At this year’s IFT, one of the focus points for Nutrinova, the manufacturer of the high intensity sweetener Sunett® (acesulfame K), is the growing market for low calorie flavored water. Recent studies conducted for Nutrinova show that sweetener blends can help manufacturers create premium tasting products, while limiting the calorie content of this increasingly popular market segment. Visitors at booth 1732 can try the great taste of a low-calorie lemon/lime flavored water with a sweetener blend of Sunett® and sucralose.

Sales of flavored water are also on the increase globally. Interest in flavored water is being fuelled by increasing awareness of the health benefits of keeping well hydrated. While water flavored with fruit is more interesting to drink than still water, added sugars remain a cause for concern among a growing band of health-conscious consumers. If manufacturers are to capitalize on this growing trend, they need to develop products which combine the health benefits of water with premium flavor in a low-sugar, reduced calorie formulation.

Sweeteners can be added to replace sugar and to achieve the best tasting product studies suggest “Successful combinations are hard to beat” says Graham Hall, President & COO of Nutrinova Inc. Blending different sweeteners to achieve the optimal taste profile is therefore key to product success. “It’s all about the taste”, says Hall.

The studies conducted for Nutrinova took a non-carbonated beverage sweetened with sugar as the standard and compared the effects of different blends of carbohydrates sweeteners and high intensity sweeteners, such as Sunett® and sucralose in two of the most popular flavors used in this category: strawberry and lemon/lime.

Strawberry flavors in particular seem to be very sensitive to changes in the sweetening system. Sunett® in combination with sucralose supports aromatic and fruity notes. A blend of Sunett® and aspartame shows more acidic notes which emphasize the freshness and serve the thirst quenching character of this beverage.

In lemon/lime beverages, where the flavor showed to be less delicate, Sunett® works well as a single sweetener. The addition of minor quantities of sucrose improve the flavor even further. The blends showed no significant differences to the fully sugared reference, while at the same time only minimum calories are added.

A combination of Sunett with sucralose also creates a good tasting solution especially in terms of flavor and the sweetness profile.

The results highlight the benefits of using Sunett® as part of the sweetener system to create low calorie, premium tasting products. Sunett® can be used in combination with sucrose, other carbohydrate sweeteners or high intensity sweeteners to positively influence sweetness onset and development, mouthfeel and after-taste to meet consumers’ requirements.

Sunett® is manufactured in accordance with the most stringent quality and safety standards, demonstrates excellent storage, temperature and pH stability, and is already used in over 5,000 food and beverage products in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Experts from Nutrinova will be available at booth 1732 at IFT to talk to manufacturers in greater detail about Sunett® in sweetener systems across a wide range of applications, including beverages, confectionery, baked goods, dairy products and as a table-top sweetener.

Editor’s note:
Nutrinova is a leading international supplier of specialty ingredients for the food and beverage industries. The company invented acesulfame K and markets this high intensity sweetener under the brand name Sunett and is one of the world’s largest producers of potassium sorbate and sorbic acid. With its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, Nutrinova is present in all major markets.