DouxMatok eyes potential in sugar reduced applications, as demand for healthier alternatives intensifies

03 Sep 2018 --- According to DouxMatok, a developer of targeted flavor delivery technology, up to 40 percent of sugar content in various food products can be reduced while maintaining the same sugar sensory profile and there are plenty of opportunities that lie ahead for sugar reduction, which is a key trend in today’s food industry. European sugar producer Südzucker and DouxMatok recently announced a partnership to commercialize their “breakthrough” sugar reduction solution across Europe to support efforts to reduce sugar content.

The partnership, announced in July, is designed to help food companies address the growing desire for balanced nutrition from consumers and ongoing regulatory pressure to reduce sugar content in food, while still offering a solution that is non-compromising on taste. The patented sugar delivery technology takes advantage of loading sugar molecules on a mineral carrier, resulting in a more efficient delivery and enhanced sweetness perception, according to DouxMatok.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Eran Baniel, CEO and Co-Founder of DouxMatok, says that the pull for reduced sugar solutions is unbelievable. “We have found ourselves completely immersed in our sugar work and our partnership with Südzucker proves how necessary it is to the industry.”

“The reason we believe this technology to be ‘breakthrough’ is that we are still using sugar. We are 99.75 percent sugar. There is no aftertaste and it is also possible to keep much of the functional roles of sugar, including color and mouthfeel,” Baniel explains. 

“This is a whole new category and approach to sugar reduction,” he continues. “Most people are looking to reduce sugar consumption (almost 70 percent) and out of those people, 50 percent want the taste experience to remain the same.” 

Application potential
“We are exceeding very well in dry applications, such as cakes and biscuits – recipes that traditionally contain a lot of sugar. We are slowly making our ways into other areas and applications. The pull from the industry is powerful and with this partnership, it is reinforced even further.”

The demand for sugar reduction is rising quickly, with over 60 percent of consumers seeking healthier and balanced nutrition, without avoiding sugar. Realization remains a challenge for producers, especially when it comes to the reformulation of solid food products. The DouxMatok solution is unique within the marketplace as it provides sugar reduction benefits, sugar-equivalent process technology and sensory sweetness performance equivalent to regular sugar, according to Baniel.

“We are not efficient in sodas, sauces of dressings currently,” he notes. “We will concentrate on wherever water is predominant in the future, once we resolve high dilution formulations. We are now going to concentrate on these applications and how it would work on things like sweet sauces.”

“Although the beverage market has a lot of great potentials, we are focusing our efforts elsewhere and we are positive with our technology. There is a lot of unexplored potential and opportunities that lie ahead,” Baniel explains. 

Douxmatok is currently focusing on the process for use in a large variety of categories, including chocolate, spreads, snack bars, biscuits, baked goods and candies. 

“For cereal bars, gummies and other sugary confectioneries, we offer glucose which contains a tiny amount of water and that is suitable for this. We have syrups and glucose that allow for a profound reduction in those as well. So sucrose and glucose – they are almost the same, half and half,” he says. 

With major players such as Nestlé and Cadbury announcing sugar reduction technologies, this has played out particularly well for DouxMatok, according to Baniel. “Recent announcements of 30 percent sugar reduction in the industry has driven more requests to our business,” he notes. “We have been asked if we can offer the same thing – or better – and this has reinforced our message, which we are very pleased about.”

“For us, when Nestlé first came out with their announcement, it was one of the biggest business developments in this space, and it sparked interest from a lot of our customers. We owe Nestlé a lot as a result of this because it concerns the need to solve sugar reduction solutions as much as possible – using sugar and not using all kinds of other means that come at a higher price,” Baniel states. 

“The sugar reduction story is one of the most acute in health today. But there are efforts out there to provide products that are made from better ingredients,” he claims. “For example, things like gummies and dark chocolate, they often aren’t that successful or well received in the market because they are not sweet enough. But if you could sell an 85 percent dark chocolate that was sweet and not so bitter, then people would surely buy into it,” Baniel notes. “If you could sell gummies that were made from fruit more than sugar, but the sweetness was still there, this could help assist repeat purchases. We have the capabilities to do this and we have projects that we are working on and will be discussing in the future,” he concludes.

By Elizabeth Green