Ingredion Launches Sweetener Aimed at Health-conscious Consumers

Ingredion EMEA has launched its first polyol sweetener, ERYSTA® Erythritol. The sweetener enables manufacturers to reduce or replace sugar to achieve nutrition-related claims, such as ‘no added sugar’ or ‘calorie-reduced’, in multiple applications.

ERYSTA® Erythritol supports functional build back and sweetness when sugar is removed in products including ice cream, desserts and chocolate confectionery, while providing consumers with the mouth feel and texture that they expect in their favorite products. Other applications include baked goods, beverages and fruit preparations.

Working with culinology and technical experts at Ingredion’s Idea Labs® innovation centers across the region, manufacturers can collaborate on recipe formulation to develop new and on-trend products with a focus on getting to market quickly. Food and beverage producers can create products that tap into the consumer demand for healthier alternatives that still deliver on taste, texture and an indulgent eating experience.

Rodolfo Garza, regional growth platform leader, marketing, at Ingredion EMEA, said: “Increasingly health-conscious shoppers are paying close attention to the sugar and calorie content of their favorite foods. In fact, 64% of consumers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa say that a ‘low calories’ claim is important to them when buying food or drinks.

ERYSTA® Erythritol provides around 70% sweetness compared to sugar, delivering functional and textural properties such as bulking, ease of processing and mouth feel enhancement when replacing sugar in formulations.

Produced by fermentation, it has zero calorie content, enabling manufacturers to make consumer-winning energy reduction claims. When used as part of a sweetener system in certain applications, there are synergistic effects to boost sweetness of the product.