Navigating the many roads to sugar reduction

Less sugar but same great taste … that’s what today’s consumers want. Formulators must factor in better-for-you ingredients like nuts and seeds, ancient grains, fiber, protein and functional oils, all of which can produce off-flavor notes in baked goods. Sometimes these off-flavors are noticeable when the product is fresh from the oven. Other times they intensify over a product’s shelf life, as in the case of unsaturated fatty acids oxidizing and turning rancid. Without the well-rounded sweetness of sugar to hide such undesirables, these off-flavors become more pronounced. Formulating for reduced sugar, better-for-you ingredients and great taste becomes the ultimate puzzle.

“Bakers are using flours that are whole grain and gluten-free and adding vegetable proteins to achieve the natural label that the consumer desires,” said Charithra Rai, senior innovation scientist, Sensient Flavors. “Unfortunately, these ingredients can introduce off-notes. In addition, reducing sugar can lead to texture and mouthfeel issues. Not addressing these challenges could lead to undesirable taste of the finished product.”

Despite these formulating challenges, reduced sugar as a consumer trend is not going away any time soon.

“The demand for products with lower sugar content will grow as this attribute moves away from trend status and toward the standard,” said Philip Caputo, marketing and consumer insights manager, Virginia Dare. “Having a product with high-sugar content is becoming a barrier to entry in many application categories.”

When a baker removes sugar from a recipe, the product must be reformulated to balance out the flavor, among other attributes. Additional tools come in the form of flavor maskers, modulators and enhancers — collectively referred to as flavor modifiers. These may be natural flavors designed to hide or block undesirable tastes, or flavors that intensify desirable ones.