Ingredients | IDM Figure I: Fruit yoghurt with oligofructose comes very close to the sensorial properties of the original product 10 2016 | international-dairy.com · 37 Rudy Wouters: I’m convinced that it’s possible. At the BENEO-Technology Center in Tienen, Belgium, we conduct trials with sugar-reduced products on a regular basis. It’s our goal to imitate the sensorial properties of the original product as exactly as possible. For example, a few weeks ago, we examined how sugar replacement with BENEO’s chicory root fibre (Orafti® Oligofructose) influences the taste profile of a fruit yoghurt. These tests have confirmed that oligofructose contributes to sweetness, mouthfeel, body and fruit flavour in a similar way to sugar. The test panel was unable to detect any major differences between a fruit yoghurt sweetened with oligofructose and the original product (Figure I). Following a number of trials, we found that the best sugar-reduced recipe formulation combined sugars, oligofructose and a sweetness enhancer whilst avoiding the use of any intense sweeteners. As a consequence, we reduced the total sugar content by 20% and the amount of added sugars by 35% (Table I). Rudy Wouters, Vice President, BENEOTechnology Center Technical Sugar Control Negative Control Orafti oligofructose dry solids 23.5 20.6 23.5 Nutritional/100g fat 2.5 2.5 2.5 proteins 3.7 3.7 3.7 Carbohydrates 15.5 12.5 12.1 total sugars 15.1 12.1 11.7 % -20% -23% 'added' sugars 10.0 7.0 6.5 % -30% -35% Fibre 0.2 0.2 3.2 Table I: With oligofructose, total sugars can be reduced by more than 20% while preserving the desired taste profile IDM: How does that affect total calorie content of the fruit yoghurt? Rudy Wouters: Total calories dropped because we didn’t increase the fat content of the product and oligofructose is a fibre with only half the caloric value of sugar. But that’s not the only thing that counts; even though most public debate focuses on this one issue, oligofructose also reduces the blood glucose response and adds dietary fibre to a recipe formulation, which supports digestive health. This means that manufacturers achieve several positive effects at the same time. IDM: What claims are available for manufacturers that partly replace sugar with oligofructose? Rudy Wouters: Besides claiming sugar and calorie-reductions, there are a number of other options. First, and this depends on the amount of fibre used, manufacturers can claim the fibre content on pack. Additionally, oligofructose has recently received a 13.5 EU Health Claim that can be used right now. The recent health claim confirms that oligofructose contributes to better blood glucose management as it induces a lower rise in blood glucose response compared with sugar-containing foods/ drinks. The corresponding health claim adds significant marketing value to sugar reduced products.
IDM_10_2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above