Sugar Substitutes: Sweetening the Deal
Refined sugar is one of the most harmful ingredients in many foods, contributing to many serious diseases including diabetes, heart disease and several types of cancer. The replacement of sugar in foods has helped to combat the damaging effects of a modern diet, and the development of natural sugar substitutes are providing a more healthy alternative for consumers.
Many governments around the world are applying pressure to businesses through policy to reduce the amount of sugar in popular food and drink items. This legislation is helping to push businesses to adopt sugar reduction trends and use more sugar substitutes in their food and drink production.
Reducing Sugar – Why It’s Important and What Can Be Done
Why do companies have to reduce sugar in their food products?
For many years, the change in consumer preferences has demanded a reduction in the amount of sugar in processed foods – shoppers want to eat healthier foods, and improved education informing people about the effects of sugar on health has helped to push this change. The World Health Organization has urged governments around the world to adopt healthy food policies, committing companies to lowering the amount of sugar found in food.
What are the best sugar replacements?
There are many natural replacements for sugar, including agave, coconut sugar and honey – and all are more healthy than the refined version. These natural sugar substitutes are the best way for consumers to replace sugar in baking and cooking at home. When it comes to processing foods, companies tend to use sugar alcohols such as xylitol and sorbitol to enhance perceived sweetness without calories or the ability to decay teeth, but these come with their own drawbacks.
How can technologies help to reduce sugar in food products?
Technology that will aid in the reduction of sugar in food products is currently in development, and many advances are in the pipeline. One leading technology in the fight to reduce sugar is electronic sensory technology. This machine analyses the aroma of reduced-sugar foods and compares them with full-sugar products in order to find out how the reduced-sugar food can best mimic the original.
Atheneum – Identifying Sugar Reduction Trends
With its global platform of experts, Atheneum is well-placed to assist clients with expert knowledge on the global food market as well as trends in food production and the reduction of sugar through sugar substitutes. Seeking information on this topic from experts is a crucial part of getting ahead of the game in today’s highly relevant war on sugar.
