Brands are increasingly challenged to produce great tasting foods that deliver less sugar and salt. This is especially true as front-of-pack labeling schemes like the Nutri-Score become more widespread worldwide. In the UK, foods that are too high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) are subject to marketing restrictions and prohibited from occupying space near the checkout counter.

Naturally, many in the industry highlight that taste isn’t any less important in products positioned to be healthier. Flavor plays a crucial role in smoothing out reformulated products. 

“Taste is a harmonious interplay of different flavors and ingredients. There are many factors to take into account, with no one-size-fits-all solution,” explains Anja Müller, communication and social media specialist at Silesia.

Lowering sugar content
Among the main challenges in sugar reduction is maintaining the right mouthfeel and bulk, since many sweeteners require less of the ingredient to achieve the same sweetness level as sugar. Certain sweeteners can also give bitter off-notes that need to be masked.

One way to avoid taste challenges is to begin with a clean-tasting sweetener. Paul Courtney, director of new product development at Sweegen, UK, explains that not all stevia ingredients are developed the same, which impacts the taste and the ability to be clean label.

“Our Signature Sweetness portfolio includes the newest generation of proprietary stevia ingredients like Rebs D, M and E, which are clean tasting, nature-based high-intensity sweeteners with zero calories and better performance in products.”

Sweegen’s bioconversion process uses the stevia plant as a raw material source to yield clean-tasting stevia molecules.The products are made with bioconversion technology, which unlocks the best-tasting molecules directly from the stevia plant. “Brands can replac up to 100% of sugar, fructose and artificial sweeteners, and our entire portfolio is non-GMO, clean-tasting, nature-based, and label-friendly,” Courtney adds. 

Clean-tasting, natural options 
Sweegen’s Bestevia Reb M was recently fully authorized for use in the UK, making it the first company to receive authorization for any steviol glycosides produced using alternative technologies in Britain.

Brands in the UK are now collaborating with Sweegen’s food and beverage applications experts based at its EMEA UK Innovation Studio to integrate this highly sought-after stevia ingredient and Sweegen’s taste modulation and sweeteners into their formulations.

The regulatory green light comes at the heels of Sweegen receiving FEMA GRAS status for its sweet protein brazzein technology. The term means the ingredient is considered Generally Recognized As Safe from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association. 

The company also attained FEMA GRAS status for thaumatin II, a sweet protein complementary to brazzein. 

Brazzein is a rare sweet protein that originates from the fruit of a West African climbing plant. Until recently, scaling up limited the availability of the unique ingredient. 

To kick off development with the sweet proteins, Sweegen launched its Sweetensify Flavors, a tool powered by Sweegen’s novel-sweet protein technology that includes brazzein, thaumatin II and other unique proteins. 

Other routes to sugar reduction include using sweetness enhancers. Solutions from Silesia’s portfolio include masking flavors for covering off-notes and special flavor molecules for mouthfeel optimization.

Improving the health halo with less salt 
Removing or reducing salt is a complex matter since salt provides functionality – such as extending shelf life – as well as being a natural flavor enhancer. 

Earlier this year, the WHO issued a first-of-its-kind global report on sodium reduction, noting that the world is “off track” to achieving its global target to reduce sodium intake. 

Parmesan cheese and other hard cheeses can help turn up umami in salt-reduced formulations. The health organization urged governments in the report to adopt mandatory targets to reduce sodium, which is present in monosodium glutamate (MSG) and table salt.

So far, voluntary regulations have made little impact on reducing salt worldwide. Innova Market Insights notes that consumers can react negatively when they are told about changes in familiar and favorite products. Therefore, manufacturers may opt to gradually decrease salt to help consumers “reset” their taste buds and avoid making low salt claims on reformulated products. 

Ensuring taste with less salt 
“Taste balancing is one of the most important challenges food producers are facing today,” says Müller. 

“Consumers’ wish for healthy living forces food manufacturers to rework their products. Many producers are reducing or even eliminating undesirable, flavor-giving ingredients from their recipes to meet these demands. This often leads to an unbalanced taste experience”

Moreover, the impetus for healthier snacks often leads to the addition of more benefits, such as protein-enriched or low in fat, observes Renate Merz, senior product manager, Silesia. 

“Silesia offers a wide range of boosters, such as a yeast replacer, salt booster and MSG replacer to increase the taste experience.”

Umami can also be dialed up using certain whole-food ingredients such as seaweed, algae and dried fish, notes Chef Charlie Baggs, founder of Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations. 

“Parmesan cheese, other hard cheeses, crab, scallops and dried liver are high-protein sources of umami. But other lower protein foods also contribute complex tastes, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, corn, green peas, cabbage, spinach, onion and asparagus.” 

There is also a range of value-added ingredients containing glutamates and ribonucleotides – the foundations for umami flavor – that can be used to enhance formulas and taste as well, he adds. 

Reducing sodium chloride with alternative salts, such as potassium chloride, has been spotlighted as a viable alternative that can improve health outcomes while keeping taste intact.