Reducing the calorie content of ingredients without compromising texture and … · 2018-12-12 · 1 Reducing the calorie content of ingredients without compromising texture and flavour

1

Reducing the calorie content

of ingredients without

compromising texture and

flavour Jenny Arthur, Head of Nutrition and Product Development

This document has been prepared solely for Food Matters Live

and may not, without permission, be disclosed to any third party.

© Leatherhead Food Research 2018

2 © Leatherhead Food Research 2018

Contents

1 Function of fat and sugar in

products and the challenges of

calorie reduction

2 Consumer attitudes

3 Reducing calories through fat

reduction

4 Reducing calories through

sugar reduction

5 In summary


Section 1

Function of sugar and

fat and the challenges

in food and drink

products



Backdrop…PHE Sugar reduction and Calorie reduction

programmes


TASTE – sugar and fat

Gold standard for sweetness

TEXTURE – sugar and fat

Physically provides structure which

creates texture – soft, hard, brittle,

chewy, crispy, crunchy

BULK – sugar and fat

Provides volume directly and through

inter-ingredient interaction – a key

product building block

VISUAL APPEAL – sugar and fat

Creates colour sometimes through

caramelisation

Functions of sugar and fat in food and drink products

AERATION – sugar and fat

Helps create air pockets and bubbles

FERMENTATION - sugar

Interacts with yeast to create rise

PRESERVATIVE – sugar

Reduces microbial activity through

binding water


The key challenges

Nutrition

• Calories

• Benefits

• Profiling

Sensory attributes

• Visual appearance

• Smell

• Mouthfeel

• Texture

• Breakdown in mouth

Quality

• Microbiological /

preservation

• Texture and mouthfeel

• Appearance

Consumer demands

• Unaffected taste

• Clean label alternatives

• Sustainable alternatives

• Ethical alternatives


Section 2

Consumer attitudes



Help me achieve my goals

44% are trying to eat

less sugar


less meat

1 in 20

are trying to cut

gluten from

their diet

6% are trying to cut

dairy from

their diet 1 in 5

are trying to drink

less alcohol

¼ are trying to cook

more from raw

ingredients


more protein


• A significant number of consumers are trying to cut

sugar from their diet

• Leatherhead’s own research shows 44% of UK

consumers were trying to eat less sugar compared

with 12 months ago. This highlights the strength of

consumer desire to change behaviour, although does

not necessarily mean consumers are successful

Consumer appetite to cut sugar from diet

50%

65%

48% 48% 47% 44%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

All countries Brazil China USA France UK

The percentage of consumers trying to eat less sugar by country

Survey question: Thinking generally about your eating and drinking habits now compared to 12 months ago, which, if any, of the following apply to you?

Source: Leatherhead Food Research consumer survey (2016), sample size = 6,196 consumers from Brazil, China, USA, France and the UK


Understand consumer expectations in sugar reduction to avoid

disappointment

Leatherhead’s own research

shows that sugar reduction needs

to also equate to a reduction in

calories.

If sugar-reduced versions of

products do not deliver a

significant reduction in calories,

then consumers can feel

disappointed at best and cheated

at worst.

Leatherhead Food Research (2012) Consumer understanding of sugars claims on food and drink products

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437484/


Section 3

Reducing calories

through fat reduction



Reducing calories through fat reduction

• A wide variety of fat replacers are

available on the market to replace all or

some of the fat

• There is NO one-size-fits-all solution

• The type of fat replacer used depends on

the properties of fat that you want to

replace

Can be:

• Carbohydrate-based

• Protein-based

• Fat-based

• Combination-based

Using ingredients that mimic fat-related behaviour


Carbohydrate-based replacers

Types Examples

Fibres – 30% less fat 71kcal/40g

serving

Ingredient listings

• Commonly known as fat mimetics

• Contain 0 – 4 kcal/g

• Mimic the sensation of fat – absorb

water, add volume, thicken and stabilise

• Maltodextrin – biscuits

• Polydextrose cooking sauces/salad

dressings

• MCC – mirco crystalline cellulose - mayo

• Fibres - biscuits

• Starches – cooking sauces

• Gums – solid products eg marg

• Pectins – yogurts or dips like fibres

Ingredients: Reduced fat soured cream

(63%) (contains cow’s milk), reduced fat

Greek style yogurt (contains cow’s milk),

water, rapeseed oil, chive (3%), onion,

pasteurised egg, cornflour, concentrated

lemon juice, sugar, rice starch, spirit

vinegar, salt, dried free range egg white,

citrus fibre, potato fibre


Protein-based replacers

Microparticulated whey proteins Gelatines

• Microparticulated whey protein

concentrates – Simplesse ®

• Typically used in dairy products, frozen

dairy desserts, salad dressings and

margarines

• Gelatine – bovine, porcine, fish etc.

• Widely used in dairy applications such

as low-fat yoghurts


Case study Fat based replacers

We helped our clients to reduce the fat levels in their

dressings with no change in sensory

Reducing fat in foods for health reasons is desirable. Fat in

foods gives sensory and taste experiences, and the

challenge was to reduce fat but maintain the quality

properties that the consumer likes.

• The emulsions were

significantly lower in fat but

sensory testing showed they

were similar to the high fat

versions. Checks under the

microscope showed the double

emulsion was stable during

manufacture and storage.

• We carried out trials using an

alternative strategy to reduce fat

in emulsions by creating double

emulsions. These replaced

some of the oil in the emulsion

with water, rather than using the

water stabilising ingredients

normally used in low fat

dressings.

Approach Benefit

Double emulsion under the

microscope – water droplets (black)

inside fat droplets (white)


Section 4

Reducing calories

through sugar

reduction



Calorie content Polyols Calorie content Polyols

3.0 calories per gram Hydrogenated starch

Hydrolysates 2.0 calories per gram Isomalt

2.6 calories per gram Sorbitol 2.0 calories per gram Lactitol

2.4 calories per gram Xylitol 1.6 calories per gram Mannitol

2.1 calories per gram Maltitol 0.2 calories per gram Erythritol

Common sugar replacers

Calorie content of sweeteners

Calorie content

~0 calories per gram Stevia

Acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose etc.

Calorie content of bulk sweeteners


Leatherhead believes Blueprinting is the best start

Systematic, controlled and structured way of renovating and innovating the

products


Case study Blueprinting for sugar reduction

in biscuits

Example of effects of swapping sugar for

sweetener

We made biscuits with sugar, with all sweetener and

without either

Consumers preferred the sugar

biscuit. Sensory profiling showed

clear differences in the attributes

Texture and microstructure also

different when sugar replaced by

sweetener


Apple mango beverage

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0 10 20 30 40 50

Do

min

an

ce (

%)

Time

SWEET

ASTRINGENT

APPLE

SPICY

MANGO

SOUR


In summary

• One of the first steps with any reformulation is to consider the regulatory

implications

• It is important to understand the functionality of sugar and fat in different

product categories and their impact on calories

• Also need to consider what is the objective of the reformulation

• No single ingredient can replace the role of sugar or fat and reduce the calorie

content

• Taste is the major driver for purchase and reduction of sugar and fat is not

straightforward and technically very challenging


Thank you

[email protected]


Epsom

Yew Tree Bottom Road

Epsom

KT18 5XT

UK

Phone: +44 1372 376761

[email protected]


Disclaimer

Some parts of a report of this nature are inevitably

subjective and/or based on information obtained in good

faith from third party sources. Where opinions are

expressed, they are the opinions of the individual author

and/or the relevant third party source and not those of

Leatherhead Food Research or its group. Furthermore, if

new facts become available and/or the commercial or

technological environment evolves, the relevance and

applicability of opinions and conclusions in this report may

be affected. Accordingly, while this report has been

compiled in good faith, no representation or warranty,

express or implied, is made by Leatherhead Food

Research as to its completeness, accuracy or fairness.

Except where limited by law, neither Leatherhead Food

Research nor its group shall be responsible for any

actions taken or not taken as a result of any opinions and

conclusions provided in this report and you agree to

indemnify Leatherhead Food Research, its group and/or

personnel against any liability resulting from the same.

Documents

Reducing the calorie content of ingredients without compromising texture and … · 2018-12-12 · 1 Reducing the calorie content of ingredients without compromising texture and flavour