Nestlé creates new sugar that means less sugar for you
By Canadian Packaging staff
Design & Innovation General Nestle Science of sugar Sugar restructured by NestléNew sugar structure formulated by Nestlé means less sugar needed to pack same sweet taste.
Imagine if your favorite chocolate bar tasted just as good, but with much less sugar. This could soon be a reality, thanks to a major breakthrough by Nestlé scientists.
Using only natural ingredients, researchers have found a way to structure sugar differently. So even when much less is used in chocolate, your tongue perceives an almost identical sweetness to before.
The discovery will enable Nestlé to significantly decrease the total sugar in its confectionery products, while maintaining a very natural taste.
On the left, sugar crystals appear in their current structure. With the Nestlé innovation, sugar crystals appear as shown on the right, allowing the tongue to taste the same level of sweetness while consuming less sugar.
“This truly groundbreaking research is inspired by nature and has the potential to reduce total sugar by up to 40% in our confectionery,” says Nestlé chief technology officer Stefan Catsicas. “Our scientists have discovered a completely new way to use a traditional, natural ingredient.”
On the left, the current structure of sugar crystals dissolving in water. On the right, Nestlé’s innovation in sugar structure dissolving in water. By dissolving faster, the tongue tastes more sweetness with less actual sugar (click to view animation).
Nestlé is patenting its findings and will begin to use the faster-dissolving sugar across a range of its confectionery products from 2018 onwards.
The company expects to provide more details about the first roll-out of reduced sugar confectionery sometime next year.
The research will accelerate Nestlé’s efforts to meet its continued public commitment to reducing sugar in its products.
It is one of a wide range of commitments the company has made on nutrition. This includes improving the nutritional profile of its products by reducing the amount of sugar, salt and saturated fat they contain, while at the same time increasing healthier nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and whole grain.
About Nestlé Research
Nestlé has one of the largest R&D capabilities in the food and beverage industry, with 40 R&D locations worldwide and more than 5,000 people working in R&D.
In 2015 it invested CHF 1.7 billion globally in R&D, and works with a range of partners from academia, government and industry driving innovation of its food and beverage portfolio.
Company information at www.nestleusa.com.
Images courtesy of Nestlé in the U.S.
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