Sweetening products can present a roaring challenge. Consumer interest in health, weight and wellness has spawned wild growth in foods and beverages with reduced sugar content. A 2004 survey by the Calorie Control Council (Atlanta) showed that 84% of the respondents regularly use foods and beverages that are considered to be low-calorie, reduced-sugar and sugar-free. In March 2005, the Freedonia Group Inc. (Cleveland), market analysts, predicted the demand for high-intensity sweeteners will grow 8.3% yearly until 2008.
Perhaps the essential lesson the low-fat and low-carb trends taught formulators is that, to food shoppers, taste matters the most. A line of neotame-based blends, produced by Sweetener Solutions LLC (Savannah, Ga.), a strategic partner of The NutraSweet Co., and distributed exclusively by Univar USA (Kirkland, Wash.), provides formulators with ingredients that can be used as both a general sweetener and flavor enhancer.