Better Juice, a food tech startup, has expanded its sugar reduction technology to diminish the sugar content of fruit sorbets.
This novel tool will allow manufacturers to create tasty products with a ‘better for you’ upgrade, claims Better Juice.
The company will showcase its reduced sugar sorbet at IFT FIRST in Chicago on July 15–17.
Converting sugar for a healthier treat
A significant issue with sorbets is their naturally high sugar content. “Even products claiming zero added sugar still house approximately 6% to 10% percent sugar from the fruit juice concentrates alone,” explains co-founder and CEO of Better Juice, Gali Yarom.
Sorbet tends to have a higher glycemic index than ice cream due to the sugar in sorbet not being accompanied by fat, leading to quicker absorption into the bloodstream.
How do Better Juice do it?
To successfully create sorbets with a reduced sugar profile the company adapted its technology to process fruit concentrates and purées.
From this process, Better Juice can reduce sugar content by up to 70%, as well as slashing calories by 40%.
The company’s enzymatic technology is based on non-GMO microorganisms that transform a fruit juice’s composition of natural sugars into prebiotic oligosaccharides and other non-digestible fibres.
The fruit juices are treated in continuous-flow columns that contain immobilised sugar-reducing beads.
“We succeeded in creating delicious sorbets with as little as 2% percent sugar,” states Yarom. “Our treated sorbets possess a more gentle sweetness yet retain all their characteristic fruity notes and flavour.”
According to a recent report from Innova Markets Insights, sugar reduction has been the primary focus for confectionary innovators responding to consumer demand for more nutritious formats without sacrificing flavour.
