Because taste is king, it’s important to find the right combination of sweeteners to create a reduced-sugar sweet baked good that best replicates the flavor of the full-sugar versions. 

“Sugar plays a crucial role in achieving the perfect level of sweetness in baked goods,” said Casey McCormick, vice president of global innovation at Sweegen. “When reducing sugar, bakers need to experiment with different sweeteners and flavor modifiers to ensure the final product remains satisfying to the palate without compromising on taste.”

Higher sugar reductions require more bulking agents, which will affect taste perception. Newer technologies include sweetness enhancers and flavor maskers that can overcome off notes, pointed out Bob Ferraro, principal application scientist, sweet applications, Sensient Flavors & Extracts.

“When you go as high as 50%, you will be changing the mouthfeel and, in some cases, the flavor perception of the baked good,” he said.

Thom King, chief executive officer and chief food scientist, Icon Foods, did caution that flavor maskers can also cover up flavors that bakers want to come through, which can mean more ingredients must be used to get the same taste perception.

“If you blend steviol glycosides that are from stevia with mogroside V, which is the sweet constituent in monk fruit, those two glycosides actually mask each other’s off notes,” he explained. “Together they work as a masker, but the only downside is it will also mask desired flavors. So if you’re using a citrus flavor or vanilla, you’ll have to increase the amount of flavor you’re using.”

Bakers often pair a bulking agent like erythritol with high-intensity sweeteners for reduced-sugar baked goods.

“Erythritol brings some sweetness back to the formula, but it doesn’t have the same sweetness intensity as sugar,” said Dave Lindhorst, technical service manager, Cargill. “That’s where stevia shines. When used together, erythritol and stevia are very complementary and result in reduced-sugar finished products with great sweetness profiles.”

Formulators can turn to fruit to add a natural sweetness that isn’t considered added sugar, said Kate Leahy, spokesperson, Sunsweet Growers.

“For instance, prunes are sweet, but part of their sweetness comes from sorbitol, allowing for a reduction in total added sugars on the label,” she said.

Fruit blends can also be effective, Leahy added.

“Apple and prunes blended together work well in creating a matrix that holds onto moisture while also adding sweetness and bulk,” she said. “A 50/50 prune-apple blend can take the place of some of the sugar and fat, allowing for total sugar reduction. This strategy is best for quick breads, cakes, brownies and other moist baked goods.”

Incredo Sugar helps with sugar reduction by delivering real sugar to the sweet taste receptors in the tongue more efficiently, which provides the same level of sweetness with 30% to 50% less sugar, said Kelly Thompson, co-CEO, Incredo.

“Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed a shift in preference away from sugar alcohols and alternative sweeteners, with consumers and consequently, bakers favoring natural sugars,” she said.

Maxx Performance has produced a slow-release sugar that the company said produces baked goods with 15% to 30% less sugar but the same sweetness as full-sugar items.

“Not only do we reduce the sugar content, but we are able to deliver a more stable product with extended shelf life, which overcomes the issue with moisture pick-up that is typically seen with raw sugar,” said Courtney Samuels, senior sales and marketing director, Maxx Performance.

Another taste modulation technology that aids in sugar reduction comes from Kerry.

“Our Tastesense Sweet modulation technology enables our customers to reduce the sugar content of their bakery item while enhancing the sweetness of the product to deliver a full-sugar taste performance,” said Peggy Dantuma, director, bakery business development, Kerry. “This needs to be used in addition to ingredients such as fiber or sugar alcohols to replace the bulk of the sugar removed. High-intensity sweeteners such as stevia play a part if a high percentage of sugar is removed.”

When it comes to hitting certain target reductions in sweet baked goods, bakers have many options. Functionality, mouthfeel and sweetness levels all must be considered to find the right balance.

This article is an excerpt from the May 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Sugar Reduction, click here.