SUGAR ALTERNATIVES AND REDUCTIONS


SUGAR REDUCTION IS NEVER A LIKE-FOR-LIKE SWAP – SOPHIE-GÉRALDINE DELANOE, GLOBAL SEGMENT LEADER, MARKETING FOOD & NUTRITION AT ROQUETTE


fibres such as NUTRIOSE® as particularly effective for partial sugar reduction, helping to maintain sensory quality while improving nutritional profiles. On the sweetness side, polyols such


as maltitol continue to play an important role by delivering a sugar-like taste and mouthfeel with fewer calories and without the bitter aftertaste associated with some alternative sweeteners. However, successful formulation depends on selecting the right ingredient combinations and understanding how they interact. “The key is knowing how these ingredients


balancing multiple ingredient trade-offs


simultaneously, which become more complex at scale.” Rather than removing one ingredient and


replacing it with another, manufacturers increasingly need


carefully balanced


ingredient systems that preserve taste, texture and processing efficiency while meeting nutritional targets. This shift has transformed how ingredient suppliers approach reformulation. Instead of searching for a single “silver bullet” sugar replacer, the industry is combining complementary ingredients that collectively replicate sugar’s functionality. “The industry has largely moved away


from the idea of a single sugar replacer—and for good reason,” says Sophie-Géraldine. “Sugar plays too many functional roles for one ingredient to do it all.” Instead, multifunctional systems fibres,


incorporating


supporting moisture management, stability and texture. At the same time, they offer manufacturers the opportunity to make fibre enrichment claims, adding further nutritional value alongside sugar reduction. Sophie-Géraldine


highlights soluble


interact, and at what dosages they perform optimally without compromising digestive tolerance or pushing against regulatory limits for sugar reduction claims,” she explains. Texturising ingredients complete the


formulation toolkit, helping manufacturers maintain viscosity, mouthfeel and structural integrity—qualities that are particularly critical in bakery products and


sweeteners and


texturising ingredients are becoming the preferred approach. Soluble fibres, example, help replace sugar’s bulk while


for Manus employees harvesting of stevia plants at the Mocupe mother field in Peru.


JUNE/JULY 2026 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • 19


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