Which sweeteners are consumers discussing on social media? And is the conversation positive or negative? The rise of social media is giving marketers access to an honest snapshot of consumer perceptions, says research company Loudpixel.
Monk fruit extract may be set to become a mainstream natural sweetener alongside stevia, but price remains a barrier, according to a Euromonitor industry analyst.
From stevia to monk fruit, oats, agave nectar and coconut palm sugar. In the second of our spring special editions, we look at what’s next for natural sweeteners.
It might not have garnered as much publicity as stevia, but monk fruit (luo han guo) “has found a niche within the all-natural market but will hit mass market sooner than stevia in this space”, according to one leading supplier.
The US alternative sweeteners market will grow by 3.3% a year to reach about $1.4bn in 2015 – and naturally positioned sweeteners like stevia and agave nectar will lead the way, claims a new report from market research organization Freedonia.
Cargill is looking beyond beverage to dairy as it flags up pending product launches for Truvia in both table-top and as an ingredient on the EU market next year.
Use of stevia is predicted to rise at an astonishing rate this year, taking the natural sweetener's share of the total US sugars and sweeteners market from 1.8% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2011, according to Packaged Facts.
Stevia supplier PureCircle has said that stevia awareness has grown to 62 percent in the United States, up from 46 percent a year earlier, according to new survey results from its PureCircle Insights Group.
60-second interview: Scott Martling, International Food Network
When it comes to ground-breaking NPD, two heads – or possibly six or seven - are always better than one, International Food Network’s (IFN’s) group leader Scott Martling tells Elaine Watson
Corn Products International has developed a new directly compressible erythritol for use in sugar-free confectionery and tablets, the company has said.
Safety concerns over artificial sweeteners and the expiry of patents mean that sales volumes could soon be overtaken by polyols, says a leading market research firm.
PepsiCo-owned Tropicana has introduced a new Trop50 apple juice sweetened with stevia, following on from the success of its Trop50 orange juice, launched in April last year.
A National Advertising Review Board panel has recommended that Heartland Sweeteners should stop advertising its Ideal-brand sweetener as ‘more than 99 percent natural’, saying the statement could mislead consumers.
Comax Flavors claims to have ‘set a new standard’ for sweetness enhancers for foods and beverages with the latest addition to its Max FlavorLab range of enhancers.
Consuming beverages sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners may lead to an increase in food consumption, and contribute to weight gain, says a new study from Purdue University.
NutraSweet is positioning its neotame sweetener as a better-tasting alternative to saccharine, and expects it to compete with the world’s most used sweetener on cost.
The strong trend toward natural products is unlikely to encroach significantly on the market for artificial sweeteners, according to sucralose manufacturer JK Sucralose.
Tabletop sweetener company Merisant has announced that it will exit bankruptcy after it filed for Chapter 11 protection in January in order to strengthen its “financial health and long-term prospects.”
Redpoint Bio has identified a new sweetness enhancer that could address the same market needs as new natural sweeteners launching to market at the moment.
Tate & Lyle’s manager of sweetener technology development gives insight into the role of sugar beyond providing sweetness, and how to pick alternative sweeteners that build back the properties.
Niutang is preparing to introduce its Reb A sweetener from stevia next year and is starting discussions with existing customers and new ones that have a parallel product development timeline.
Tate & Lyle has lost its sucralose patent case as the International Trade Commission gave its final ruling on Monday that Chinese manufacturers did not infringe the sugar giant’s patents.
PepsiCo-owned Tropicana has replaced its artificially sweetened Light n’ Healthy orange juice drink with Trop50, naturally sweetened with Reb A stevia extract.
PureCircle has appointed Jordi Ferre to its senior management team in the US to spearhead the commercial development of the all-natural, zero calorie stevia-derived sweetener, Rebaudioside A (Reb A).
The CEO of US firm Natur Research Ingredients, Loren Miles, is to promote the benefits of its Cweet Natural Intense Sweetener to the European market as it awaits regulatory approval.
A new range of natural sweetness enhancers have been introduced to try and recreate the syrupy mouth feel that comes with sugar but tends to be lost in low-calorie products.
Tate & Lyle is to appeal against a court ruling which concluded that Chinese importers and manufacturers of sucralose did not infringe the sugar giant’s patents, as it had claimed.
Corn Products Specialty Ingredients has added its own brand of erythritol to the market, focusing on customized sweetener systems to improve performance when combined with other sweeteners.
Nutrinova has announced progress in its mission to identify
compounds that could yield new natural sweeteners for the food and
beverage industry, in collaboration with BRAIN.
Bunge has announced the signature of a definitive agreement to
acquire Corn Products International for around $4.8bn, a major deal
that plunges it into the high-potential sweeteners market.
The use of xylitol, a natural sweetener linked to dental health,
could prevent the formation of undesirable brown pigments and
enhance beverage formulations, suggests new research.
Chinese corn-based sweeteners producer Global Sweetener Holdings
has taken a new step towards its aim of becoming a leader in the
Asian and worldwide markets for corn sweeteners by buying out
Mitsui's share of their sorbitol...
A lawsuit regarding claims of false advertising for the artificial
sweetener Splenda is set to go ahead as planned, after a federal
court rejected a request for summary judgment.
A new plant-derived high intensity sweetener is set to hit the
market worldwide, emerging as what could be the first natural
sweetener to rival artificial counterparts such as aspartame and
sucralose.
No sweetener currently available on the market has proven to be
a fully satisfactory replacement for sugar, but the emergence of
stevia could rekindle hope, according to Freedonia. The analyst
examines the sweetener market in the...
An intensely anticipated lawsuit regarding the misleading marketing
of sucralose product Splenda ended Friday in a quiet settlement
between the two sweetener firms Merisant and McNeil Nutritionals.
An epidemiological study in Italy concluded that there is no
indication of an association between sweetener consumption and
cancer risk - findings that lend some support to EFSA's conclusions
on the safety of aspartame.
Ingredient firm Corn Products International has completed the
acquisition of the food business of SPI Polyols, as well as the
remaining 50 percent of SPI's Brazilian joint venture.
Scientists from Korea and Denmark have reported the synthesis of
novel oligosaccharides with a relative sweetness of about 80 per
cent that of sucrose, potentially offering formulators with an
alternative sweetener source.
Soaring obesity rates are creating opportunities for food and
beverage manufacturers to expand the number of products that
contain sugar substitutes, according to a new market report.
The use of ingredients to improve the nutritional status of food
products by replacing sugar is one of the major driving forces for
new product development, according to Roquette.
The sugar alcohol maltitol is the most promising polyol sweetener
to replace sucrose in chocolate, says new research from Turkey, a
result that could lead to new types of sugar-free chocolate to the
booming "diet" candy...
