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Sugar reduction in industrial food manufacturing

Valio has developed solutions to reduce sugar in dairy products, chocolate and confectionery, ice cream and bakery goods.

Valio Bettersweet™ is a service solution that enables natural sugar reduction with up to 30% without touching chocolate’s taste or texture. It also paves the way for ‘without added sugar’ claims.

Application areas: milk chocolate, white chocolate, hazelnut cocoa spread, toffee and cocoa drink powder.

To demonstrate that Valio Bettersweet™ solution works in any milk chocolate, we took the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and human craftsmanship to create the ultimate future-proof chocolate: the Bar.

We work from what is naturally in our most loved chocolate: milk.

Our high-quality milk powders are made with 110 years of Valio expertise and responsible know-how in dairy, using fresh milk from Finnish cows.

We want Better chocolate for every tummy.

This means digestive comfort with no laxative effects and no lactose, but all natural milk minerals, proteins, and vitamins.

Premium nutrition claim for a premium product.

Valio Bettersweet™ allows you to add approved nutrition claims to your chocolate. Something that is also sure to claim the hearts of the premium consumer segment.

Clean label is a clear advantage.

Valio Bettersweet™ allows you to leave all artificial ingredients off the label – a clean win for any consumer product.

Sugar reduction in dairy products

Avoiding sugar is a clear trend among all consumers, and they are increasingly conscious of sugar levels in different food products. They also seek naturality, which means simple, all-natural ingredients, and a short and understandable list of ingredients. At the same time, they want to enjoy the taste and texture of food.

Sugar makes flavoured dairy drinks, spoonable products, and ice cream taste sweet. Sugar also affects the mouthfeel, texture, colour, and viscosity of the products. The challenge for dairy manufacturers is how to balance the customer’s need for sugar reduction, naturality, and indulgence.

Valio has developed solutions for sugar reduction. With Valio ingredients, application and process know-how, dairy food manufacturers can reduce sugar levels without having to use artificial sweeteners.

Reduced sugar and great taste without artificial sweeteners

The carbohydrate content in dairy products is the sum of added sugar and lactose. Valio’s solution for dairy processing reduces sugar levels in a way that does not compromise other important product qualities, like texture or taste. It is possible to reduce the sugar level by as much as 30%. Our technical experts are happy to help design the recipes and processes.

Sugar reduction in chocolate

OVERVIEW – Naturality continues to drive sugar reduction innovation Less sugar, clean label, and natural – that is what consumers are looking for in their milk chocolate. With milk-based protein, confectionery manufacturers can reduce sugar levels without compromising important product qualities such as taste and texture.

Implementation of sugar taxes and the ongoing health and wellness trends have created a hot market for new and innovative reduced sugar products. Consumers are looking to avoid sugar also in the indulgence category. Naturally sugar reduced products are the best match for consumers’ better-for-you demand.

BENEFITS: The trend of sugar avoidance sets a challenge for confectionery manufacturers, as sugar is the main component in creating the sweet taste of chocolate. Sugar also enhances the texture and prolongs the shelf life of chocolate and confectionery products.

Valio’s solution enables:

  • manufacture of clean label chocolate with the health claim of ‘30% less sugar’.
    • A peer reviewed article reports that ‘30% less sugar’ chocolate made with Valio’s solution was rated equal in taste and texture to regular chocolate.
  • Sugar is reduced naturally by adding high quality milk ingredients.
  • No artificial sweeteners, no laxative or other side effects.
  • Securing an authentic taste and texture.
  • Possibility for the reduced sugar / 30% less sugar package claim.

APPLICATIONS:

Chocolate / Sweet spreads / Fat based fillings / Fudges/ Toffee, milk caramel / Cacao drink powder

Sugar reduction in ice cream

  • Reduction of total sugar level up to -30% sugar as Valio Eila® powders contain less carbohydrate than standard SMP
  • Rich and smooth texture with Valio Eila® powders; no sandiness as non-lactose crystals are present
  • Sugar reduction with Valio Eila® MPC or Valio Eila® PRO SMP

Less added sugar or enhanced sweetness

  • Possibility to reduce added sugar by at least 20 percent without compromise in taste
  • Sweetness can be significantly enhanced without increase in added sugar level
  • Less added sugar or enhanced sweetness with Valio Eila® SWEET

Sugar reduction in bakery

Reducing sugar – an ongoing trend continuing into the future

With the ever-shifting world of food trends presenting new possibilities and challenges to bakeries, one food trend has remained for some time: sugar reduction. Whilst consumers have taken a broader approach to health maintenance, sugar still ranks as the number one dietary evil for them. This has led consumers to make conscious attempts to avoid sugar in indulgence products. They also have more favorable perceptions towards products that are free from sugar, have less sugar or contain no added sugar.

Valio’s bakery solutions enable sugar reduction without the use of artificial sweeteners. With them, you can reduce sugar in your industrially baked products without compromising on soft and moist texture or good shelf life.

Bake a better choice – low in sugar, no artificial sweeteners:

  • Replace sugar with Valio Eila® lactose free milk powder
  • Get you a golden-brown baked color and improved crispy crust in bakery products – hydrolyzed lactose is more sensitive to browning than sucrose or lactose
  • Offer more sales time with better ‘best before’ dates: bakery products stay fresh longer and have good water binding properties

Contact

Katriina Leigh

Katriina Leigh

Customer Development Manager Chocolate, Confectionery and Cocoa
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