Supporting our customers to meet HFSS legislation targets and create healthier products.
In 2022, the UK government will introduce new restrictions on promoting high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products (see our recent blog for more details). Despite the legislation being pushed back from April to October, retailers and manufacturers still have less than a year to adjust.
To help support bakery manufacturers reformulate their products, our innovation team has created a sweetness enhancer that helps boost the perceived sugar levels without sacrificing flavour.
Reducing sugar
According to British Baker, 42% of consumers want to reduce the amount of sugar they consume. But products on shelves are not reflecting this demand. According to Public Health England, the sugar levels in cakes sold through retailers fell by just 4.8% between 2017 and 2019, with morning goods falling by 5.6%. This is well below the voluntary government target of 20% reduction by 2020 and is the drive behind the move to tighter HFSS restrictions.
British Baker also reports that if manufacturers and retailers accepted an HFSS ban, this may lead to a loss of £192m in sales. However, if manufacturers reformulate their products to be HFSS compliant, loss of sales is estimated at £30m – £75m. We are here to work as an extension of your R&D team and support your reformulation process.
Inulin has emerged as one of the most common ways of reducing sugar content in bakery products, but what exactly is inulin and why are bakers turning to it?
The multiple benefits of chicory root
Inulin is found in the chicory root but can also be extracted from other vegetable sources, such as Jerusalem artichokes and onions. It is commonly used to replace sugar in bakery, confectionery, and beverage applications with reduced sugar. Inulin is a natural, high fibre and clean label alternative. With awareness around fibre and gut health increasing, inulin is a strong choice for manufacturers. However, inulin only contains 14% of the sweetness found in sugar; therefore, manufacturers should still consider boosting the perceived sweetness. Maltitol, isomalt and maltodextrin are alternative reduced sugar solutions that have also proved effective in providing sweetness and functionality.
Enhancing sweetness
With the HFSS legislation changes imminent, our innovation team has looked at how TasteTech flavourings can be used for reduced sugar alternatives that don’t sacrificing flavour. A recent study by Macphie shows that 48% of consumers would rather eat less indulgent food products than opt for a ‘light’ or ‘diet’ version. TasteTech want to change this perception by helping formulate delicious reduced sugar products without compromising on the ‘indulgent’ experience consumers want. Our new sweetness enhancer flavouring can dramatically increase the sweetness profile of a reduced-sugar application.
Our innovation team conducted a blind sensory study to determine whether our sweetness enhancer flavour can improve the sensory qualities of a reduced sugar flapjack with inulin. In this blind study, participants were asked to compare a full sugar flapjack, reduced sugar flapjack and reduced sugar flapjack with TasteTech sweetness enhancer.
The results of this study showed that 78% of participants preferred the sweetness enhanced flapjack over the reduced sugar flapjack. The radar graph below shows how our sweetness enhancer improves the sensory attributes of the reduced sugar flapjack, to better mimic the flavour qualities of the full sugar version.
Find out more
This study highlights the benefits of using our sweetness enhancer flavour, and we have had similar success with other sweetness enhancer flavours in alternative bakery applications. If you would like to try our sweetness enhancer flavour in your applications, then fill out the form below to request a sample or get in touch.
Our R&D department can also work collaboratively with you and your team on new and existing sugar reduction projects. For more information on this service, please get in touch.
More on TasteTech’s bakery range
