New beverage sweetening system tackles stevia issues

By CnAgri2013-11-22 11:00:31 Print

Cargill has used Fi 2013 as the launchpad for a new sweetening solution designed to mask the aftertaste of stevia, reduce sweetener costs by up to 20% and cut calories by up to 50% when developing calorie-reduced beverages.

The patented C Sweet HMS sweetening system combines HMS (high maltose syrup) with stevia leaf extract and sucrose.

"When you replace sugar with HMS, you can suppress off notes like bitterness and bring down the cost in use by 20%," said Guillaume Planque, marketing communications specialist at Cargill. "A further advantage is that if the product already contains glucose the manufacturer wouldn't need to change the labeling because HMS can be labelled as 'glucose syrup'."

According to Cargill, only a third of new products launched onto the European beverage market in recent years have carried a reduced sugar or calorie claim, which means there is a gap in the market for such products.
However, Planque says the cost and taste of stevia are two major barriers to using the sweetener to develop products that meet this opportunity.

"Taste issues have delayed some projects," said Planque, "and the cost of stevia, as a result of the low yield, have meant it has been difficult for manufacturers to make the cost savings necessary to justify a calorie reduction."

Planque says opportunities to use C Sweet HMS exist in carbonated and still beverages, from ice tea and clear lemonade to fruit-based still drinks and nectars.

On stand, Cargill is demonstrating the new system by getting visitors to try two peach ice tea drinks: one a 50% calorie reduced beverage and the other a full-sugar version. "The idea is to show that there is no difference in taste," said Planque.