Most people know that desserts and deep-fried delicacies are high in sugar and fat, but what about less obvious sauces? From ketchup to brown sauce, mayonnaise to pesto, we all love adding flavour to our food. Some sauces, dressings and marinades have a surprisingly hidden level of sugar and fat.
Healthy eating has become mainstream and this has raised the consumers’ awareness. They want to primarily satisfy the need for taste, as well as weight management, without any health consequences7. Here are some approaches used to reformulate the healthier version of condiments that consumers can indulge in.
Stevia, A Natural Calorie Free Sweetener
According to Euromonitor’s Voice of the Consumer: Health and Nutrition Survey in 2020, 57% of global consumers are pointing out that avoiding sugar is making them feel healthier and eating less sugar is their chosen method for weight loss. The association between sugar and calorie reduction has brought a strong opportunity for high-intensity sweeteners in the food industry. However, consumers are keen to look for products that do not contain artificial sweeteners6.
In line with the demand for clean labels and natural ingredients, stevia has brought a great new occasion due to its natural origin. The sweet-tasting components of stevia called steviol glycosides are naturally present in the stevia leaf, where rebaudioside A and stevioside are the most abundant. Stevia is about 250-300 times sweeter than sucrose1,3. It contains no calorie and low glycemic index thus it is suitable for diabetic and hypertensive patients, and also for health-conscious individuals9.
Rice Starch, Clean Label Fat Replacer
Fat contributes to technical and palatability properties like desirable texture, mouthfeel, flavour and taste in foods4. As a natural fat replacer, rice starch brings creaminess to low-fat versions of sauces and many other food applications2,8. Due to its small granule size, neutral taste, and soft gel structure, rice starch mimics a full-bodied and creamy mouthfeel5. Naturally-derived rice starches have strong freeze-thaw, acid, and process stability, making them ideal for use in packaged sauces10.
Summarizing,
As a growing number of consumers forgo sugar and unhealthy fats, there is always a need to develop new or reformulate existing products to improve the population’s diet. Frankly, reformulated products need to not only be better nutritionally but also equally tasty. High-intensity sweetener and starch-based fat replacer are foreseen to play crucial roles in the rapidly evolving food industry. In DPO International, we are honoured to be in partnership with Beneo Remy to bring you a wide range of ingredients choices that will elevate the quality of your sauces, dressings and condiments.
References
1Ashwell, M. (2015). Stevia, Nature’s Zero-Calorie Sustainable Sweetener. Nutrition Today, 50(3), 129-134. https://doi.org/10.1097/nt.0000000000000094
2Chen, Y., She, Y., Zhang, R., Wang, J., Zhang, X., & Gou, X. (2019). Use of starch‐based fat replacers in foods as a strategy to reduce dietary intake of fat and risk of metabolic diseases. Food Science & Nutrition, 8(1), 16-22. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.1303
3Gandhi, S., Gat, Y., Arya, S., Kumar, V., Panghal, A., & Kumar, A. (2018). Natural sweeteners: health benefits of stevia. Foods And Raw Materials, 6(2), 392-402. https://doi.org/10.21603/2308-4057-2018-2-392-402
4Hosseinvand, A., & Sohrabvandi, S. (2016). Physicochemical, textural and sensory evaluation of reduced-fat mustard sauce formulation prepared with Inulin, Pectin and β-glucan. Croatian Journal Of Food Science And Technology, 8(2), 46-52. https://doi.org/10.17508/cjfst.2016.8.2.01
5Lee, I., Lee, S., Lee, N., & Ko, S. (2013). Reduced-Fat Mayonnaise Formulated with Gelatinized Rice Starch and Xanthan Gum. Cereal Chemistry Journal, 90(1), 29-34.
6Mascaraque, M. (2021). Sugar and Sweeteners: Consumer Priorities Triggering Change. Euromonitor International.
7Petković, M. (2019). Alternatives for Sugar Replacement in Food Technology: Formulating and Processing Key Aspects. Food Engineering. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82251
8Puligundla, P., Cho, Y., & Lee, Y. (2015). Physicochemical and sensory properties of reduced-fat mayonnaise formulations prepared with rice starch and starch-gum mixtures. Emirates Journal Of Food And Agriculture, 27(6), 463.
9Saharudin, A. M. B, Nazri, N. B. M., Roslee, A. H. B., Hawi, M. H. B., & Mar, S. O. (2020). Acceptance of Stevia as a Sugar Substitute and its Determinants among Health Educated Individuals and its Determinants. Current Research In Nutrition And Food Science Journal, 8(1), 226-237. https://doi.org/10.12944/crnfsj.8.1.21
10Wouters, R. (2015). Rice Starch May Be Key to Making Healthier Convenience Foods. Nutritional Outlook.
