Sweet and Healthier
By Beth Warren & Kimberly Anderson
The consumer has a complicated relationship with sugar. The taste of sugar is the gold standard but there are concerns regarding overconsumption of sugar being a health risk. This presents an ongoing opportunity to meet the increasing demand for lower sugar foods and beverages that taste deliciously sweet like sugar. Sugar is not only naturally sweet in taste, but its functionality as an ingredient requires more consideration when replacing it or lowering levels in a food or beverage product. The taste of sugar has also been the comparative standard for consumers for which products are measured in taste.
The demand for lower sugar food and beverage products is growing at 8-9% per year. The health and wellness drivers fueling the North American demand for lower sugar products include population and demographic health statistics related to Diabetes, Heart Disease and Obesity. The need for convenience in product form is also a key consideration for consumers.
Sugar replacement is not new to the food and beverage product developers. We have been reformulating products for the last 20 years to lower the sugar with a variety of technologies including high intensity sweeteners, as well as just lowering the total added sugar in a formulation. The results have been mixed in terms of meeting consumer needs for a lower sugar or sugar free product that tastes just like sugar. Recently, an added consumer interest and consideration is formulating to a natural or clean label requirement. All-natural non-caloric sweetener ingredient options present a smaller toolbox for product developers.
Kim Anderson, Director of Business Development & Sales for NewTree Fruit Company
To offer Two Perspectives, I have asked Kim Anderson, Director of Business Development & Sales for NewTree Fruit Company, to join me along with her colleague Teresa Stephens, Director, R&D and QA, to provide further insights on the variety of natural ingredient options currently enabling low sugar food and beverage innovations that provide health and wellness features.
What is the biggest challenge in sugar reduction other than the bulking agent issues?
TS: Sugar comes with an upfront sweetness we are all familiar with and finishes well after consuming without an aftertaste. It also provides mouthfeel that we miss when replacing sugar with high intensity sweeteners alone without a texture modifier to build back the body of the beverage or the texture of the food. One of the long-term challenges has been the negative taste experience consumers have had with some of the artificial high intensity sweeteners and early versions of the natural high intensity sweetener Stevia. While aspartame was closer to the clean taste profile of sugar, it is not natural. Sugar alternatives, Acesulfame K, Sucralose and Stevia all contribute an aftertaste. However, natural sweetener innovation continues to evolve including Allulose, Monk fruit and newer versions of Stevia extracts, which when used in combination have greatly improved the consumer taste experience and increased the acceptance of lower sugar products with these natural non-caloric sweeteners.
BW: Additionally for all natural, organic or clean label formulations, the use of flavors as an optimization tool in sweetness is an important consideration when formulating low to no sugar products. Optimizing the sweetener system by including flavor technologies that modify the off notes of the sweeteners prior to selecting the characterizing profile of the food or beverage increases the commercial success of natural lower sugar formulations. Product developers should consider using this two part development approach in creating a sweetener system to optimize the up front and the finishing sweet taste profile prior to the selection the final characterizing flavor profile.
KA: While the taste of sugar is one key feature to replicate in a lower sugar product, a natural or clean label formulation is becoming equally important to consumers pursuing health and wellness as a priority. Natural or organic ingredients that provide sweetness are high in demand.
What are the benefits in using a fruit juice that has the sugar removed as an ingredient in lower sugar formulations?
KA: At Newtree, we discovered a technology and unique process to remove sugar from juice concentrates, De-Sugared™, while maintaining the concentrated nutrients, color and acid without the sweetness. It is well accepted that antioxidants in plant foods, like fruits and vegetables, are beneficial to health and wellbeing. Apart from vitamins and minerals, Polyphenolic types of phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables are responsible for their color, flavor, and antioxidant activity. Vibrantly colored fruits have complex mixtures of beneficial polyphenols, as well as naturally occurring sugars. Some fruits, like blueberries and elderberries, also have very high levels of recognized health promoting polyphenols.
BW: Health and wellness food and beverages as well as plant-based products or CBD beverages and gummies would benefit from a natural ingredient that does not contribute sugar, but adds nutritional benefits like antioxidants, vitamins and minerals along with the bright natural color inherent in the juice. Removing sugars from fruit juice concentrates while retaining the nutritional features, provides a formulator with another natural ingredient tool to use in a low or no sugar formulation.
Can juice, where the sugar has been removed, be a stand-alone drop-in tool for sugar reduction in beverages or foods?
TS: Yes, absolutely, these Juice concentrates with the sugar removed are highly concentrated, so they would need to be diluted first to single strength prior to using them as a stand-alone tool. We have had success blending these unique juice concentrates with full sugar juice to achieve a 30% sugar reduction without the use of natural high intensity sweeteners or flavors. Furthermore, when using this type of formulation, 25-30% of a full sugared juice can be eliminated and replaced to add acidity, maintain the color, and assost with replacing some of the mouthfeel associated with a full sugared juice.
At low levels of usage, De-Sugared™ juice can be used as a stand-alone for products that are looking for a boost in flavor. We’ve been very successful using a 5-10% inclusion without any added flavor or sweetener. If replacing full sugared juice one for one and added sweetness is still needed, non-caloric sweeteners that are natural are effective ingredient options. Mouthfeel is the next challenge. Often various pectins, select proteins, polyols and soluble fibers are the preferred natural ingredients for adding back body and mouthfeel to a low sugar beverage.
With beverage reformulation where sugar reduction is the goal, are natural flavors required for top noting when using this type of concentrated juice ingredient? How and what should a formulator consider as do’s and don’ts?
TS: Yes, natural flavors, extracts or essences are important to the beverage formulation toolbox to improve the consistency and stability of the flavor profile. It is very important to balance the acid to sweetness ratio with the flavor profile you are targeting based on the original fruits depicted.
BW: Key tips in this approach include balancing the acidity that is higher in a concentrated De-Sugared™ juice used as an ingredient. This should be addressed early in development when the sweetness of the beverage is optimized and especially if natural high intensity sweeteners are included in the formulation. The added acidity however, can also be a positive contributor to tartness in the product profile. Ingredient synergies between the acid to sweetness ratio as well as the characterizing flavor profile all must be leveled like a music tuner to achieve the best taste profile.
Example: Base Pineapple Beverage Formula with 96% less sugar and carbohydrates than Pineapple Juice
Nutrition: Calories= 20 per 8 fl oz serving vs 135 per 8 fl oz serving for Pineapple Juice
Potassium= 380 mg per 8 fl oz serving, the same as Pineapple Juice
| Base Formula Example | Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 100% Single Strength Equivalent @12.8° Brix | Pineapple Juice Concentrate, De-Sugared™ | 38.8 ml |
| 0.1% | Pectin (For Mouthfeel) | 1.0 ml |
| 200 ppm | Stevia Extracts | 0.2 ml |
| 0.2% | Natural Pineapple Flavor | 2.0 ml |
| Water to Finish (Approximate) | 958 ml | |
| Total: | 1000 ml |
Would this approach apply to Alcoholic Beverage Development?
KA: Yes, the juice concentrates without sugar are stable in alcohol. With the higher acidity, addressing the balance of acid and sweetness is critical to the alcoholic beverage formulation. Additional benefits include the bright color inherent with a juice ingredient and the clean label. Considerations with the packaging integrity need to be evaluated due to variation in potential shelf life and storage conditions.
BW: Natural ingredient options that are stable in alcohol without adding sugar while also adding the vibrant natural color inherent in the juice provide new opportunities to create more interesting clean label RTD alcoholic beverages that appeal to more senses than taste.
Are there certain juice types that are the “work horse” choice for low sugar beverages due to other factors other than their taste profile? Where should the formulator start?
KA: The NewTree De-Sugared™ juice concentrates do resemble the fruit from which they originated and some more than others. Without the sweetness from the sugar, the concentrates have a dry mouthfeel and the acids are more pronounced. The color remains true to the original and also indicates the nutrition is intact. Apple, pear, and grape are considered the most versatile “filler” concentrates as the base for development due to cost and a milder taste profile. Typically, Apple is the best concentrate to use as a base along with smaller amounts of other more concentrated De-Sugared™ juices for both flavor and color. The mix is then complemented with the desired natural flavor system and a natural sweetener blend. The mouthfeel or subtle body provided by this juice concentrate even without the sugar is another benefit for the beverage developer.
What about food applications: are there select applications where the use of juice without sugar has been commercially successful?
KA: Any food application currently using full sugared juice is an opportunity where the formulator is targeting lower sugar, but also may desire more natural color or acidity. Commercial success has been achieved in adding De-Sugared™ juice concentrates to fruit prep for yogurts and smoothies, plant-based dairy alternative yogurts and beverages, cereals, confections with fillings, gummies, fruit fillings and sauces, nutrition bars and baked goods. It adds flavor, color and nutrition without the added sugar and calories.
The expanded ingredient toolbox for sugar reduction to include more natural ingredient options is achieving the synergies in sweetness necessary for better tasting natural food and beverage products that consumers crave while meeting healthier nutritional profiles.
