FORMULATION Sweeteners stacking the Bakers need finesse when replacing sugar with artificial or natural alternative sweeteners. by Nico Roesler T There's nothing like the real thing. That may never be more true than when using sugar in sweet goods. There's just nothing that tastes and acts identically like sugar in a formula. But in today's market where consumers are more conscious than ever about their sugar intake, natural sugar is ceding ground to a variety of replacements. When deciding between natural and artificial, formulators need to first decide which consumers they are targeting. People will soon see the amount of added sugars portrayed both in grams and as a percent of the recommended daily value on every nutrition label. Bakers need to be strategic about incorporating natural sugar and examine their sweetener needs. Are they trying to offer true indulgence? Or are they incorporating artificial sweeteners to reduce sugar for calorie-counting consumers? Ingredion, Inc., recently published a consumer study that looked at consumer attention to the grams of added sugars on nutrition labels and the impact on purchasing decisions. The study found that 80% of respondents noticed the grams of added sugars on the nutrition label. Three-quarters of them reported a negative impression of the products based on that information with 60% saying it would negatively impact their purchase decision. "When introducing natural or artificial Bakers need to consider the importance of indulgence with real sugar vs. the benefits of reduced sugars in sweet goods. ©mcmi - stock.adobe.com www.bakingandsnack.com / May 2019 Baking & Snack 55http://www.bakingandsnack.com