In an ever-evolving world of health-conscious consumers chasing zero-sugar and clean-label products, one particular shift in behavior has become clear. Globally, consumers have decided to stop drinking their sugar.
Innova reports 1 in 5 new products launching with sugar reduction claims come from the soft drink category. Since 2018, 14% of all beverage launches worldwide have had sugar reduction claims. At the same time, governments around the world are implementing sugar taxes in efforts to improve public health, with soft drinks as their main target.
Beverages: A Critical Market for Sugar Reduction
The global sugar market has seen significant price increases, with prices at a six-year high and a predicted 2% decline in global sugar production for the 2023-24 season. This means the industry is seeing a substantial gap between supply and demand, resulting in what some are calling “sugarflation.” For cost reasons alone, there is already significant pressure for beverage companies to seek out more cost-effective alternatives to sugar.
But the beverage industry is contending with more than just the surge in sugar prices. With studies showing that sweetened beverages are the leading source of excess sugar consumption, they have become a prime target for sugar reduction efforts. Some of these efforts are self-initiated by manufacturers, but increasingly more are being imposed by regulatory action.
Common Challenges to Sugar Reduction in Beverages
While the need for sugar reduction is clear, formulating beverages that meet these sugar-reduced expectations poses several challenges:
Taste: Traditional sugar provides a clean, sweet taste that is hard to replicate. Many sugar substitutes, whether natural like stevia or artificial like aspartame, can have undesirable aftertastes or lingering sweetness, especially at higher concentrations.
Mouthfeel: Sugar contributes significantly to the mouthfeel and body of beverages. Replacing sugar often results in a thinner, less satisfying texture.
Sweetness-Acidity Balance: Sugar balances the sweetness and acidity in beverages. Substitutes can disrupt this balance, leading to products that are either too sweet, too sour, or lacking in depth of flavor.
Consumer Acceptance: There are often skepticism or negative perceptions about certain sugar substitutes, whether due to taste, perceived health risks, or lack of natural credentials.
Although the public demand is undeniable, these challenges can be enough to deter some product manufacturers from fully embracing sugar reduction.
Stevia: The Natural Sweetener of Choice for Beverages
Stevia is growing in popularity for formulators and in acceptance for consumers. This is particularly the case in the beverage industry, where stevia can be found primarily in iced teas, carbonates, and fruit-flavored drinks.
Source: Innova
The hurdle for food & beverage manufacturers is oftentimes finding the “right” stevia solution for their formulas. Traditional stevia sweeteners, particularly those using Reb A glycosides, may come with a bitter aftertaste and lingering sweetness at high levels. Additionally, achieving the optimal sweetness-acidity balance can be difficult.
“When Reb A was first introduced, the industry hurried to market with stevia-based products without fully optimizing their taste profiles. High levels of Reb A, especially in low purity grades, led to bitterness, aftertaste, and other off-notes that some may still be associated with stevia,” says Tom Fuzer, HOWTIAN’s VP of Market Strategy.
Since that time, the quality and effectiveness of stevia-based sugar reduction solutions for beverages have come a long way. Better tasting glycosides have become more widely available, but the formulation science has also become more advanced with blending different stevias to optimize the taste profiles for different product applications. “HOWTIAN has leaned into developing stevia blends such as SoPure™ Andromeda to optimize for a variety of product categories including dairy and soft drinks,” notes Fuzer.
Solving the Challenges of Sugar Reduction in Beverages
With SoPure™Andromeda, the objective was to develop next-generation stevia solutions that can be utilized for a wide range of beverage applications. By creating blends with a faster onset of sweetness, enhanced fresh fruit flavors, and the neutralization of bitterness and metallic off-notes, beverage manufacturers can now create products that meet consumer demand for reduced sugar without compromising on taste.
Testing shows that Andromeda delivers superior taste performance vs. conventional stevia sweeteners. The proprietary blends are comprised of natural stevia, an important bonus for those looking to maintain a clean label for their products. But perhaps most appealing to manufacturers will be the substantial cost savings that Andromeda yields compared to sugar.
Sample Formula: Iced Tea with 75% Sugar Reduction Using SoPure™ Andromeda
When compared to a formulation using Reb A 97, SoPure™ Andromeda significantly enhances the fresh lemon flavor and provides a fuller mouthfeel. It balances the sweetness and acidity of the iced tea, making the overall flavor more harmonious.
SoPure™ Andromeda Taste Performance vs. Reb A 97
Iced Tea with 75% Sugar Reduction – Formula Comparison
Ingredient
Full Sugar (Benchmark)
RA97 (Sugar Reduction 75%)
SoPure™ Andromeda (Sugar Reduction 75%)
Sugar
9.700
2.425
2.425
Instant Dark Tea
0.150
0.150
0.150
Citric Acid
0.200
0.200
0.200
RA97
–
0.024
–
SoPure™ Andromeda
–
–
0.024
Dark tea flavor
0.020
0.020
0.020
Lemon flavor
0.002
0.002
0.002
Water
89.928
97.179
97.179
Total
100.000
100.000
100.000
Sample Formula: Lemon-Lime Soda with 50% Sugar Reduction Using SoPure™ Andromeda
In this example of a carbonated beverage application, SoPure™ Andromeda achieved a fruitier, more balanced flavor than RA97 with a 50% reduced sugar lemon & lime soda.
SoPure™ Andromeda Taste Performance vs. Reb A 97
Lemon-Lime Carbonated Soda with 50% Sugar Reduction – Formula Comparison
Ingredient
Full Sugar (Benchmark)
RA97 (Sugar Reduction 50%)
SoPure™ Andromeda (Sugar Reduction 50%)
Sugar
10.000
5.000
5.000
RA97
–
0.017
–
SoPure™ Andromeda
–
–
0.017
Citric Acid
0.350
0.350
0.350
Sodium Citric
0.040
0.0400
0.0400
Lemon & Lime Flavor
0.080
0.080
0.080
Water
89.530
94.513
94.513
Total
100.000
100.000
100.000
Join the Sugar Reduction Movement in Beverages
As the global beverage market continues to shift towards healthier, lower-sugar options, it is imperative for beverage manufacturers to stay ahead of the curve. The demand for sugar reduction is not just a trend; it is a significant movement driven by health-conscious consumers, regulatory pressures, and economic factors.
Now is the time to embrace the trend of sugar reduction and future-proof your beverage product lineup for years to come. If you have any questions or need assistance with formulations, please reach out to our experts today and discover how HOWTIAN’s SoPure™ Andromeda can help you succeed in this today’s beverage landscape.
May 30, 2024 – With consumers increasingly demanding products that offer “healthy indulgence,” sugar reduction in today’s beverages is a common threefold challenge of achieving deep cuts in sugar content, replicating sugar’s delicious taste, plus all the while maintaining a clean “natural” product label. Today marks a new horizon for natural beverage sweeteners as HOWTIAN proudly introduces SoPure™ Andromeda. Andromeda, part of HOWTIAN’s industry-leading SoPure™ family of stevia products, is a range of proprietary stevia blends uniquely designed and optimized for a wide range of beverage applications.
“As a natural sweetening solution that offers superior taste performance and significant cost savings over sugar, HOWTIAN’s SoPure Andromeda unlocks new opportunities in sugar reduction for the beverage industry.”
Tom fuzer, vp of market strategy
Following an extensive study at HOWTIAN’s Shanghai Application Technology & Innovation Centre, Andromeda blends have demonstrated exceptional capabilities in enhancing a variety of beverages, far surpassing the performance of conventional Reb A stevia extracts. The unique blends of steviol glycosides have been meticulously formulated to deliver superior overall taste at a cost-effective price, even in beverage applications looking to achieve high levels of sugar reduction and replacement.
Industry efforts to increase the levels and accelerate the pace of sugar reduction in beverages come hardly as a surprise. A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that sugar-sweetened beverages are the #1 source of excess sugar consumption globally. “This places the beverage category squarely as a target for sugar reduction initiatives and regulatory actions like sugar taxes. In addition, rapidly rising sugar prices paired with declining global production of sugar have pressured beverage manufacturers to seek more cost-effective sweetening solutions,” notes Fuzer.
In spite of this, there remain significant hurdles for many beverage companies when it comes to reformulating and sweetening their products with alternatives. Sugar provides a rich, unadulterated sweet taste, whereas sugar substitutes can sometimes produce a lingering, bitter aftertaste at higher concentrations. Beyond sweetness, other taste components of the beverage can also be affected, as well as the body, the smoothness and the overall mouthfeel. Many sugar replacements can lead to an imbalance between sweetness and acidity, or in some cases sourness, in the product.
To help overcome these challenges, SoPure™ Andromeda products have been tailored to deliver a sweetening solution for beverages that exceeds the taste and sensory performance of conventional stevia and other sugar alternatives:
Superior overall taste performance vs the most popular form of Reb A stevia in beverage applications
Faster onset of sweetness and minimized after-taste
Significantly enhanced fresh fruit flavour
Neutralized bitterness and metallic off-notes
100% natural, plant-based, and clean label sugar alternative
SoPure™ Andromeda products are fully natural stevia-based sweetener blends, ideal for formulating clean label beverage products. According to Innova Market Insights, consumers around the world perceive stevia as the “most natural” sugar alternative by far, beating out alternatives including sucralose, aspartame, erythritol, allulose and more.
SoPure™ Andromeda addresses both crucial taste and cost concerns that beverage manufacturers face today. Andromeda provides up to 64% in cost savings on sweetener components compared to traditional sugar. This makes it not only a healthier choice but also an economically attractive one for beverage companies operating in an increasingly cost-conscious market.
With a global rise in health awareness, sugar taxes, and the high cost of sugar, this announcement from HOWTIAN arrives at a critical time to meet industry and consumer needs for superior, cost-effective sugar reduction. The company remains committed to partnering with manufacturing customers to develop ingredient solutions that help meet regulatory standards and consumer preferences without sacrificing quality or profitability.
February 12, 2024 – In a significant milestone for its ongoing commitment to sustainability, HOWTIAN has completed a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment of its key stevia product lines. The study was conducted by the renowned Switzerland-based Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, and examined key measures of environmental impact including carbon and water footprint. By achieving results that are vastly superior than the performance of conventional sugar, the assessment demonstrates HOWTIAN’s commitment to be a leader of environmental sustainability among manufacturers of natural sweeteners.
In response to consumer demand in recent years, the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector has made significant strides in adopting more stringent standards of sustainability, with impacts felt especially in the selection and sourcing process of ingredients for food & beverage products. Recognizing this trend, ingredient manufacturers – with the stevia sector being no exception – have been proactive in assessing their products’ environmental impact.
Tom Fuzer, VP of Market Strategy at HOWTIAN, states, “With the CO2 footprint of stevia typically less than a quarter than that of sugar, stevia producers have been eager to raise industry awareness that the popular plant-based sweetener is one of the most environmentally friendly solutions available.” To further advance these efforts for the industry, HOWTIAN undertook an extensive Life Cycle Assessment of its high purity Rebaudioside A 97 stevia — one of the most prevalent forms of extract sold by stevia producers.
The assessment revealed that HOWTIAN’s high purity Reb A outperforms traditional sugar in sustainability metrics while helping to establish and progress industry standards for key environmental performance indicators. For the basis of its analysis, SGS determined what the environmental footprint would be from producing and processing HOWTIAN’s Reb A 97 in order to generate the equivalent sweetness of 1 metric ton of white sugar. When these results were compared to like-for-like metrics for cane sugar, the study found that HOWTIAN achieved:
78% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to cane sugar
77% reduction in water usage
94% reduction in agricultural land usage
“We are delighted with the outstanding results of our sustainability efforts. They are a testament to the success of our dedicated Sustainability Program, a program we started in 2017 to develop high-yielding plant variants and invest in energy and water-efficient extraction technologies. This only further strengthens our ambition to set and continuously improve the marketplace standard in sustainability for stevia and the broader sweetener industry.”
Tom fuzer, vp of market strategy
This historic achievement aligns with HOWTIAN’s global efforts to reduce environmental impact and showcases the company’s role in helping to lead these initiatives for food and beverage manufacturers everywhere.
August 18, 2023 — In the newest issue of their magazine, the Baking & Snack editors interviewed HOWTIAN for insights and expertise on the rise of natural sweeteners in baked goods. Titled “A Natural Fit: Bakers Win Over Increasingly Health-Conscious Consumers With Natural Sweeteners,” the article looks at consumer demand for natural alternatives to sugar — and more so, the stigma that surrounds “artificial sugar substitutes” like aspartame, sucralose and saccharin.
In the article, our technical experts Hank Wang and Michelle Yin talk about all the different ways that natural sweeteners are taking off for baking, from the declining reputation of artificial sweeteners to our convenient “drop-in” sugar replacement solutions for baking. In working with a vast variety of baked goods manufacturing customers, it’s evident that the adoption of solutions like stevia for sugar reduction and reformulation is here to stay.
“Those who have engaged in sugar reduction efforts earlier than others recognize this not just as a shift in consumer tastes, but as an emerging business and marketplace opportunity,” stated Yin.
Leveraging our experience and track record of success, HOWTIAN provided insight on expert formulation techniques with stevia in the baking sector to combat challenges like early-onset sweetness, bulking and moisture retention.
“For example, stevia has a more delayed onset of sweetness compared to sugar, so you may consider complementing it with an alternative like allulose or erythritol which exhibits an earlier onset of sweetness,” Wang noted.
To read the full story in Baking & Snack‘s August issue, click here.
If you’re in need of a partner and solutions for reformulating baked good products and applications, HOWTIAN experts are available to help meet your challenges. We can assist in developing a customized strategy for your product(s) with cost-effective solutions and sustainable supply. Please contact us to learn more.
July 6, 2023 – HOWTIAN reaffirms its commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that meet evolving consumer preferences, elevate taste experiences, and contribute to the development of healthier products with a next-generation stevia product set to transform sugar reduction in the dairy sector.
HOWTIAN, the world’s #1 manufacturer of natural stevia, is proud to unveil its SoPure™ Galaxy-Series, a groundbreaking stevia product range specifically formulated to enhance dairy applications and meet growing consumer demand for healthier and more natural dairy products.
According to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN, the global dairy market boasts an extensive consumer base, with over 6 billion of the world’s population consuming dairy products on a daily basis. As consumer preferences shift towards healthier options — with “naturalness” as the #1 claim consumers expect in their dairy products according to a 2023 Innova Market Insights Survey — the reduction of sugar in dairy products has become a significant focus for the industry.
In response to this demand, dairy product manufacturers worldwide have been developing reduced-sugar yogurts, milky beverages, and other products to cater to evolving, health-conscious consumers — with “no added sugar,” “sugar-free,” and “low sugar” claims accounting for 10-11% of all dairy innovations.
As a result, more than one third of dairy products globally have chosen to use stevia over the past 5 years. Stevia has emerged as an ideal sugar substitute for dairy products due to its plant-based origin and associated health benefits.
Not all stevia is created equally, however. HOWTIAN witnessed the early challenges when adopting this natural solution for the dairy industry; after all, not all stevia varieties deliver optimal results in every application. To address these challenges, HOWTIAN’s Innovation and Science Centre, in collaboration with our dairy-industry experts and partners, embarked on a mission to develop an affordable and adaptable stevia product line specifically tailored for dairy applications.
We are proud to announce the launch of our new SoPure™ Galaxy-Series. Its namesake “Galaxy” derives from the Greek word for “Milky Way” and reflects the company’s ambition to lead dairy manufacturers into the future of natural sugar alternatives.
“The SoPure™ Galaxy-Series products offer an exceptional sensory profile in dairy, closely resembling the sweetness of full-sugar benchmarks, while also reducing development time and delivering up to 45% cost savings on the sweetener compound.”
Tom Fuzer, VP of Market Strategy at HOWTIAN
For manufacturers of dairy products the SoPure™ Galaxy-Series delivers:
Virtually identical sweetness profile to full sugar in yogurts
Enhanced milky notes & prolonged fruity flavors
Rich, creamy mouthfeel when combined with bulking agents
Clean label with zero calories
The SoPure™ Galaxy-Series has superior sensorial performance compared to high purity Reb A — at less than half the cost of Reb M — which is attributed to its incredible and consistent solubility. We look forward to partnering with the industry across all global markets, and to what we believe will be SoPure Galaxy’s transformative impact on sugar reduction for dairy products.
Sugar prices are at a six-year high, and not expected to improve
The global sugar supply & demand gap is widening, reducing the stock-to-use ratio
India, Pakistan & others introduced sugar export restrictions
Moreover, high oil prices have led to competition for the output from the sugar sector, as economies are likely to use more cane sugar toward producing ethanol — further reducing the sugar supply.
Food and beverage manufacturers worldwide are feeling the squeeze in production costs, which contribute to the inflationary pressures on consumers.
Bottom line: Manufacturers are seeking cost-friendly alternatives. Consumers are seeking natural, low-sugar solutions. Research and development teams across all industries are actively searching for new solutions to meet these demands, all the while still maintaining the integrity of their products’ taste.
In these challenging times, stevia, a popular natural sugar alternative, has emerged as a promising solution.
Thanks to decades of agricultural science advancements and improvements in steviol glycoside yield levels, the global supply of stevia is healthy and cost-effective. Contrary to some reports of an industry shortage, the overall supply of stevia is at its lowest price point since it arrived on the global stage over a decade ago.
To help address this time of economic uncertainty and volatility, HOWTIAN is pleased to announce some welcome news for the industry and our manufacturing customers. Effective immediately, we are implementing another significant price reduction for SoPure™ Stevia Reb A 97, our most popular stevia product.
HOWTIAN’s industry-high yield has been instrumental in this rapid progress toward reducing product costs. Additionally, our commitment to sustainability provides further compelling reason for manufacturers to choose our stevia, as our newest stevia variants require less land, water and energy to produce.
HOWTIAN’s commitment to innovation and our customers’ needs will undoubtedly contribute to the continued growth and success of the sugar replacement revolution in these turbulent times. Throughout the years, the company has seen a wealth of success in transitioning popular products to delicious, cost-effective alternatives. The new and improved pricing will only accelerate the pace of these sugar reduction success stories.
To illustrate the reduced pricing in action, below is an example of a formulation for a ready-to-drink beverage application, and the 37 to 40 percent cost savings yielded with different sugar reduction scenarios.
Ingredients
Full Sugar
50% Reduced Sugar (+RA97)
50% Reduced Sugar Improved Taste (+Andromeda)
Dosage (g)
Dosage (g)
Dosage (g)
Water
89.63
94.61
94.612
Unsweetened Lemonade Powder
0.37
0.37
0.37
Sugar
10
5
5
SoPure™ Stevia – Reb A 97
–
0.02
–
SoPure™ Stevia – Andromeda
–
–
0.018
Total (g)
100
100
100
Cost Savings (%)
40.48%
37.14%
Note: Sugar cost is estimated and may be different in various countries.
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HOWTIAN welcomes the world’s increasing demand for sugar alternatives and offers a wide range of readily adaptable solutions for a comprehensive variety of applications.
