Food-tech start-up B.T. Sweet has highlighted how its plant-based sweetening product can be used to to cut sugar from treats such as hazelnut and chocolate spreads.
Cambya is a plant-based drop-in sugar replacer for use in food & beverage applications. The proprietary formula, based on soluble fibres, monk fruit, and select botanicals, is a 1:1 equivalent to sugar both in function and flavour, the company claims. The ingredient provides sweetness without the need for masking agents, while reportedly avoiding lingering aftertastes. It’s suitable for lowering sugar levels in confectionary, cereals and ice cream.
The ingredient is designed to help manufacturers meet their sugar-reduction targets without compromising on much important flavour qualities.
According to the UK’s National Health Service, while it is recommended that adults have no more than 30 g of free sugars daily, children ages 7 to 10 should have no more than 24 g per day. And children ages 4 to 6 should have no more than 19 g of free sugars in a day.
“For many, a breakfast or school sandwich is incomplete without chocolate hazelnut spread,” confesses Yoav Gaon, CEO of B.T. Sweet. “Parents struggle with their kids’ demands for it and have a hard time resisting it themselves. We succeeded in developing a tasty solution that kids of all ages love simply by switching white sugar with Cambya.”
Sweet spreads typically contain up to 50% sucrose. The start-up tested the sweetening platform in several spread formulations with the goal of creating low sugar spread applications that cut the sugar load by at least 50%, according to clients’ requests. In addition to extensive sensory lab testing across all parameters, the start-up trialed the products among children and their parents.
Kids are the primary market for chocolate spreads, birthday cakes, cookies filled with cream and similar products. We received excellent feedback from them,” said Dagi Pekatch, founder and Chairman of B.T Sweet.
Since the product is one-to-one equivalent to sugar in taste, body and texture, the company says, there is no need for additives to maintain product weight. Moreover, it is enriched in fibre and is low in calories.
Manufacturers have the flexibility to completely switch to the natural sweetening system, or balance it with sugar and other sweeteners according to desired levels without any adjustment to the recipe.
