Beneo launches ingredient to aid in reducing sugar content, boosting fiber

Dive Brief:

• Functional ingredients supplier Beneo is launching Beneo-scL85, a fiber derived from beet sugar to help manufacturers meet growing consumer demand for low-sugar products.
• Beneo-scL85 is a short-chain fructooligosaccharide, a prebiotic that escapes digestion in the small intestine. It offers a mildly sweet taste, good solubility and natural credentials that can contribute to improved taste and texture. The ingredient also can be used for bulking in applications such as bakery, dairy and cereals.
• Beneo-scL85 is the latest ingredient supplier offering to assist food makers in improving the nutritional quality of their products as shoppers keep a closer watch on what they consume.

Dive Insight:

As manufacturers look to improve the nutritional content of the foods they produce, few areas in recent years have received as much attention as reducing sugar.

When curtailing the amount of the sweetener needed, CPG companies have to take into account how removing sugar impacts the texture, structure, color and shelf-life of their products. The more options companies have as they create a new product or reformulate the ingredient mix of an existing one, the closer they can get to mirroring the original product but in a healthier way.

Fifty-seven percent of consumers said recently that “low in sugar” claims influence their purchasing decisions, Beneo noted in a press release. Beneo-scL85, the company said, will allow more of its customers to respond to this trend through new product development or re-formulation.

The global reduced sugar food and beverage market reached $46.18 billion in 2021, according to Grandview Research. It is forecast to post a compound annual growth rate of 8.9% from 2022 to 2030 due largely to increased demand for healthy and low-sugar foods and drinks.

The ability to lower sugar use is not the only value of Beneo-scL85. Beneo noted in a statement that it not only helps replace sugar, but adds dietary fiber. The result is a stronger nutritional profile for the product, allowing manufacturers to achieve a healthier offering.  

Beneo-scL85 “is a valuable addition to Beneo’s portfolio because it increases flexibility and availability for our customers,” Eric Neven, commercial managing director for Beneo’s functional fibers, said in a statement. It “will further secure supply to meet the high demand for solutions to reduce sugar.”

Even as consumers look to reduce how much sugar they eat or drink each day, most people far exceed the recommended amount.

The American Heart Association estimated that men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar per day; for women, the figure is lower at 6 teaspoons. What people typically consume each day is much higher. American adults have about 17 teaspoons of added sugar every day, more than 2 to 3 times the recommended amount for men and women respectively, the health group said.