Sweet times for sugar-free

This has depressed the rate of new product development in the main sugar confectionery market, particularly in the US, as manufacturers seek healthier options for increasingly discerning consumers.

Henry Hussell, head of marketing for Cargill Sweetness Solutions explains: "We see people becoming better informed about which sweetness options in food are most closely associated with a healthier lifestyle".

Claudia Meissner of Beneo Palatinit (part of Südzucker Group's new functional foods group), concurs: "The sugar-free gum market grew approximately 12% worldwide. Our research shows that the target group is everyone who is interested in a healthy and tasty diet. Successful products were mostly fruity and indulgent candies like Corazon de Solana with its fruit and cream swirled candies offered in different flavours, or products like Campino, Nimm2 and Werther's Original".

Indulgence remains one of the most important consumer trends in food, despite, or perhaps because of, increasing health awareness. "We find that consumers still want great-tasting products and will not compromise on the eating experience," says Danisco Sweeteners applications manager Geoff O'Sullivan. "Consumers demand the same sweet taste associated with sucrose/glucose-sweetened products, without any discernable or unpleasant aftertastes."

Market growth

Cargill estimates the global retail value of sugar-free confectionery will be almost euro4.3bn in 2007. This represents a 23% increase since 2004. "In the gum sector, Eastern Europe has been the most spectacular success, a 91% value increase for a volume increase of 27%," says Hussell. "It's also significant to note that projections through to 2012 indicate the Middle East and Africa region will enjoy the greatest sales volume growth (30%), while sales growth will increase slightly in Western Europe and drop back a little in Eastern Europe.

"We estimate the current market values at euro949.7M in Eastern Europe, euro1,752.8m in Western Europe and euro110.2m in Middle East and Africa."

"Some 15% of all sugar confectionery (by value) is sugar free, so it's a substantial and growing market", says Emily Lauwaert at the food business unit of sweeteners giant Roquette, "We're also seeing no-added sugar chocolate taking off. From 2003-2006 the value of no-added sugar chocolate sales worldwide increased by an average of 22% per annum. During 2002-2006, we estimate that the market for no-added sugars chocolate increased by 30% in volume per annum and we think that it will develop by at least a further 20% per annum from 2006 to 2011".

Low/no/reduced sugar confectionery not only has to overcome consumer perceptions, but also some technical challenges, explains Persis Subramaniam, section manager, confectionery, ingredients and product innovation at UK-based food research business Leatherhead Food International. "There are technical challenges in replacing sugar in products because you not only need to replace the sweetness profile but also the bulk and functional properties.

"The processing conditions may need to be changed when replacing sucrose. And when replacing sucrose in a chocolate formulation, you may need to alter the conching conditions, depending on the replacer used".

Danisco's Geoff O'Sullivan concurs: "There are many factors to consider when selecting an appropriate sweetener, including physiological factors such as sweetness, mouthfeel, solubility, viscosity, texture, molecular weight, melting point and hygroscopicity."

This area has made a lot of progress in the past few years, says Meissner at Beneo Palatinit. "There are almost no modifications necessary when changing the production from sugar to Palatinit's Isomalt. Isomalt is derived from pure beet sugar. It shows similar technological properties and can therefore generally be processed on all standard production lines." In some individual cases, fine-tuning of temperature or steam pressure might be necessary to get the taste and mouthfeel right, she says.

"Maltisorb (Roquette's brand name for the polyol maltitol) offers physico-chemical characteristics similar to those of sucrose, making it the most effective substitute for sugar in many applications and especially in the manufacture of chocolate", echoes Lauwaert at Roquette.

"The high crystallinity of maltitol and its high melting point allow the chocolate to be ground and conched under the same conditions as traditional chocolate. As maltitol has a low hygroscopicity, the risk of chocolate gaining water during its manufacture and its storage is insignificant. The viscocity and shelf-life of chocolate made with maltitol are the same as those of traditional chocolate."

Labelling issues

"Our crystalline Maltidex maltitol resembles sugar extremely closely in taste, functional properties and ease of working, to the extent that it can be substituted in most sugar-based formulations and applications on a cup-for-cup basis, and is as stable as sugar in process", adds Hussell at Cargill.

But there is still much confusion regarding the definition of 'no added sugar' and 'sugar-free', from both consumers and manufacturers, says Subramaniam at Leatherhead. "We have seen many products that have been called sugar-free which clearly were not." Labelling issues are a major problem for manufacturers and they are always trying to develop formulations with less than 10% polyol so that the laxative declaration is avoided, he says.

"There are issues which the British Journal of Nutrition has recently highlighted over the inconsistencies in the nature of the laxative statement required in the EU compared to other countries", adds Lauwaert. "In the EU, all foods which contain 10% or more polyols, have to have a packaging statement as follows: 'Excessive consumption may have laxative effects'." In the EU, this 10% threshold applies to all polyols. But in the US, different levels are set for different polyols.

However, this may not be holding the market back as much as had been previously thought, says Lauwaert. "Roquette recently commissioned independent research, conducted by Access Research, which included consumer focus groups, during which laxative warnings were discussed.

Many consumers were aware of the warnings currently on products such as chewing gum and soft mints, but did not consider them to be a barrier to consumption".

Hussell adds: "To some extent local-country attitudes to polyols also have a major influence on likely developments. Polyols in the UK seem to have a poor reputation, probably following widespread over-use of sorbitol in some products in the past, while in Germany and Switzerland, they are well accepted."

Industry experts seem agreed that low/no/reduced sugar confectionery matches the sensory performance of sugar-based alternatives. "There are many blind taste tests conducted in all different countries from Europe to Australia to the US in which consumers judged the sugar-free candy with Isomalt to taste better, having a nicer surface and texture and greater flavour sensation than the sugar-counterpart", claims Meissner.

"The continuous market growth rates do underline that a wider circle of consumers not only buy sugar-free candies once, but do so again and again which they would not do if the taste was not superior. Consumers of sweets do not compromise on taste."

Pack leaders

Low/no/reduced sugar remains the leading positioning claim in confectionery overall, indicating continued company moves to make sugar confectionery products healthier and more appealing to health-conscious adults and parents. Consumers are increasingly discerning about food ingredients, and in general perceive sugar as empty calories with little nutritional value.

This is in contrast to competing chocolate confectionery which has in recent years quite successfully communicated to consumers the healthy and sometimes functional benefits of chocolate, especially antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.

A well-defined consumer demand, plus technological advances mean that low/no/reduced sugar will maintain a strong and growing presence in the market. The no-added sugar chocolate sector, although growing fast, is still insignificant in overall chocolate consumption, and there is little differentiation in the sector in market and consumer positioning. The sector has yet to see a break-through product that would allow sugar-free chocolate to move into the mainstream.

Sugar-free gum leads the market in several countries, and is set to continue this domination throughout Europe. Hard candy will also grow, with more natural flavourings and colourings expected to become increasingly common, featuring fewer additives, more all-natural formulations and organic ingredients, as concerned mothers move away from artificial products.

There may also be opportunities in the development of sour fruit flavours, which seem less prevalent in the sugar-free market than mainstream children's confectionery. Mintel also expects more sugar-free products fortified with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, with antioxidant-rich fruits having the potential to expand further. Additional benefits such as energising ingredients for a quick pick-me-up are also expected to perform well.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend