
The drive towards healthier eating means consumers are trying hard to curb calories – but they are not prepared to compromise on taste, texture or indulgence. Developments in the sweetener world, from artificial to natural, are giving manufacturers new formulation tools to play with.
06-Feb-2012 - Mint confectionery products containing the sweetener stevia could appeal to EU consumers, but each country has its own preference, according to a consultant to Cargill
21-Sep-2011 - PureCircle said that a “delay” in regulatory approval for stevia in the EU was a factor contributing to lower-than-expected sales for the year.
16-Sep-2011 - Stevia supplier PureCircle has introduced a new stevia-derived sweetener, which it claims has fewer of the taste problems previously associated with stevia, allowing deeper calorie reductions in a wide range of products.
12-Sep-2011 - EU-wide sugar shortages have led to particular problems for confectioners in Bulgaria, according to recent comments from a trade body in that country.
09-Sep-2011 - Belgian chocolate firm Cavalier has confirmed that it is planning to launch the UK's first chocolate range containing stevia from January next year, while other launches across the EU will also follow initial listings in Belgium from November.
06-Sep-2011 - San-Diego-based flavor innovator Senomyx has started taste tests on novel fructose enhancers that could help amplify the sweet taste of fructose, a key component in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
01-Aug-2011 - The 20-year-old non-profit group, Toothfriendly, says its efforts to promote dental health have been boosted by recent European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) positive opinions – including non-European, developing world nations.
29-Jul-2011 - UK analysts are forecasting 6-7% growth in sucralose for Tate & Lyle Splenda version of the sweetener which leads the segment globally.
20-Jul-2011 - A fully owned subsidiary of GLG Life Tech Corp has been granted a patent in China for its stevia extraction process.
27-Jun-2011 - November 2011 should see steviol glycosides get regulatory backing for use in food in drink products in the European market, according to a European Commission (EC) representative.
28-Apr-2011 - French supplier Roquette says recent positive health claim opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) linking sugar replacers with dental health, are applicable to soluble fibres.
25-Feb-2011 - The market for the sweetener sucralose is poised for growth, with global production expected to top 15,000 tonnes by 2018, according to the world’s second largest sucralose producer.
10-Nov-2010 - French supplier Roquette is hailing the potential of polyols to boost dental health, following recent article 14 positive opinions for sugar-free gum from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
27-Oct-2010 - Cargill’s sweetener experts have further enhanced its reduced calorie chocolate prototype that was shown at FIE in November 2009, with the commercial product set to hit the market at the end of 2011, said the company.
31-Aug-2010 - Maltitol is better tolerated then previous reported, and could be used as a sugar replacer in a wide range of food products - according to new research.
03-Jun-2010 - The legal dispute between Ajinomoto and Asda over the right to call aspartame 'nasty' has taken a radical new turn following a Court of Appeal judgment effectively overturning last year's High Court ruling.
01-Jun-2010 - Beverages formulated with stevia are preferred by consumers over similar products sweetened with sugar or other common high intensity sweeteners, says new research from Croatia.
28-May-2010 - A sucromalt ingredient from Cargill has received Novel Foods approval in Europe, opening up the use of the sweetener in a range of food and beverage products in the bloc.
24-May-2010 - Product developers at a “very large confectionery company”, a smoothie maker, a babyfood manufacturer and several cereal bar makers are conducting trials of products containing powder from the pulp of the African baobab fruit.
21-May-2010 - Comax Flavors claims to have ‘set a new standard’ for sweetness enhancers for foods and beverages with the latest addition to its Max FlavorLab range of enhancers.
21-May-2010 - Uneven distribution of sugar in a food may allow formulators to reduce the sugar content of foods without detrimentally affecting the sweetness of the finished product, Dutch researchers report.
11-May-2010 - The salt and sugar content of foods may be reduced by using air bubbles as an “inert filler” in liquid products, according to new research from Unilever R&D Vlaardingen.
07-May-2010 - Consumption of sucralose and sucralose-sweetened products does not affect gut hormones linked to hunger, or detrimentally affect blood sugar levels, says a new study from Australia.
26-Apr-2010 - The market for sugar-free sweets in the US has declined in recent years, according to a new report from Leatherhead International.
22-Apr-2010 - Increasing intakes of sugars from processed and prepared foods may detrimentally affect levels of HDL ‘good’ cholesterol, says a new study from the US.