Cargill has sweetness down to a science
Sweetness is one of life’s most satisfying sensory experiences: the rounded, caramel flavor of a soft drink; the bright, fruity pop of a smoothie; the crisp, tempered sweetness of a hard seltzer. And while sugar (or sucrose) has long been held as the gold standard of sweet taste, consumers by and large are keeping a closer eye on their sugar consumption these days.
Research from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) shows that 72% of American consumers are seeking to limit or avoid sugar – and their top responses include limiting certain foods or beverages in their diets (33%) and choosing foods or beverages labeled as “reduced sugar” (22%).1 For beverage formulators, it can be a fine balance between delivering sweet satisfaction and managing sugar content – and it can be tricky to get just right. These days, a sweetened food or beverage needs to not only taste great with less sugar; the ingredients had better be label-friendly.
Sweetness is just the beginning
Surprisingly, when it comes to replacing sugar, sweetness can be the easy part. However, sugar also serves a variety of functional purposes, including texture, bulk and mouthfeel, so replacing sugar with a single ingredient rarely does the job. It’s important to partner with a formulation expert who’s skilled not only in using a wide range of sugar reduction ingredients but also solving the challenges specific to beverage development, such as mouthfeel, viscosity and ingredient stability.
A deep sweetener portfolio, proven expertise
Cargill’s world-leading portfolio of ingredients includes nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners, texturizers, functional ingredients and more – together with a deep understanding of how those ingredients work together to get the best results.
Stevia a rising star
One sugar-reduction solution that’s proven especially useful in beverage applications is stevia-based sweeteners. Stevia is popular with consumers thanks to its clean, sweet taste without sugar or calories, as well as a label-friendly perception. Proprietary Cargill research shows that stevia leaf extract – compared to 12 of the leading low- and no-calorie sweeteners – is considered by consumers to be the most healthful.2
Stevia leaf extracts are commonly sourced from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a plant that is native to South America. Stevia’s sweet components, called steviol glycosides, are at least 150 times sweeter than sugar and are considered high-intensity sweeteners. The first generation of stevia extracts used the steviol glycoside Reb A, which was effective at replacing sugar – but when used at higher concentrations can leave a licorice-like aftertaste, which proved challenging in beverage formulations. Cargill food scientists set out to find a solution.
Over 300,000 hours studying stevia
Cargill, a pioneer in the stevia space, spent over 300,000 hours studying the sweet components of the stevia leaf. That led to a deep understanding of how various steviol glycosides interact, as well as the exciting potential of stevia’s sweetest components, Reb M and D. However, because Reb M and D make up only 1% of the stevia leaf, a commercially viable solution was needed. The result: next-generation sweeteners that have helped to create new classes of reduced-sugar products that taste great, are cost-efficient and produced with the environment in mind.
Advanced solutions for label-friendly sweetness
Cargill’s robust portfolio of high-intensity sweeteners now includes leaf-based extracts, next-generation Reb M and D produced sustainably via fermentation, as well as a revolutionary new stevia sweetener plus natural flavor that delivers one-of-a-kind, stevia-enhancing technology.
SIDEBAR:
New EverSweet® + ClearFlo™: stevia sweetener
plus natural flavor enables up to 100% sugar reduction
with improved solubility and enhanced flavor performance.
ViaTech® stevia leaf extracts utilize a proprietary taste prediction model to target optimal interactions of steviol glycosides from the stevia leaf for true, sweet taste.
EverSweet® stevia sweetener offers a more sugar-like taste and up to 100% sugar reduction with Reb M & D, and is produced sustainably via fermentation.
EverSweet® stevia sweetener + ClearFlo™ natural flavor enables higher concentrations of stevia sweetener with improved flavor performance, mouthfeel, dissolution and solubility.
Zerose® erythritol, a sugar alcohol that is naturally present in berries and certain vegetables, has a clean, sweet taste, zero calories and bulking properties. It works synergistically with stevia to round out a beverage’s sweet taste.
Learn more about Cargill’s full portfolio of sugar reduction solutions at cargill.com/sugarreduction. Or contact us at 1-800-932-0544 or [email protected].
EverSweet® is a product of Avansya, a joint venture of DSM and Cargill.
SOURCES:
- International Food Information Council (IFIC). 2021 Food and Health Survey.
- Cargill IngredienTracker consumer research, 2021.