Nestle touts new technology to reduce sugar in chocolate
[LONDON] Nestle, the world's largest packaged food group, said it had devised a new technology that has the potential to reduce sugar in some of its confectionery products by up to 40 per cent without affecting the taste.
The maker of Kitkat and Aero bars said its researchers have found a way using only natural ingredients to change the structure of sugar particles.
By hollowing out the crystals, Nestle said each particle dissolves more quickly on the tongue, so less sugar can be used in chocolate.
"Our scientists have discovered a completely new way to use a traditional, natural ingredient," the company's chief technology officer, Stefan Catsicas, said in a statement late on Wednesday.
The announcement comes as a global obesity epidemic ramps up pressure on processed food makers to make their products healthier. Nestle and its peers have all been working to reduce sugar, fat and salt, as consumers increasingly opt for fresher, healthier options.
Nestle said it was patenting its findings and would begin to use the faster-dissolving sugar across a range of its confectionery products from 2018.
Nestle is not the first company to experiment with designer molecules.
PepsiCo in 2010 piloted a designer salt molecule that it said would allow it to use less sodium without affecting the taste of its snacks, which include Walkers crisps and Cheetos.
REUTERS
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Consumer & Healthcare
HCA beats first-quarter profit estimates on higher patient admissions
US FDA approves Pfizer’s gene therapy for rare bleeding disorder
EU toughens rules on Chinese fashion retailer Shein
Best World under fire from shareholders at AGM over dividends, director salaries
‘Extreme’ climate blamed for world’s worst wine harvest in 62 years
Sheng Siong Q1 net profit up 9.3% on higher revenue