As a successful product designer, you may have depended on sugar for a variety of different reasons. The way it feels in the mouth, the taste profiles it can enhance, and the beloved sweetness it brings to a product are big motivators, to name a few. These days, with the health conscious community always on the rise, there is an extra demand for products that have either low or no sugar content. This can present a decent challenge to any manufacturer, but let’s be positive: sometimes, limitation helps us grow! Let's take a look at some of the ways to enhance that sought-after sweetness in your products with reduced sugar.
Natural Flavor Solutions
Your first instinct to solve this low-sugar flavor conundrum is likely to just use an artificial sweetener. While this is often a viable option, there are some downsides. When you do this–as you may know–there can often be a metallic or bitter taste. People don’t like the aftertaste of false sweeteners, and when they notice that particular off taste, they immediately check their labels. If there is a surplus of artificial sugars, it leaves the customer unsatisfied and unlikely to purchase that product again.
To keep everything balanced, take a closer look at each ingredient in any product that must have a low sugar content. There must be a serious level of awareness as to how each flavor interacts within this profile, since the extra sugar won’t be what the consumer tastes first. They will taste the base of the product much more than they otherwise would have, and each individual flavoring that you add. Be very mindful of the quality of the flavors, as higher quality will always make for better interactions.
Serving Your Vanilla Flavor Lovers
Extremely common favorites among the taste lovers of the world are the classic vanilla and chocolate. When you’re making something that’s intended to taste like a pleasant dessert, you probably want to offer options for both of these sought-after tastes. Unfortunately, people often love them hugely in part because of their inherent sweetness. How can you deliver an efficient chocolate or vanilla without all the extras?
That’s where we come in. OSF has carefully curated sweetness enhancers for your low-sugar needs. Our cocoa enhancers can help maintain the classic tastiness of chocolates which would otherwise be overpowered by the flavors of your base. When you add in a sweetness enhancer, you’re able to keep those undesirable tastes out of the final product, leaving your consumers satiated and grateful for the potent and comforting flavors of their foods.
A Sugarless Society
A whopping 80% of Americans are now limiting or avoiding sugar in their diets altogether. The WHO has encouraged a lessening of sugar intake on a worldwide basis, so it’s unlikely that the public opinion on sugar will change anytime soon. The foods we eat are evolving at extremely high paces, right along with the technologies we use to create them, and society at large. That means it's up to flavorists, product designers, and manufacturers to follow suit.
Ideally, everyone works together in order to maintain the deliciousness we have always adored, without sacrificing too much of the important diligence towards matters of public health. This becomes possible with only the highest quality of naturally derived flavor components, which we are increasingly proud to present here at OSF. People love their sweet treats, but they love making healthy choices even more. It’s up to you to help them do it, and though it might be a challenge sometimes, the return will be well worth the effort.