Sugar...without the sugar
The market for sugar alternatives continues to grow, with many firms at Expo West touting sweetener blends that promise to replicate not only the sweetness, but also the binding, caramelization and tenderizing properties of sugar.
One product with a name that certainly helped it stand out from the crowd at Expo West is Now Foods' "Sugarless Sugar" - a blend of stevia, erythritol, organic inulin, rice maltodextrin and guar gum that's intended as a one-to-one replacement for sugar.
"See how the outside of the scone has become nicely caramelized? Most sugarless sweeteners can't do that," Dave Rosenberg, Now's food category manager, told FoodNavigator-USA.