Company: Ingredion Inc.

Website: www.ingredion.us

Ingredient Snapshot: Ingredion Incorporated has now introduced in the U.S. and Canada a new line of low-sugar glucose syrups. VERSASWEET low-sugar glucose syrups enable manufacturers of confectionery, dairy, ice cream and baked good products to achieve reduced grams of sugar on the Nutrition Facts panel by formulating with low-sugar corn- or tapioca-based glucose syrups that, compared to standard glucose syrups, have a lower percentage of mono- and disaccharides, also called DP1 + DP2.

More than 80 percent of consumers are checking the sugar content of foods and beverages before making purchases, according to a 2017 Mintel Sugar Reduction Trends report. “The challenge for food manufacturers has been to reformulate to a lower sugar product with minimal or no changes to the ingredient declaration list or existing processes,” says Nate Yates, director of the Sweetness Springboard, North America at Ingredion. “VERSASWEET low-sugar glucose syrups can help manufacturers overcome this challenge when they are already using glucose syrup. Low viscosity, non-GMO corn and tapioca options of VERSASWEET low-sugar glucose syrup are also available.” 

In a proprietary Ingredion study, 61 percent of consumers said that “added sugar” on the nutrition label would negatively impact their purchase intent. “In response to heighted awareness of sugar on labels, especially in the face of changing sugar regulations in the U.S. and Canada, manufacturers can give consumers the taste and sweet experience they expect with VERSASWEET low-sugar glucose syrups," says Afrouz Naeini, Ingredion’s senior marketing manager of sweetness and beverage, North America.

VERSASWEET low-sugar glucose syrups can offer a 50 percent or higher reduction of DP1 + DP2, depending on the glucose syrup being replaced. The range of ingredients is about one-third as sweet as sucrose, according to internal testing at Ingredion. It has a clean-taste and similar functionality to traditional glucose syrups and is stable when exposed to heat and acid, with a low Maillard reactivity. Depending on the VERSASWEET low-sugar glucose syrup chosen, it can be labeled as glucose syrup, corn syrup or tapioca syrup. Like other products of its kind, VERSASWEET low-sugar glucose syrups contain the same caloric and carbohydrate content as traditional glucose syrups.