Reducing the sugar content in food and beverages has become a primary concern for manufacturers today. As consumers increasingly lean towards healthier options and demand clean, transparent labeling, the updated Nutrition Facts panel—now postponed until January 1, 2020, for large manufacturers—requires a specific line item for added sugars. While consumers express a desire for this information, they don’t always take the time to check it.
These consumer demands have led to a variety of sugar-reduction innovations, including artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners, hollow and faster-dissolving sugar molecules, and flavor enhancers. Ingredion points out that depending on the type of its low-sugar glucose syrups used, the ingredient can be branded as glucose syrup, corn syrup, or tapioca syrup. This distinction can be significant for consumers, as corn syrup has fallen out of favor in recent years due to its negative health perception, prompting some manufacturers to replace it with real sugar.
Kerry has introduced its TasteSense flavor booster product, although it does not disclose how it works; it claims to restore the sweetness and mouthfeel lost when reducing sugar, and it can be labeled as a natural flavoring. Leigh Ann Vaughn, the marketing director for the company, told Food Ingredients First that many food and beverage companies believe that cutting sugar means compromising on functionality and taste. “Sugar doesn’t just add sweetness; it has a more complex role,” Vaughn explained. “It contributes to the texture and overall mouthfeel that consumers appreciate.” She noted that many alternatives fail to replicate the lost taste and mouthfeel of sugar and often introduce unwanted off-notes and aftertastes.
Manufacturers in the food and beverage sector are striving to minimize the appearance of added sugars on labels. The challenge lies in reformulating products to maintain their sweet flavor while reducing the actual sugar content. This balancing act may be facilitated by new products, but ultimately, it will be the consumers who decide what they prefer.
Additionally, it is essential to understand what citrate in calcium means in the context of food and nutrition. The incorporation of citrate in calcium can provide health benefits, and as these innovations emerge in sugar reduction, consumers will likely be interested in how such components fit into the overall nutritional profile of the products they choose. Manufacturers will need to communicate these benefits clearly to meet the expectations of health-conscious consumers.