healthier choices, such as opting for reduced sugar products, with maintaining the great taste and mouthfeel experience they enjoy. Tate & Lyle’s latest Bakery Digest, What’s driving growth in the European bakery market, found that 65% of young consumers would still purchase a product high in fat, salt or sugar if it also offered other benefits, such as being high in fibre or protein. In fact, two-thirds (67%) of consumers ranked additional nutritional benefits as a higher priority than sugar content (61%) or calories (56%).


This presents a challenge for bakery producers aiming to support healthier consumer diets while meeting growing expectations for healthier formulations. Reducing sugar, fat and calories - without compromising on the nutrients consumers increasingly seek, such as fibre and protein – is a delicate balancing act. As such, there is a real opportunity for manufacturers to grow their sales if they can find the right formula that balances quality, mouthfeel and the functional benefits that consumers are looking for.


Reformulating products to reduce sugar, without losing the qualities that make them so loved by consumers, can be a difficult balancing act for manufacturers. In bakery, there are many sensory and technical aspects of products that need to be considered, such as sweetness, texture, bulking and mouthfeel – the physical


sensations in the mouth when consuming of a food or drink item. For example, when reducing sugar in a cake


you could use Tate & Lyle’s HAMULSION® Stabiliser


System that supports texture


development and emulsification during processing and in the finished product. In cereal bars, fibres such as our PROMITOR® Soluble Fibre not only reduce sugar but also allow for a ‘high in fibre’ claim, meeting multiple consumer demands at once. Manufacturers can also use fibres and starches, including clean label options such as CLARIA® Functional Clean-Label Starches, to build back mouthfeel and create lower calorie products without compromising taste


or appearance. In creamy, bake-stable fillings, Claria® Functional Clean-Label Starches could provide a smooth, creamy and stable mouthfeel while being labelled simply as ‘starch’, appealing to consumers seeking recognisable ingredients. Meanwhile, increasing regulations on the labelling, promotion and display of products high in fat, sugar and salt are a growing concern for bakery producers.


Reformulation impacts far more than taste


– it influences mouthfeel, which can ultimately determine whether a product remains popular. A product may appear ‘cleaner’ or ‘healthier’ on the label, but if it doesn’t meet consumer expectations, the formulation may need to be revisited. That’s why many bakery producers turn to formulation support from their ingredient providers. Our PROMITOR® Soluble Fibre is a great example of an ingredient that supports great mouthfeel in sugar-reduced bakery products while also adding health benefits and improving nutrient density. Labelled as ‘soluble corn fibre’ in the UK and Germany, it’s just one of many Tate & Lyle solutions derived from natural sources that help manufacturers meet both functional and nutritional goals. Ingredient solutions are playing a crucial role in helping manufacturers reformulate their products while maintaining taste, texture, and overall appeal. With advancements in sugar reduction, fibre enrichment, and protein fortification, companies like Cargill and Tate & Lyle are developing strategies to meet new market expectations. As health-conscious choices become more mainstream, the future of baking will likely continue to change, driven by a blend of technical innovation, regulatory considerations, consumer priorities.


and changing bakeryproduction.co.uk Kennedy’s Bakery Production February/March 2025 13


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