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How Going Sugar-Free Is a Sweet Way to Treat Your Body
As much as we are programmed to love sugar, we all know that when consumed in excess, it can negatively affect our health. The pandemic has also added to the shift in consumer behavior, with evidence that comorbidities such as obesity and diabetes could lead to more severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Since the body cannot distinguish between natural or processed sugars, the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated any sugar added to food as a “free sugar”. Their advisory states that consumption of free sugars should be kept to less than ten percent of the daily energy intake, i.e. approximately 12.5 teaspoons.
The issue today is that free sugar is everywhere. It is used to impart sweetness, as a preservative, and to alter attributes such as the texture, color, body, and browning capability of food.
With several nations imposing additional taxes and restrictions on the use of sugar, the food and beverage industry is inventing new approaches to introduce low-sugar formulations, allowing the global sugar reduction market to grow at a significant rate.
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While creating alternatives to sugar brings its own set of challenges, such as retaining the sweet flavor that consumers are accustomed to, manufacturers are using more and more innovative solutions to maintain and increase their customer base. These include:
- Removing or reducing added sugar in products
- Substituting sugar with natural and plant-based sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit
- Using modulation technologies to increase the perception of sweetness through flavor tonalities
- Moving beyond sweetness to alternative tastes such as coconut sugar
Beyond retaining sweetness, sugar reduction efforts may entail combining several technologies to retain textual properties, preservation, and yield.
Since the body cannot distinguish between natural or processed sugars, the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated any sugar added to food as a “free sugar”. Their advisory states that consumption of free sugars should be kept to less than ten percent of the daily energy intake, i.e. approximately 12.5 teaspoons.
The issue today is that free sugar is everywhere. It is used to impart sweetness, as a preservative, and to alter attributes such as the texture, color, body, and browning capability of food.
With several nations imposing additional taxes and restrictions on the use of sugar, the food and beverage industry is inventing new approaches to introduce low-sugar formulations, allowing the global sugar reduction market to grow at a significant rate.
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Anne Tan
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