Food giant Nestlé has introduced a new sugar reduction technology that it says can be applied across different product categories.
The technology, based on an enzymatic process, reduces the intrinsic sugar in ingredients such as malt, milk, and fruit juices by up to 30%, with a minimal impact on taste and texture.
Nestlé added that it eliminates the need to add sweeteners or bulking agents to replace the volume of the removed sugar.
In addition, the technology can also be employed to produce low lactose and skimmed milk-based products, while reducing total sugars.
'A True Breakthrough'
Stefan Palzer, Nestlé's chief technology officer said, "Sugar reduction across our portfolio remains a top priority. This new technology is a true breakthrough, as we can reduce sugar without adding sweeteners while preserving a great taste, all at a minimal cost increase.
"In addition, our scientists discovered that the sugar reduction generates prebiotic fibres that support the microbiome, which is an additional benefit. We are now accelerating the global roll-out across formats and categories."
The food giant first piloted the technology in cocoa and malt-based ready-to-drink beverages in Southeast Asia over the past year.
It has been introduced in factory lines for cocoa and malt-based powdered beverages, such as Milo in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
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Sugar Reduction Technology
Since 2021, the technology has been applied to over 200,000 tonnes of cocoa and malt-based beverages. The company plans to add it to other product categories, such as dairy powders in the future.
The new sugar reduction technology complements other existing solutions developed by Nestlé over the years in collaboration with external innovation partners and suppliers.
This includes natural sweeteners, sweetness-enhancing or bitterness-masking flavours, as well as natural bulking agents, such as fibres, cereals and tailor-made dairy and cocoa powders.
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