Baking & Snack - December 2021 - 50

SUGAR REDUCTION
Formulators can
reduce sugar in
several ways,
although it's
hard to cut it out
altogether.
Ingredion
" Determine the cost amount allowed for replacement
of sugar, which might help determine which ingredients
may be used and guide how much sugar may be reduced, "
said Ya Liu, PhD, bakery business development
director and bakery applications leader at Kerry North
America. " Evaluate how the taste has changed and what
other flavor and functional components need to be replaced,
including shelf life factors, processing factors,
etc. Check regulatory requirements for ingredients in all
regions that the product may be sold. Focus on taste in
the final product, and try to minimize off notes and deliver
the best tasting product. "
Knowing what consumers are looking for in a clean label
reduced-sugar product also helps guide formulating.
" Since clean label or label friendly can mean someHigh-intensity
sweeteners
should
be used sparingly to
avoid off-flavors.
Kerry
thing different to each consumer, product attributes
that constitute a clean label in the minds of consumers
are of differing importance, " noted Sarah Diedrich,
marketing director, sweetening solutions and fibers,
ADM. " However, there are a few commonalities that
consumers seek, including simple, recognizable
ingredients and short ingredients lists. ...
Sweetening ingredients that are closer
to nature tend to catch shoppers'
eyes as an indication of clean label
sweeteners, including stevia, allulose
and monk fruit. "
And for bakers interested in
no-sugar-added claims, fruitbased
sweeteners like fruit
pastes and fruit juice concentrates
and powdered fruit
products could provide a solution,
Dr. Liu said.
How sweet they are
Replacing sugar in baked foods
means bringing, first and foremost,
50 Baking & Snack December 2021 / www.bakingbusiness.com
sweetness. But some sweeteners lack the functionality
of sugar, which adds to texture, browning, binding and
mouthfeel, among other attributes.
" Stevia and monk fruit are wonderful high-intensity
sweeteners, " Mr. King said. " On their own they can be
challenging to work with, but in concert with lowintensity
sweeteners such as allulose and erythritol, they
work very well. This is where it is best to work with a
formulator who has vast experience in clean label sugar
reduction. "
Stevia, which is extracted from a plant, is a strong
sweetener, which means it can be effective in low
amounts, and it has several versions. It is 30 to 150 times
sweeter than sugar, depending on the product, explained
Yanling Yin, PhD, and director of bakery application
at Corbion.
" When you're using sweeteners, you cannot use too
much, " she said. " The sweetness you perceive is a different
type of sweetness. With a regular cane sugar, you
can taste sweetness right away. Some sweeteners don't
give you that initial sweetness. They come out later after
chewing. It's a different type of perception, and if you use
a high level, people don't like it. They're not used to it. "
Dr. Yin said that stevia can be used like regular sugar
for sweetness, but she cautioned that it can be used to replace
only about 20% of the sugar in sweet baked goods
because it won't provide other functionalities of regular
sugar. There are several versions of stevia available, including
newer versions that offer improved sweetness
and flavor compared to earlier versions.
" With stevia, there are so many different molecules/ingredients,
and there is a wide range of functions and price
points, " said Jackson Pillow, global marketing communications
manager, sugar reduction and specialty sweeteners,
Ingredion Inc. " Reb M has a very clean sugar-like
taste but typically comes at a higher price point than Reb
A. Ingredion helps food and beverage companies optimize
for taste and performance to create the best value. "
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