Suiker in perspectief editie 49 | september 2020

16| Suiker in perspectief, september 2020 No magic bullet to replace sugar PROF.DR. JULIAN COOPER, VISITING PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF READING. According to prof.dr. Julian Cooper most consumers assume that you will become fat from eating too much sugar and that product reformulation might be a solution for that problem. But many consumers are not aware of the limitations and pitfalls that go hand in hand with sugar replacement. Cooper: “Sugar has, besides sweetness, many functions in food products, such as texture, mouth feel and colour (see table 2). There is no universal sugar replacer; several ingre- dients are needed to replace the functions of sugar in different products. This will increase the number of ingredients in food products and that goes against the demand of a clean label and familiar ingredients (see table 1 for the example of strawberry jam). In addition, the replacement of sugar by other ingredients, often leads to a higher price. For instance, some reformula- ted cake bars are 45 percent more expensive than the original product with the same weight. Furthermore, sugar is a preservative, so a reduction of sugar has a potential negative impact on food safety.” Standaard aardbeienjam Suikervrije aardbeienjam • Aardbeien • Suiker • Citroensap • Geleermiddel (fruitpectine) • Water • Aardbeien • Citroensap • Geleermiddel (fruitpectine) • Polydextrose • Maltodextrine • Johannesbroodpitmeel • Conserveermiddel (kaliumsorbaat) • Maltitolstroop • Sucralose • Calciumchloride • Rode kleurstof Product reformulation is a hot topic in relation to reduction of energy-intake and body weight loss. However, there are many limitations and consumers may become confused and disappointed due to a mismatch between expectations and reality. Tabel 1: Ingrediënten van een standaard aardbeienjam en een suikervrije variant. Bron: J. Cooper. The challenges of reformulation for sugar reduction. www.fstjournal.org. vol 31, issue 1: 38-41. No magic bullet to replace sugar