Baking & Snack - November 2019 - 48

SUGAR REDUCTION

45%
48%

TRYING TO AVOID OR
REDUCE REFINED SUGAR
TRYING TO AVOID OR REDUCE

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

Hartman Group's 2017 "Health + Wellness" study

Formulating for function

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Sugar is a multi-faceted ingredient;
sweetness isn't its only attribute. It's
also quite functional in a formulation.
So, bakers need to be cognizant of how
they're reformulating so as not to create
an accidental tradeoff.
"It would be nice if you could just remove sugar and replace it with a highpotency sweetener, but then you have
all that bulk that you need to remedy,"
Mr. Gennrich said.
But sugar isn't just providing bulk. "It's
also contributing plasticity and flexibility
to the dough or formula," Mr. Gennrich
added. "And from a textural standpoint,
it can also affect the crispness level of a
product. Think about using granulated
sugar versus liquid sugars: If you're using majority granulated sugar in a cookie, you'll have a more crispy product; if
you're using majority corn syrup or liquid
sugar, it's going to be softer."
These attributes are going to be impacted once a formula is redesigned
for reduced sugar. "If you take it out
and don't replace it with anything, or
you replace it with an ingredient that
doesn't have those same characteristics, then you won't be as successful,"
Mr. Gennrich said.
Hanna Santoro, senior scientist, baking development and applications for
ADM, noted that sugar substitutes like
erythritol provide structure functionality. "However, the need to replace bulk
will exist for all high-potency sweeteners, and determining how bulk will be
replaced is particularly important for
sweet goods."
She suggested identifying the bulk
replacement first and then choosing the
sweetening agent. "If the profile still isn't

quite right, we may also incorporate flavor modifiers to ensure the product has
the right amount of perceived sweetness
and that the right flavors are hitting the
palate at the right time."
Sugar also holds water well. "Because
of that, it helps reduce the water activity," Mr. Jost observed. "So, when you're
reducing sugar, one of the biggest challenges can be shelf life."
Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients
(CIFI) recognized that sweet potato has
been gaining consumer attention for its
healthy attributes and also works well
for holding water. "Carolina Sweet, our
sweet potato-based clean label sweetener, is a value-added ingredient," said
Paul Verderber, senior vice-president
of sales, CIFI. "It is a great solution for
brands seeking ingredients with benefits
such as natural sweetness and waterholding capacity."
To get that proper balance of flavor and function, bakers will be hardpressed to find one magic bullet.

Finding the right combination
Sugar is a complex ingredient that wears
many hats, and no one replacement option can truly say the same. To create a
product that delivers a comparable experience and doesn't feel like a sacrifice,
bakers must find the combination of ingredients that will play well together.
For starters, sugar can be one of the
least expensive ingredients in a formulation, which means a baker must be
strategic in replacing it so as not to incur
too much cost. You can sub in inexpensive ingredients like maltodextrin, corn
syrup or even corn starch, according to
Mr. Gennrich, but they require smaller
amounts, and they won't provide the

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Baking & Snack - November 2019

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