Salty or Sweet?
It’s an age-old question that often has people choosing the best of both worlds and changing that or to an and.
The data doesn’t help settle this either. One recent survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) found that 59% of consumers opt for sweet treats as part of their snacking habits. While that was the leading response, 58% of respondents said they include salty options in their snack rotation.
A YouGov poll from this past summer doesn’t make the winner of this battle any clearer. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 71% of Americans preferred salty snacks. However, 70% of people said they enjoyed sweet options regularly.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which side of the fence you choose (or if you decide to sit on the fence itself); it’s clear that people love rich and indulgent foods that provide a sense of comfort or feel like a reward.
The problem?
Most of these foods fall under the category of HFSS foods, or High Fat Salt Sugar.
Such foods are increasingly coming under scrutiny for their potential to negatively impact the health of consumers, so much so that governments around the world have been instituting policies to better inform consumers, like the “Black Labels” in LATAM or the “Traffic Light” scheme in Europe, legislation to limit promotion of products that fail to meet specific standards, and in the case of the UK, looking at extending the increased taxes on sugary drinks to dairy and ready-to-drink coffee beverages as well.
With 75% of people claiming that they prioritise making health-conscious food choices, the data suggests that consumers seem to be on board.
The other problem?
The high levels of fat, salt, and sugar are often what make people crave these foods in the first place. It’s no secret that these make foods delicious.
And while consumers may claim this is what they want, that’s only if it still tastes “almost” as good. The sad truth? Most of them don’t.
So, what can developers do to lower sugar and salt and still hit that sweet spot on taste?
Finding the Sweet Spot™
Sugar reduction is nothing new, and with the popularity of low-carb, low-sugar diets like Keto, Atkins, etc., the offerings of low or no-calorie sugar alternatives have exploded.
Non-nutritive sweeteners are everywhere in some locales, from stevia to allulose, erythritol, and monk fruit.
Still, not everyone is picking up what developers are putting down. These sweeteners can do a great job of matching “sweetness”, but at certain levels, these can leave a metallic or other unpleasant aftertastes.
This is where flavours can have a massive impact on taste perception.
Whether you’re looking to simply reduce sugar or replace it entirely, a number of our flavours and flavour profiles can improve and enhance the perception of sweetness.
Traditionally sweet profiles like vanilla or caramel are great for boosting the perceived sweetness of a product without any added sugar. Still, we can also take that step further with our range of cutting-edge Sweet Spot™ flavours that can increase, decrease, or change the perception of individual sensorial flavour characteristics as well as add roundness, complexity and depth.
Speaking on the power of these flavours Junior Flavorist at Edlong, Peter Kern adds, “Sweet Spot™ technology can act as both a partial sugar replacer at higher levels and as a masker at lower levels. Sweet Spot can target a specific profile, cream, butter, etc., or can be a generalist that helps you to overcome the difficult challenges of reducing sugar in your formulation.”
Seeking a Savoury Boost
Reducing and especially replacing salt, on the other hand, is a much tougher task, particularly in plant-based.
As an ingredient, it just does so much, from shelf stability to enhancing the performance and complexity of all the other flavours and ingredients in any dish or product.
That’s before we even mention the obvious savoury, salty, umami notes that people can’t get enough of.
The key is to find other ways to enhance and boost these savoury and umami notes. A reduction in something like snack seasoning and an umami-packed profile like aged cheddar or parmesan can help build back a savoury perception and the rounded indulgence people expect.
But what if we need to take it further?
This is where strategic partnerships are needed to create products undeniably full of umami. Earlier this fall, Edlong EMEA partnered with MCLS Europe (Mitsubishi Corporation Life Sciences) at Healy Innovation Day to present plant-based cheese demos that could do just that.
Leveraging our understanding of diary complexity and MCLS expertise in umami and koku, we were able to harness the savoury, rich, and round characteristics naturally produced by various amino acids and peptides. The cheese produced was fat free, also adding to the challenge to create a savoury product as fat carries flavour and creates mouthfeel.
Combining MCLS’s yeast extracts with Edlong’s top-noted flavour profiles demonstrated how you could elevate the flavour and deliver a wider range of umami & koku configurations, resulting in different traits and intensities. In other words, it is a savoury, indulgent taste experience that people will love.
Building a better-tasting, better-for-you future for food and beverages starts with flavour but will take continued investment and collaboration. We’re working to lead the way on both.
Why not join us?
Contact our international team of R&D experts to get started on your sugar or sodium reduction project today!
About the Author: Emily Sheehan, Applications Manager, EMEA
Hi! I’m Emily Sheehan. I’m the Applications Manager, EMEA at Edlong, and my job is rooted in creating exciting new possibilities for our people and processes. It’s inspiring to reflect on how much Edlong has achieved and even more amazing to be involved in such thoughtful innovation. We enjoy pushing boundaries in food and flavour, and we welcome everyone in the food industry to join us. If you’re in need of expertise or inspiration, I’d love to collaborate and help you design flavour solutions that resonate with consumers!
Topics: Better For YouDairy flavorsInnovation
Resource Type: Article
Resource Region: EU