Reducing sugar in food and beverages – without compromising on taste and mouthfeel
The demand for healthier, lower-sugar foods is greater than ever. Excessive sugar consumption is a growing problem worldwide, contributing to rising rates of obesity, diabetes and chronic diseases. The WHO recommends reducing free sugars to less than 10 per cent of total energy intake, or ideally to below 5 per cent. To achieve this, many countries are introducing sugar taxes.
Consumers are increasingly seeking out products that support their long-term health and wellbeing without compromising on taste. Food and beverage manufacturers are also actively working to shape this trend with innovative product concepts and new recipes. Sugar reduction and replacement present a strategic opportunity here, successfully addressing changing consumer needs, meeting regulatory requirements and creating momentum in the market through new products.
Reducing sugar is not a simple 1:1 substitution. Sugar performs more functions than just sweetening. It adds body, rounds off the flavour and influences mouthfeel and shelf life. It is precisely these functions that we keep in mind during product development. Our specialised portfolio of natural fruit and plant-based ingredients, sweetening systems, and solutions for taste modulation and texture optimisation enables us to balance formulations precisely, delivering a compelling taste experience.
Work with us to develop healthier products with great taste and discover the possibilities for your portfolio.
Market and Consumer Insights on sugar reduction
9% of global food and drink launches carry a no/low/reduced sugar or calorie claim
(Source: Market Intelligence)
<10% of total energy intake – the WHO ceiling for free sugars, ideally below 5%
(Source: WHO)
50 + markets operating a sugar tax, levy or front-of-pack warning scheme
(Source: Consumer Research)
2 in 3 consumers actively check sugar content before buying a food or drink
(Source: Consumer Research)
| Sweetness | Body & Mouthfeel | Off-note masking | Browning & colour | Cost efficiency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge | Sugar influences more than just the intensity of sweetness. It also determines how sweetness builds and fades – a profile consumers associate with a natural taste experience. | Sugar contributes mass, viscosity, and structure in products such as beverages and bakery products. | When sugar is reduced, bitterness, astringency, and other unwanted notes become more noticeable. | In bakery applications, sugar also supports browning and visual appeal. | Sugar is often more cost-effective than many alternatives. |
| Our Solution | Natural sweetening systems and product solutions take the entire sweetness curve into account, creating a well-balanced taste profile. | Soluble fibres and fruit-derived solids help rebuild the desired texture and a full-bodied mouthfeel. | Taste and flavour modulation can help balance the overall taste profile. | Functional rare sugars with browning properties and natural colours help restore the expected appearance. | A well-designed sugar reduction system helps balance performance and formulation cost. |
Innovating sweetness
Drawing on our high-quality product portfolio, our many years of development expertise and our global and regional market knowledge, we can work with you to tackle the complex challenges of sugar reduction and replacement with innovative technology at speed. In doing so, we consider not just individual ingredients, but the entire formulation, and carefully coordinate the components used. This helps us meet both our and your standards for products that deliver outstanding multisensory experiences while supporting healthier eating for nutrition-conscious consumers.
With our diverse development approaches, we enable food and beverage manufacturers to meet the growing demand for healthier, low-sugar products in a variety of ways.
Build consumer trust and loyalty by offering healthier, lower-sugar options.
| Sugar reduction | Sugar replacement | Redefining sweetness | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Lowering sugar content in existing recipes. | Replacing conventional sugars, such as sucrose, with natural and functional alternative sweeteners. | Incorporating ingredients that support more stable blood sugar levels and metabolic health. |
| Focus area | Reducing sugar intake to align with health initiatives and consumer demands. | Replacing sugar with plant-based and fruit-based sweetness to support clean-label and natural product trends. | Offering health-focused innovations that combine functionality with indulgence. |
| Regulatory impact | Mitigating exposure to sugar taxes. | Mitigating exposure to sugar taxes. | Supporting compliance with health claims regulations. |
| Sensory outcome | Retaining sweetness with reduced sugar content. | Maintaining taste and quality with substitutes. | Delivering a balanced sweetness profile, combined with added wellness benefits. |
| Consumer benefit | Healthier, lower-sugar options with lower glycaemic and calorie impact but the same taste for various target groups. | Low- or no-sugar options with clean-label declaration, made with natural alternatives that are just as sweet and indulgent. | Food and beverages that support sustained energy levels, a balanced metabolism and overall wellbeing, while aligning with holistic health goals and long-term health benefits. |
Factsheet
Factsheet
Factsheet
Factsheet
Frequently asked questions about sugar reduction
It’s not a simple replacement, but a carefully designed system: natural sweeteners add sweetness, taste modulation masks bitterness and off-flavours, and texturisers provide body and mouthfeel. This ensures that the sensory profile of the original product is perfectly preserved.
Successful sugar reduction takes the entire formulation into account. Besides sweetness, sugar influences taste balance, mouthfeel and flavour perception, among other things. Depending on the product, options include sweetening solutions, natural flavourings from the taste modulation range and texturisers, which can be used individually or combined into a compound solution to achieve the desired sensory profile even at reduced sugar levels.
Sugar fulfils several functions in food and beverages. As well as providing sweetness, it can influence body and texture, balance flavours or mask off-notes. In certain applications, it also contributes to browning, structure or stability. For this reason, sugar reduction often requires adjustments to several components of the formulation, rather than simply replacing a single ingredient.
The appropriate approach depends on the product, the desired level of reduction, the sensory objective and the product’s positioning. From gradual reduction to comprehensive reformulation – where texture, flavour and other functional properties are also rebalanced – Döhler offers a wide range of solutions. These include Döhler’s SweetForce products, which are tailored to regional and application-specific preferences. In addition, depending on the desired outcome, taste modulation solutions or other ingredients can be used to optimise the mouthfeel.
Taste modulation can help compensate for the sensory changes resulting from a lower sugar content. These include, for example, a change in intensity or a different sweetness profile, as well as more pronounced bitterness, acidity or other flavour notes. The aim is to achieve a balanced taste profile that is tailored to the specific formulation.
In the EU, specific criteria apply to nutrition-related claims. For the claim “reduced sugars”, the sugar content must generally be at least 30 per cent lower than that of a comparable product. Furthermore, where sugar is reduced, the energy value must not be higher. “Low sugars” is permitted for solid foods containing up to 5 g of sugar per 100 g, and for liquids containing up to 2.5 g per 100 ml. For “sugars-free” products, such as “zero” drinks, the maximum limit is 0.5 g per 100 g or 100 ml.
The claim “with no added sugars” is permitted if neither monosaccharides nor disaccharides, nor any other foodstuffs, are used for their sweetening effect. If the product naturally contains sugar, this should be stated accordingly on the label. The specific formulation and labelling should always be checked for the relevant target market.
Yes. The functions of sugar – and therefore the requirements for reformulation – differ significantly between, for example, soft drinks, juices and nectars, plant-based drinks, dairy products and baked goods. While the sweetness profile, flavour and mouthfeel are often the main considerations for beverages, structure, volume and browning may also be relevant for solid foods.
Döhler combines ingredient solutions with application expertise to tailor formulations to the specific product and reduction target. This can be achieved using, among other things, sweetening solutions, natural flavours from the taste modulation range, fruit and vegetable ingredients, texturisers, and complete compound solutions. Döhler provides support at every stage, from initial concept and formulation development to market insights and regulatory expertise. In addition, our in-house Sensory & Consumer Science Team offers the opportunity to test reformulations in advance for consumer acceptance.
Reducing sugar can place different demands on the formulation depending on the product. If a clean-label positioning is also being targeted, the ingredients used, the desired degree of reduction, taste and functionality must all be considered together. Depending on the application, sweetening solutions, fruit or vegetable ingredients, fibres or other functional ingredients can help reduce the sugar content. Natural taste modulation solutions support the desired sensory profile while helping to ensure the ingredients list is as short and straightforward as possible. As there is no uniform legal definition of “clean label”, the specific solution should always be tailored to the product, target market and desired positioning.
It is not possible to define a standard reduction level for every product category and formulation without altering the desired sensory profile. It may therefore make sense to develop new beverage concepts alongside reformulating existing products. This is precisely where our “Redefining sweetness” approach comes in: going beyond simply reducing or replacing sugar, new product concepts can be created that combine indulgence with added functionality, while addressing current nutrition and health trends.
Would you like to reformulate a specific recipe or launch a new product?
Our experts are on hand to support you throughout the entire process: from reformulating the recipe and conducting market analyses to devising a market launch strategy and assisting with regulatory matters.
