Sweet strategies: Natural sources prevail as stevia gains ground in sugar reduction

19 Jan 2022 --- As demand for sugar reduction intensifies, suppliers are capitalizing on natural products and advanced technologies to satisfy clean label requirements. 

Notably, research by ADM’s Outside Voice has identified an overlap between clean label and sugar-reduced demographics. 

“Sugar reduction is 61% more important for shoppers searching for products with a clean label, according to our research,” Sarah Diedrich, marketing director of global sweetening and texturizing at ADM, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“Consumers are putting particular emphasis on the quality of ingredients, and sweetener type is a key marker to evaluate product quality.”

Within the sweetening space, stevia is seeing particular interest as next generations of the ingredient gain regulatory approval.

According to Innova Market Insights, new global product launches with stevia are averaging an annual growth of 15% every year (from 2016 to 2021).

FoodIngredientsFirst speaks with Sweegen, Cargill and ADM on the drive for sugar-reduced solutions and the latest ingredients poised to elevate better-for-you foods, including confectionery.

Sweegen notes that sugar reduction in confectionery is now becoming “more and more critical.”A shift in paradigm
While confectionery was not a focus area for sugar reduction in the not too distant past, it is now becoming increasingly critical, says Paul Courtney, director of new product development at Sweegen, UK.

“With governments globally concerned over rising obesity and the cost to the global economy and burden on health care systems, we see taxation on high sugar products emerging, and it’s difficult to see this going away – indeed this will likely increase in time,” he says.

In Europe especially, front-of-pack nutritional labeling schemes like Nutri-Score are placing increased attention on the nutritional profiles of all foods and beverages.

“[The trend toward healthy reformulation] is reflected in the customer briefs we receive,” says Philippe Chouvy, business development manager sweetness at Cargill.

He adds that one in two consumers are conscious of or limiting sugar in their diet, according to data from Innova Market Insights.

Natural in demand
In sugar-free confectionery, polyols such as sorbitol, maltitol and isomalt are the most commonly used, explains Chouvy.

“However, there is a key trend for consumers to prefer natural sweetness, explaining in part the increased uptake of stevia in confectionery.”

Front-of-pack nutritional labeling schemes like Nutri-Score are placing increased attention on the nutritional profiles of all F&B.Diedrich adds: “The clean label trend has gone mainstream and is relevant across all product categories.”

“Although there isn’t a single definition of clean label, research points to common positive claims that consumers look for on product packs. These include natural, synthetic-free, free from artificial ingredients and containing real ingredients.”

Moreover, 69% of consumers say simple, recognizable ingredients influence their purchasing decisions, and 66% say they are looking for labels with the shortest ingredients list, according to ADM’s Outside Voice research.

Sweet solutions from nature
Diedrich suggests that sweeteners derived from familiar sources, such as allulose and monk fruit, can help meet clean label demands while also reducing sugar content.

“Allulose is a great option for clean label targets as it occurs naturally in wheat and dried fruits like jackfruit and figs, it doesn’t contain sugar alcohols and it isn’t listed as an added sugar on product labels,” she highlights.

Meanwhile, Cargill, is working on a range of soluble fibers (corn and wheat-based) to meet clean label demand. The range is set to launch in late 2022 and will help complete the company’s toolbox of solutions to reduce sugars.

Stevia has also proven to be a winner among consumers. “Nature-based sweeteners such as stevia are popular with consumers because of their zero calories and plant-based appeal,” remarks Courtney.

The use of stevia in food and beverages worldwide is steadily rising and zero added sugar claims with stevia is also on an upward trajectory.

Monk fruit is positioned as a clean label sweetener derived from “familiar sources.” Unlocking stevia’s potential
The stevia space has seen important advances in both regulation and technology.

In 2021, Sweegen earned regulatory approval in Europe for its “highly sought-after” Signature Stevia Rebaudioside M (Reb M).

“This groundbreaking regulatory approval for new generation Reb M in Europe, along with a wide range of global regulatory approvals, provides global and regional brands with more solutions in their toolkits than the traditional sweetening solutions of sucralose, erythritol, maltitol and sorbitol,” underscores Courtney.

Cargill’s Chouvy, meanwhile, says the company has made “huge leaps forward in the tools available that enable reduction in sugars – especially in the stevia space.”

“Cargill alone has invested more than 300,000 hours studying the unique properties of the stevia leaf, searching for the optimal balance of sweetness and taste.”

From this effort, the company developed its ViaTech portfolio of stevia leaf extract sweeteners.

Available in both the US and EU, ViaTech uses a taste-prediction model to help precisely predict which combination of sweet components will deliver optimal taste and sweetness.

Sweegen, on the other hand, couples its advanced stevia technologies with taste modulation to create products such as better-for-you confectionery.

Its Taste Blazer confectionery solution platform, for example, provides a range of highly soluble and heat-stable solutions for confectionery products and candies.

Cargill reports it has made “huge leaps forward” in sugar reduction, particularly in the stevia space.Getting the best glycosides
Critical to supplying great-tasting stevia is being able to isolate and produce the best-tasting molecules.

At ADM, the company’s SweetRight Edge stevia is its next-generation, plant-based stevia leaf extract.

“Through our proprietary approach to stevia extraction and purification, we maximize the glycosides that taste the best while minimizing bitter and astringent notes,” says Diedrich.

Sweegen bioconverts the multitude of naturally occurring stevia molecules into specific varieties, which are known to have superior taste qualities.

Its Signature Stevia portfolio includes the latest generation of its proprietary stevia ingredients like Rebs D, M and E.

Cargill, meanwhile, offers its stevia-based sweetener EverSweet through its Avansya partnership with DSM.

“With EverSweet, formulators gain access to some of the sweetest components of the stevia leaf – Reb M and Reb D. While these molecules are extremely rare in the stevia plant, we produce them through fermentation,” explains Chouvy.

Eversweet is currently approved for use in the US and Mexico, and is expected to be introduced in Europe in 2023.

While popular among the keto community in the US and available in Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, allulose is still awaiting regulatory approval in the EU and UK.

Last November, Ingredion Incorporated, Matsutani Chemical Industry, Cosun Beet Company and Samyang Corporation became part of the Allulose Novel Food Consortium (ANFC) to help bring allulose to the EU and UK markets.

By Missy Green

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