Sweet relief: Naturality in sugar reduction and texture-boosting fiber spotlighted by experts

21 Apr 2020 --- Health and naturality are in the spotlight as consumers seek foods lower in sugar. Soluble fiber and natural flavors are driving the sweeteners space, bringing a health halo to sugar-reduced foods, as well as improved mouthfeel, texture and sweetness. FoodIngredientsFirst speaks with key suppliers on their toolbox of solutions to bring sugar content down, while keeping a natural, clean label and maintaining rich taste.

“The use of ‘artificial’ sweeteners on a label could potentially be more off-putting to the consumer than sugar. The outcome of this could be a trade-off between artificially produced sugar-free recipes vs. naturally perceived ‘less sugar’ ones,” says Simon Atkins, Industry Director, Food Ingredients EMEA at Univar Solutions.

Whether replacing sugar is carried out with artificial or natural solutions, food formulators face multiple challenges substituting sugar due to its wide variety of functions. “Sugar in beverages has additional functionality and is not used just for flavor. It delivers body or mouthfeel and can help to reduce or balance acidity, as well as enhance natural fruit flavors,” notes Jane Whittaker, Principal Application Specialist at DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences.

Therefore, several aspects beyond sweetness alone must be considered such as texture, taste and how that ingredient comes across on the label to consumers.

Fibers are rife with opportunity for sugar reduction or replacement solutions. One such example is chicory root fiber, which can replicate sugar’s functions as a flavor enhancer and texturing or bulking agent, in addition to providing sweetness, according to Marjan Nouwens-Roest, Manager Technical Sales Support, Sensus.

“By nature, chicory inulin has a sweetness of approximately 10 percent compared to that of sucrose. Sweetness increases if inulin chains are shorter. Short-chain inulin, and especially chicory oligofructose, could provide up to 60 percent of the sweetness level found in sucrose. As a result of its broad functionality, this soluble dietary fiber can replace sugars 1:1 in many applications,” she notes.

Another known fiber for sugar reduction is acacia gum. “Due to its physical and functional properties, it is a good ingredient to enhance the fiber content of food products without compromising the appearance or flavor of the food product,” explains Dr. Isabelle Jaouen, R&D Director at Alland & Robert, experts in Acacia gum.

As a texturing agent bringing low viscosity, acacia gum can help compensate for the loss of volume, texture and mouthfeel in sugar-reduced products. It is also known to bring stability factors by reducing the water activity, and improve the softness and mouthfeel thanks to an increase in water retention, adds Dr. Jaouen.

Litesse Ultra polydextrose is another soluble fiber that can replace the lost texture and mouthfeel from reducing or removing sugar. The fiber from DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences is sugar-free and is touted for “excellent stability” in beverages. Furthermore, the fiber content provides a selling point as “Additional fiber resonates well with consumers,” remarks Whittaker. 

Several fibers that are used for sugar reduction can also contribute to a healthy gut.Need for fiber
A substantial majority of the European consumers that were surveyed by Sensus (84 percent) stated that fiber intake is important for bowel and digestive health. Moreover, two out of three Europeans try to eat enough fiber on a daily basis, the survey found.

"However, on average, actual intakes for men in Europe range from 18 to 24 grams per day and for women from 16 to 20 grams per day. Unfortunately, the recommended daily intakes for dietary fiber are not reached by any European country," explains Nouwens-Roest. Consistent inadequate levels of fiber intake is part of the reason why fiber enrichment is trending throughout 2020.

Dietary fibers Frutafit inulin and Frutalose oligofructose, extracted from chicory roots, are ingredients which can enrich the fiber content of food applications, promoting digestive health and closing the fiber gap. "Moreover, as a prebiotic, chicory root fiber stimulates the production of beneficial bacteria in the colon, which has wide-ranging benefits, and a reduced glycemic response along with a European health claim to back it," according to Nouwens-Roest.

Acacia fiber has a strong prebiotic effect and excellent digestive properties. With its exceptional intestinal tolerance, it ensures digestive comfort. Nexira’s acacia fiber is suitable for low FODMAP diet and allows high fiber consumption (up to 50 g per day) with no signs of discomfort, says Bastien Berepion, Technical Support Manager at Nexira.

Building the right taste
Products where sugar is reduced warrant an adjustment to their overall taste profile. “Taste modulation in the context of sweet taste comprises the overall optimization of taste profiles as well as the masking or reduction of undesirable aroma and taste effects. This spans across product applications in beverages, dairy and sweet goods as well as even culinary applications like ketchup or ready meals,” notes Regine Lueghausen, VP Global Marketing Flavor Division at Symrise.

“When you reduce a sweet ingredient, like honey, maple or caramel, you reduce its aromatic intensity, and the product is perceived as less tasty. But with the use of a flavor, you can keep this delicious and natural taste, without the extra calories,” explains Kévin Bangratz, Marketing Researcher at Prova. “Those natural flavors also allow you to bring back the taste authenticity of a well-known ingredient in a product.”

For example, yeast ingredients can be used in savory or sweet products to reinforce the taste of some ingredients such as eggs, vanilla, chocolate, helping to reduce sugar in the formula, according to Vanessa Gougeon, Communication & Marketing Content Manager at Biospringer. “They also subtly reveal roasted flavors, malted, cocoa or cereals. This solution allows up to 30 percent sugar content reduction.”

Meanwhile, Maria Helena Manhão Branco, Global Food Application Specialist at Biorigin highlights that yeast extracts and natural flavors are clean label solutions for sugar reduction “They work by increasing the perception of flavor notes, improving mouthfeel and mouthwatering, allowing formulators to reduce the final sugar content without compromising the taste of the recipe.”

“At Biorigin, we trialed the reduction of sugar in a wide range of applications by using roasted yeast extract or natural flavor or a combination of both. We achieved good results on taste and a sugar reduction of 25-30 percent in sweet foods applications, such as sauces and beverages,” she adds.

Masking off-notes with technology
Next generation stevia has a cleaner taste that can be used without any maskers, notes Katharina Pueller at Sweegen.Any ingredient used to replace another ingredient is susceptible to off-notes – meaning an unpleasant or unexpected taste. Stevia is one natural solution, which has received a lot of attention in the past few decades, but has been limited due to the off-notes in the leaf’s most abundant molecules.

Recently, Nexira technical experts tackled stevia off-notes with acacia gum, in an energy drink formulation challenge. In combination with sweeteners, acacia gum plays the role of a texturing and flavor masking agent, adds Berepion.

However, “next generation” stevia sweeteners have a much better taste profile than earlier stevia versions and can be used without any maskers, Katharina Pueller, Director, Natural Sweetener Business at Sweegen, points out.

“Our stevia sweeteners are produced using bioconversion, thereby mimicking a process that happens naturally in the leaf. Stevia leaf extract is combined with enzymes that bio-convert molecules into better tasting molecules – such as Reb M, Reb D and Reb E,” she explains.

Next generation stevia sweeteners such as Reb M and Reb D can be used in formulations as “natural flavors to enhance the sweetness of sugar, while reducing sugar levels at 30-40 percent. Stevia itself can be used to mask off notes from active ingredients, as well as cannabidiol (CBD) or Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), she continues.

Symrise’s approach to taste-balancing solutions, however, combines masking capabilities with taste enrichment tools and top notes. Its SymLife toolbox can optimize the taste and mouthfeel, offering full body, taste and juiciness.

Meanwhile, Kerry’s TasteSense flavor modulation technology provides sugar reduction solutions in the form of natural flavorings. The technology works to achieve the desired sweetness profile, while masking acidity and astringency, as well as improving mouthfeel. “We have screened and selected numerous botanicals for their functional benefits and their ability to modulate sweetness perception,” underscores Massimo Barbeni, VP of Taste Innovation at Kerry.

Last year, Biospringer launched Springer Mask 101, a natural solution produced by fermentation, positioned to neutralize the undesirable notes brought by sweeteners, such as aspartame, acesulfame-K or stevia. “Springer Mask 101, acts as a bitter blocker, even at a very low dosage, and has proven its efficacy on bitterness, metallic off-notes or lingering effect,” continues Gougeon.

Also in combination with other sweeteners, Sensus Frutafit inulin and Frutalose oligofructose are positioned to mask the undesirable taste of HIS and are able to shift the taste profile of HIS towards a ‘sucrose profile’.

“There is no doubt that sugar remains an ‘unwelcome guest.’ With social and political factors such as the rising popularity of low-sugar diets, and yet more EU countries imposing a ‘sugar tax’, the anti-sugar movement is here to stay. Beyond health factors – in the UK in particular – any impact on sugar imports because of Brexit or even the COVID-19 outbreak could also be a contributing factor towards an increased number of sugar-reduced formulations,” concludes Atkins.

By Missy Green