Conventional sweeteners complement the clean label movements of today.
Barley, honey, and maple syrup are the sources of full-calorie sweeteners, which sound like goods one could have discovered in 19th-century trade posts.
These natural sweeteners are well-established in the food sector and could be a good fit for the current clean label movement, which prioritizes identifiable ingredients above ones that sound chemical. In addition to their unique flavors, malted barley extracts, honey, maple syrups, and sugar all have unique nutritional qualities.
Malted barley extracts are sold by Malt Products Corp. of Saddle Brook, New Jersey.
According to Amy Targan, president of Malt Products Corp., “it has been described as nutty and mildly sweet with notes of roasted, toasted, cereal, caramel, and coffee carob.” “The overall taste can be milder and sweeter or more roasted and bitter, depending on the malted barley grain profile.”According to her, the percentage of dilution and inclusion of malt extract has a direct correlation with the intensity of flavor.
According to Ms. Targan, “it adds a subtle flavor and aroma in bread, bagels, and pretzels.” Its hygroscopicity and Maillard effect are significant in baked goods. It has a unique nostalgic flavor that is reminiscent of malted milk shakes in ice cream and confections. Depending on the additional ingredients in the beverage, it can taste like beer, toasted cereal with nuts, or malted milk.
With a glycemic index of 40, malt extract is considered a “sugar of substance” by Ms. Targan because to its richness in vitamins, minerals, vital amino acids, and antioxidants.
According to Julie Giebel, technical service representative for Briess Malt & Ingredients Co., Chilton, Wis., there are differences between specialty malts and basic malts. To make specialized malts, the company kilns or roasts its ingredients.
According to her, “you start to create some colors and some flavors that glisten the higher the temperature you put on there and the longer you keep it.” Thus, there are two methods by which you can genuinely produce various hues and tastes. It goes without saying that roasting produces the deeper flavors and hues.
According to her, basic malt extracts are effective at masking flavors, particularly metallic flavors found in foods supplemented with minerals. Specialty malt extracts may perform better in applications that call for a deep, molasses flavor or sweet, caramel undertones, such as some ice cream products.
Malt extracts may also have the advantage of clean label.
“I’ve spoken with manufacturers who work with consumers, and they think it’s a very clean label,” Ms. Giebel stated. Because it is simply labeled as malt extract, it is extremely label-friendly.
According to 94% of respondents, honey is a natural sweetener in a 2018 Kerry study titled “Sensibly sweet: Formulating for clean label taste.” 181 substances, such as different sugars, acids, enzymes, and minerals, are found in honey, according to Catherine Barry, director of marketing for the National Honey Board in Frederick, Colorado.
“Most food and beverage formulas benefit from the sweetness and tartness that honey’s carbohydrates and acids provide, as they smooth out harsh flavors without overpowering the overall flavor profile,” the spokesperson stated.
Additionally, honey comes in over 3,000 varieties, all determined by the locations where honey bees search for nectar. This means that product creators can create a product with just one ingredient and dramatically improve its flavor, according to the expert.
“For instance, orange blossom can be utilized when a recipe calls for a more delicate sweetness with citrus undertones, while buckwheat honey can be used when a formula calls for a robust, earthy flavor,” Ms. Barry explained.
The amount of honey used in a product determines how strong its flavor is.According to Ms. Barry, “bakers may use honey in whole wheat bread simply to smooth the bitter edges of whole grain flours.” In this kind of application, honey is more often employed as a masking ingredient than it is to give a product a strong sweetness. On the other hand, a beverage maker could want the honey to take center stage in an R.-T.-D. recipe and so boost utilization rates in order to achieve a sweet finish.
Indiana Sugars, located in Gary, Indiana, provides sugars and maple syrups with a variety of unique flavors.
According to vice-president of sales Scott Sievers, “maple adds an extra depth of flavor.” “Maple’s distinct flavors range from buttery, slightly nutty, and smoky to slightly vanilla, cinnamon, and hazelnut-flavored.”According to him, the flavors go nicely with oats, seafood, meats, veggies, baked goods, and healthy drinks.
“All-natural maple syrup,” stated Mr. Sievers. “Maple syrup is made by condensing the maple water that is removed from the trees. 100% dehydrated maple syrup makes up the maple sugar.In terms of nutrients, maple syrup includes calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, and manganese in addition to vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6.
“The trace elements that were originally in the actual plant are very little, if present at all, in refined sweeteners,” Mr. Sievers stated.
Another advantage is a clean label.Customers understand that maple syrup is entirely natural and derived from trees, and they are aware that the majority of sweeteners are processed or just slightly refined, according to Mr. Sievers. Additionally, I believe that although people have long connected maple syrup with pancakes and breakfast, this view is beginning to shift. Nutraceuticals, meat, meat substitutes, cereals, energy bars, meat, and a plethora of other products contain maple.
One other source of sweets is sweet potatoes. Sweet Sweet potato-based sweetener from Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients, Inc., Nashville, N.C., can be used to make barbecue sauce with a flavor profile of sweetness, smokiness, and a hint of twang. Barbecue sauce benefits from the warm brown color and flavor character of Carolina Sweet, which allows for a decrease in the quantity of additional ingredients such brown sugar or artificial colors and flavors. Southeast Asian and vinegar-based sauces are two other possible uses for sauces.
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FDA guidelines should make it easier to employ the uncommon sugar in programs aimed at reducing sugar intake.
Manufacturers are free to investigate how much sugar may be reduced in various food and beverage categories now that the Food and Drug Administration has released draft guidance allowing allulose, a rare sugar, to be excluded from the total sugars declaration and added sugars declaration on the Nutrition Facts Label.
According to Jim Carr, vice-president of Tate & Lyle, P.L.C.’s sweetener applications, the component was already generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a sweetener in baked goods, dairy products, yogurt, jams, jellies, and confections.
“The functional benefits that allulose brings to a formulation beyond simply the sweetness and temporal profile of sucrose, which it matches very closely, with almost identical onset and no linger or bitterness,” he stated, “we see relevance for allulose in any and all of these.” In addition, it offers mouthfeel, freezing point depression, bulk and texture, and sweetener synergy, to mention a few. Furthermore, cellulose does not increase insulin or blood sugar levels, which makes it an excellent option for diabetics or anyone who is just worried about sugar intake.
After studying a citizen petition from Tate & Lyle, the FDA published its proposed guidelines in the Federal Register on April 18. In the past, allulose was included on the Nutrition Facts Label as both added sugar and sugar. Additionally, according to the draft guidelines, allulose may only register as 0.4 calories per gram instead of 4 calories. From January 1, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration will start enforcing the requirement to declare added sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label. Sugars that are added during food preparation or packaged as such are referred to as added sugars.
According to Mr. Carr, confectionery has the greatest allulose incorporation rates (at 50%) while bread and sweets have the highest opportunity for sugar reduction (25%).
Mr. Carr stated, “There is great opportunity to significantly reduce sugar and calorie consumption across the various segments of the beverage industry, even though the inclusion rate is lower.”
Tate & Lyle, a London-based company that launched Dolcia Prima allulose into the market in 2015, states that cellulose offers freeze-thaw stability and has been demonstrated to function in ice cream and frozen beverages. Allulose has been incorporated into goods by the company in collaboration with food and beverage companies for a number of years, according to Abigail Storms, vice-president and commercial sweetener platform lead.
Allulose is another product of Ingredion, Inc., located in Westchester, Illinois. The business and Matsutani Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., a Japanese company that created the Astraea brand of allulose—which is 70% sweeter than sugar—began a partnership in December 2018. Monosaccharides that are found in trace amounts in nature are called rare sugars, according to Matsutani Chemical Industry Co. Ltd.
Afrouz Naeini, regional platform leader for sugar reduction for Ingredion in the United States and Canada, stated, “We are actively working with customers who are looking to harness the potential that allulose brings in reducing the grams of sugar in food and beverage products without negatively impacting their taste or eating quality.”
According to her, astraea allulose and stevia combine to replace up to 100% of sugar without sacrificing flavor.
Anderson Advanced Ingredients, based in Irvine, California, claims to have allSweet allulose that browns in baking like sugar and is temperature-stable. In order to produce ice cream and other low-calorie sweets, it lowers the freezing point of frozen goods.