifically, 83% do so for beverages, 79% for bars and snacks, 75% for sauces and dressings, 70% for baked goods, 69% for dairy products, and 54% in chocolate and candies..
Claims of having no added sugar are consistently seen in more categories, according to Jim Carr, PhD, director of Tate & Lyle’s global ingredient technology.
“Technology in combination is how it’s done most of the time,” he stated.
It is simpler to fulfill the claim in drinks like flavored waters. In applications where attributes like browning, texture, and shelf life must be maintained, such as frozen dairy products, bars, or baked goods, eliminating added sugars becomes increasingly difficult.
According to Dr. Carr, “we think that zero added sugar is possible across a range of categories.” “It’s rising because our tools for replacing sugar are improving.”
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He pointed to an increase in supply for Rebaudioside D and Rebaudioside M, two steviol glycosides that more closely resemble sugar, and allulose, a “rare” sugar that the FDA in 2019 ruled does not count as sugar or added sugar on the Nutrition Facts Label.
Minneapolis-based Cargill offers EverSweet that features Reb M and Reb D.
“While these glycosides are rare in the stevia plant, we produce them via fermentation, creating a cost-efficient, great-tasting sweetener, produced with the environment in mind,” said Andrew Ohmes, global director, high-intensity sweeteners for Cargill.
EverSweet steviol glycosides are created through the fermentation of specialty crafted yeast.
ADM offers SweetRight Edge stevia, which may be used to achieve zero grams of added sugar in formulations like ice cream, hard seltzer and chocolate without sacrificing flavor, Ms. Diedrich said.
“We developed SweetRight Edge stevia with the goal of targeting the best aspects of the stevia plant,” she said. “The stevia leaf extract has a superior taste profile when compared to other stevia glycosides and is suitable for clean label applications. We innovated a new approach for stevia extraction and purification, ultimately leading to a better performing sweetening solution with qualities that appeal to both formulators and consumers.”
In 2019, the powdered stevia segment had the highest market share; however, according to Allied Market Research, the liquid segment will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6%, as various flavors—such as vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, and lemon—will enhance the flavor of food and drink items.