Sugar reduction
As health remains at the forefront of the agenda for consumers,
sugar is seen as a growing concern. This is already evident in their
dairy choices, with several low-sugar dairy products entering the
market in recent years. We know that 37% of people in Europe are
likely to buy a yoghurt with no added sugar4. However, when taking
sugar out, any sugar alternative used should still deliver on the
plant-based and natural credentials consumers are seeking.
At Tate & Lyle we have a broad portfolio of stevia sweeteners,
plant-based sugar alternatives that are suitable for a range of applications.
These can offer various sweetness and taste profiles to
deliver on different formulation needs. For example, we have developed
a UHT coconut-based cocoa drink with no added sugar
made with our Intesse Stevia 2.0, CLARIA Bliss, PROMITOR Soluble
Fibre and HAMULSION Custom Stabiliser Systems. The formulation
provides a clean taste, a creamy indulgent mouthfeel and a stable
visual appearance.
Stevia delivers on the plant-based trend while making
great-tasting, healthy options for food and beverages.
It is becoming increasingly popular and has now overtaken
aspartame as Europe’s third most popular sweetener,
accounting for more than a quarter of all sweetener launches in
Europe5. There is also an increasingly positive attitude from consumers
towards stevia – 31% say they are likely to buy a product
containing stevia6.
Holistic health
While sugar is a key concern for some consumers, manufacturers
must also consider the wider health credentials of their products.
Fat content and fat type for example are key concerns for many.
Coconut fat is often used as a substitute for animal-based fats in
products, such as plant-based desserts and ice-creams. While this
can allow manufacturers to closely replicate the taste and texture
that consumers are familiar with, it is higher in saturated fat than
some of the fats found in cows’ milk. Moreover, in 2019, 80% of
plant-based ice-creams and fermented desserts new launches in Europe
contained added sugars, with on average 13% total sugar7.
We have worked with manufacturers to create dairy alternative
desserts using oils that are low in saturated fats alongside our plantbased
clean-label texturizing solutions to replace coconut fat, bringing
stronger all-round health credentials. Our team has successfully
worked with customers across a host of different desserts with a
range of textures, from mousses to Panna-Cotta style desserts.
Maintaining quality
Of course, removing sugar and fats can pose some technical difficulties
for manufacturers. Despite a growing range of plant-based
dairy alternatives being readily available, many of these do not function
in the same way during the manufacturing process, which risks
negatively impacting the taste, texture and mouthfeel of products.
There are several solutions out there to help ensure the removal
of sugar or fat does not impact the quality of the final product or
a product’s plant-based claims. At Tate & Lyle we have a range of
fibres such as PROMITOR Soluble Fibre, and starches such as CLARIA
Functional Clean Label starches, which can be added to recipes to
maintain texture and mouthfeel when ingredients are removed,
without affecting taste nor the appeal of the ingredient list.
Our HAMULSION Stabiliser Systems are customised to meet the
specific needs of different food products, helping to meet the specific
needs of dairy alternatives, helping to improve product mouthfeel
and texture profile, including clean label options. The versatile
range can act as a thickening or gelling agent, emulsifying component,
or functional proteins across a host of different plant-based
sweet formulations.
We expect the growing popularity of dairy alternatives to be a
long-term shift in consumer behaviour. And there is a sense that we
are only beginning to scratch the surface of the opportunities in the
plant-based category, with much more innovation still to come. It’s
important for manufacturers to make sure they stay ahead of the
trend, so they don’t fall at the first curdle.
1Mintel GNPD 2015 – 2019
2Lightspeed/Mintel 2020
3International Food Information Council Foundation, 2020 Food &
Health Survey, April 2020
4Tate & Lyle Proprietary Research, 2020 Global Consumer Ingredient
Perception. Research – France, Germany, UK – Base: 2802 respondents
5Mintel, Global New Products Database (GNPD) Aug 2020
6Tate & Lyle Proprietary Research, 2020 Global Consumer Ingredient
Perception. Research – France, Germany, UK – Base: 2802 respondents
7Mintel GNPD 2019 plant-based yogurts and ice-creams new launches
– Europe.
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November/December 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com · 27
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