In the face of continued calls to reduce sugar consumption, two things are certain: Consumers will not lose their taste for sweet things, and they will continue to declare their desire to cut down on sweets. Food and beverage makers must maneuver through this contradiction by employing creative development expertise and by taking advantage of a toolbox of sweetener solutions that has expanded in both number and variety in just the past few years.

People are hardwired to favor glucose, fructose, and especially the disaccharide of the two, sucrose (table sugar, or simply “sugar”). Yet sugar is also considered a source of so-called “empty” calories. While sugar consumption has diminished each year for the past several years, the average American still consumes more than somewhere between 70-80g of it daily, or more than a third of a cup. (Some estimates put added sugar consumption at nearly twice that amount.) This is a clear indication that both sugar and its replacers are here to stay, and of continued value to food and beverage manufacturers.

Allulose continues its move up the ladder of preferred low-/zero-calorie replacers for nutritive sweeteners. With excellent hygroscopy and browning capacity, it fulfills nearly every function of sucrose and fructose. It currently is the only clean-taste, near calorie-free (0.2-0.4kcals/g) sweetener that can be a one-to-one drop-in for sucrose or fructose in many formulations. This is because it is a sugar, chemically similar to fructose, and with a flavor profile falling between sucrose and fructose. Although stated as having 70% the sweetness of sucrose, its long finish and fructose-similar qualities can help elevate fruit and chocolate flavors in products, compensating for any diminished sweetness.

Meanwhile, non-caloric, high-intensity sweeteners (HIS) are under pressure from the clean-label trend to be natural and pronounceable. To make it all work, marketers must take a prudent approach to added sugars, while R&D teams and research chefs focus on flavor and functionality of the sweetening matrix in new product development efforts.

Among sugar-reduction/replacement strategies, developments in sweetener blends will continue to expand and become more nuanced. Stevia remains a go-to choice for many processors, with rebaudiosides-D and M widely available and boasting a cleaner flavor and minimal aftertaste. Monkfruit, too, is finding its way into more sweetener blends.

Plant-based protein-derived sweeteners on the horizon with uniquely sweet characteristics are targeted for commercialization primarily for flavor enhancement. Many protein-derived sweetness compounds are naturally found in exotic fruits native to West Africa. Some of these have a sweetening potential up to 5,000 times greater than sucrose.

Thaumatin (Thaumatococcus danielli-Benth) proteins from the katemfe fruit, blended with natural nutritive or high intensity options, such as stevia, have been identified as a perfect pairing of sweetness and functionality. Although the variety of thaumatins identified are characterized as having unusual sweetness with slow onset and a lingering licorice back note, they are effective at masking bitter and other objectionable lingering notes.

The oubli berry (Pentadiplandra brazzeana) from West-Central Africa is a natural source of another sweet protein, brazzein, produced via microbial fermentation. The brazzien sweetness range is 500-5,000 times that of sucrose. Other fruit-based proteins for future potential lab-based development include miraculin (from the Synsepalum dulcificum berry) and curculin (from the Curculigo latifolia fruit)

Sugar alcohols (polyols) such as erythritol, add sweetness, while soluble prebiotic fiber ingredients such as chicory root fiber (inulin) or soluble corn fiber (maltodextrin) add slight sweetness plus the bulk necessary to impart HIS benefits without compromising flavor and texture.

Sweetness blockers—or, more accurately, manipulators—too, are coming to the fore. Gymnema sylvestre is an example, being used as a way to first stimulate the sweetness sensors on the tongue, then block further sweetness sensations for up to two hours.

Trending single-ingredient sweeteners include fruit-derived sweeteners, plant syrups (such as from grains, apples, agave, and other sources), and sweeteners derived from purées of prunes, figs, raisins, carob, and other dried fruits. Date paste contributes sweetness, as well as binding and texture. This favorite sweetener in Middle Eastern and North African tradition is enjoying Western success in on-the-shelf products, and carob sweetener is appearing in a number of products, including beverages.

Also coming back strong: favorites from the past, such as molasses, maple, sorghum, and honey. Some of these already are well-known standards in bakery applications for manufacturers seeking to sweeten products with something other than sucrose.

In another development, the best way to reduce sugar in a formulation might just be with, well, sugar. Technologists have managed to alter the structure of sugar molecules in such a manner that more of the molecule’s surface area is exposed to the receptors in the mouth, making a little go a long way, flavor-wise. Nestlé S.A. already has ice cream novelties on the market in Israel using this technology with great success.

In this section, you’ll find detailed listings for suppliers of a comprehensive spectrum of sweeteners. Click below for references by company name, headquarters, and website. And remember, we update these listings frequently, so keep checking back.