Sweeteners for My Sweet

They define categories, some feed yeasts, and some help prolong shelf life. And, recently, they all have been under a lot of scrutiny, either for adding too many calories to products, or for being too processed. But, whether they are full-, low-, or no-calorie, sweeteners are essential in baking. 

One of the main concerns of bakers nowadays is finding the right sweetener that helps with their objective for a new baked good. Whether it’s developing a new product with less sugar, reformulating a classic to comply with new sugar regulations, or simply making from scratch a baked good that appeals to those on specific diets, it’s crucial to find the right ingredient that allows the recipe to reach its potential in terms of taste – after all, the thing that matters the most.

The term “sweeteners” covers a wide range, from full-calorie syrups: Glucose syrups, Maltose syrups, Glucose fructose syrups, fructose syrups, dextrose monohydrate and anhydrous made from corn and wheat, to low/no-calorie polyols: Maltitol, sorbitol liquid or powder, Isomalt, Mannitol and blends and high intensity sweeteners options such as stevia.

“For a growing number of consumers, perceptions around health, diet and sugar content are increasingly intertwined, which is bringing greater scrutiny to product labels and heightened interest in the reduction of sugars – even in more indulgent categories like baked goods,” says Martina Foschia, Senior Application Specialist, Bakery at Cargill. “Sugar-reduced products are increasingly sought after, however the replacement of sugars (“sugars” as the sum of all mono- and disaccharides such as glucose, fructose, etc.), a key bakery ingredient, is a significant challenge.”

Sugar is highly functional in baked goods. Aside from providing sweetness, it has a bulking function and influences texture, spread, structure, browning, processability of the product, shelf life and more. Reformulating to reduce sugars without sacrificing physical and textural attributes, adhering to regulatory requirements, and addressing other nutritional and functional requirements is a huge challenge with no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, successful sugar-reduced bakery formulations must find the right combination of ingredients to replicate these functions. 

“Choosing the right ingredients means considering various elements,” says Foschia. For starters, the type of bakery product. To be successful, sweetening solutions must consider the functional characteristics most important for that specific application. ”For biscuits, for example, spreadability during baking, crispiness and bite are important, whereas for cakes and muffins, softness and volume are key considerations.” 

Then come the product claims. When choosing sweeteners, it is important to define sugar content and calorie objectives. “Is it a no-added-sugar/sugar-free product, a product reduced in sugar (with or without a claimable calorie reduction), or a full-calorie end-product? This will determine, from a regulatory point of view, which solutions can be used.” And there might be other goals too. Finding the right solution also depends on meeting additional customer requests, such as being label-friendly or enabling fiber enrichment.

ADM recently launched the SweetRight agave, an organic, naturally sourced sweetness. “With a sweetening potency 25-30% higher than sucrose, bakers can use less to achieve reduced sugar content and calories in their finished baked goods, while also maintaining the sensory experience consumers prefer,” says Sarah Diedrich, Global Marketing Director, Sweetening & Texturizing Solutions, ADM. SweetRight agave has a neutral sensory profile, binding and browning properties, and has exceptional solubility, moisture retention and humectancy, enabling ease of use for bakers in a variety of applications, including cookies, cakes, muffins and more. ADM also offers our SweetRight Reduced Sugar Glucose Syrup (RSGS), which is a solution for reduced-sugar baked goods, as it helps to achieve up to 30% sugar reduction. “RSGS delivers important bulking, binding and viscosity similar to traditional syrups without sacrificing functionality, enabling formulation flexibility,” says Diedrich.

You can read the rest of this article in the September-October issue of European Baker & Biscuit, which you can access by clicking here.