17 Nov 2022 A new sugar alternative with some WOW factor!

Here is news of yet another interesting approach to sugar reformulation and substitution…

Introducing Resugar, an Israeli foodtech company that uses innovative technology to reimagine the future of sweet.

“Our sugar replacement solutions perfectly replicate the taste and properties of sugar while eliminating all of its harmful effects. The sweet life has arrived,” it proclaims.

It has recently announced that ice cream major Froneri – owner of the Nestlé-Froneri brand in Israel – is amongst its first clients for its 1:1 sugar substitute.

The search for better sugar alternatives is on a trajectory as sugar’s toll on human health is seeing dozens of voluntary commitments and mandatory legislations rolling out to reduce sugar intake in diets, never mind that some 40 countries have imposed sugar taxes.

In Israel, food products high in sugar, saturated fat, and salt are required to carry a ‘red label’. In Chile, HFSS warning labels also exist, in black. In the UK, new HFSS (referring to products high in fat, salt and sugar) legislation – restricting junk food marking and volume-based price promotions – is similarly encouraging reformulation efforts.

Yet reformulation efforts are hindered by the compromised sugar replacement solutions currently on the market, according to Niv Ben-Ami, co-founder of Resugar.

“When it comes to replacing sugar, you need the sweetness profile of sucrose – which humans have got used to over many years – as well as the functional properties that sugar provides to food,” he says.

“These functional properties impact a food product’s volume, caramelisation, moisture content, even the freezing point of ice cream and frozen confectionery products. These, and many other functional properties, are associated with sugar. Sweeteners lack these functionalities.”

What is Resugar’s sugar replacement made from?

Resugar has developed a ‘plug-and-play’ sugar substitute capable of reducing sugar content by 70%. And importantly, Ben-Ami stresses, it is completely free of sweeteners.

But if it doesn’t contain sweeteners, what is it in Resugar’s offering that makes it sweet?

Resugar’s formulation is ‘completely different’ to conventional sugar substitutes. And yet, it is still able to offer that ‘unique sweetness profile’ consumers expect, Ben-Ami asserts.

Its technology, developed in conjunction with scientists from Technion Institute, uses a cost-effective enzymatic process to produce Resugar’s natural disaccharide molecule, creating a virtually calorie-free plant-based molecule that still provides the same sweetness and sugar properties, giving it the same taste and invaluable industrial properties.

The sucrose is combined with a proprietary combination of ‘natural flavours’ which, when combined with the sucrose, ‘enhances its sweetness by almost three times’, Ben-Ami told this publication at Future Food-Tech in London. <em>“Our technology is that combination, that synergy.”

Without revealing too much about which ‘natural flavours’ Resugar is using, the co-founder says, ‘it’s a natural compound, and everything accords with GRAS regulation’.

“We use a combination of several ingredients, in very small amounts. The natural flavours only make up 5% of the total solution. The result is a final product formulation that tastes and performs the same as the original.”

Dietary fibres are also incorporated into the solution. Some ‘carbohydrate by-products’ are also present, as well as moisture content.

The solution is made up of 30% sucrose, which means that if a food formulator swaps out all its sugar for Resugar’s product, a maximum 70% sugar reduction can be achieved.

“The Resugar molecule replicates sugar in every way and can replace added sugars in any food product without compromising taste or texture! There’s no need to recreate recipes or compensate with extra ingredients,” Ben-Ami concludes.

Source: BeverageDaily.com; see more on Resugar’s website: https://resugar.com/