Akhir tahun 2011, Uni Eropa akhirnya menyetujui penggunaan stevia di industri pangan. Hal ini membuka kesempatan bagi industri pangan yang akan memasarkan produknya di benua tersebut untuk menggunakannya sebagai pemanis alami yang rendah kalori.
With the recent EU approval of the no-calorie sweetener, consumers can expect a portfolio of new products and applications to hit supermarket shelves in Europe.
Food and beverage companies in Europe welcomed the European Union’s approval on the use of stevia as a sweetener in December 2011. What this means is that manufacturers can now give consumers what they have been craving for — a natural, no calorie sweetener to that fits in with their healthy lifestyle. Questions about sugars and sweeteners remain a top concern for consumers who are moving more towards products with “a lack of additives” that are “unprocessed and unadulterated.”
With the recent EU approval of the no-calorie sweetener, consumers can expect to see new products sweetened with stevia appearing on the shelves in European supermarkets. These include a wide range of foods, including yoghurts, cereals, beverages, soft drinks, confectionery, chocolate, and table top sweeteners.
Commonly used as a sweetener in food and beverage products throughout the Americas and Asia, steviol glycosides are sweetening compounds extracted from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. They are considered natural and free of calories.
Stevia-based sweeteners have already been approved for use in the USA, Japan, China and Australia. In France, stevia sweeteners with a high purity of steviol glycoside Reb A have been allowed for sale since September 2009. The European market for sweeteners is valued at US$ 500 million and its market for stevia-based sweeteners is expected to reach an additional US$ 100 million this year.
Market Trends
Market research group, Zenith International forecasts worldwide sales to more than triple in volume by 2014 to 11,000 metric tones - equivalent to US$ 825 million.
Asia Pacific, where the ingredient has been used as a sweetener in some regions for decades, has the largest market share at 35.7 per cent, followed by
North America (30 per cent) and South America (24.3 per cent). In Europe, the market share was 8.6 per cent, however, this is expected to grow quickly as more and more companies enter the global market to supply the all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener.
The EU approval for stevia will certainly pave the way for a portfolio of new product in a wide range of applications to meet the growing demand healthier diets and natural ingredients. While the product’s natural origins are right on trend within the food and drink sector, there are still challenges in the areas of taste and consumer awareness that need to be overcome.
Manufacturers face multiple technical and formulation challenges, particularly in overcoming the off-notes and aftertaste associated with stevia-derived sweeteners in order to satisfy the market for foods that are natural, palatable and healthy. While stevia’s taste may work with some fruity flavours in beverages, with others, the flavour requires some modulation to meet consumer acceptance.
Flavour and ingredient companies are helping manufacturers (customers) to not only optimise flavour and taste profiles with a range of natural solutions for a broader range of applications, but also with products that are natural and free of chemical processing.
Sweet on Health
The increasing popularity of stevia can be attributed to the changing demographics and consumption patterns, as well as the sophisticated consumer market that is leaning towards foods that not only enhance health, but also provide natural solutions. Consumers today are demanding natural food ingredients rather than chemical-based ingredients, and they are willing to pay more for wellness-favouring products.
As part of this development, the industry now offers a diverse range of natural and synthetic sweeteners, which, when combined with enhancers and formulated into foods and beverages, can mimic the properties of sugar. The current sweetener challenge for food technologists is to reduce calories while maintaining the taste and flavour profile of sugar (sucrose).
Stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar in its natural state, and is much more so when processed. The source of its sweetness is largely due to its complex stevioside molecule. A second compound called rebaudioside, which is present in stevia, also contributes to its sweetness. Stevia is a natural, non-caloric, sweet-tasting plant used around the world for its pleasant taste. The sweet tasting herb has remarkable health promoting qualities. Its medicinal uses include regulating blood sugar, preventing hypertension, treatment of skin disorders, and prevention of tooth decay. Other studies show that it is also a natural antibacterial and antiviral agent.
Natural low- and no-calorie alternative sweeteners have blossomed over the past couple of years. With ever-rising concerns over obesity, cancer and diabetes, it’s no surprise these new natural choices have been so well received by consumers.
As a viable replacement for artificial sweeteners and even refined sugar, stevia is calorie and carbohydrate free. It is a great choice for diabetics, those watching their weight, and anyone interested in maintaining health.
Stevia can be used in all foods and beverages, toiletry and pharmaceutical applications. The products in which the natural sweetener has been used include gummies, dried meats and fruits, functional beverages, juices, yogurts and sauces.
Stevia and Low-Cal Beverages
Low-calorie beverages form the fastest-growing segment in the diet food and beverage market, as such drinks offer a more convenient diet and meal replacement option than diet foods. A joint study between New Zealand and American researchers found that the regular consumption of low-calorie beverages and low fat foods may help maintain weight loss and a stable body weight.
Authentic taste and additional health benefits are important selection criteria for today’s increasingly health-conscious consumers. There is a shift in demand for healthier, fresher, natural and better tasting foods, as well as products with clean labels. Healthier alternatives must maintain the taste of the original product in order to satisfy consumer’s taste and preferences.
This is particularly important in beverages that use intensive sweeteners to reduce the amount of calories.
Stevia has a taste that is unique and has been described as very sweet with slight licorice, almost bitter aftertaste. Generally, high quality stevia contains very little of this bitterness. The sweetness of stevia is much different as compared to that of other natural sweeteners, sugar, or artificial sweeteners, but it is nonetheless delicious. For some people the taste may require some “getting used to” but most people quickly develop a taste for it.
As with other intensive sweeteners, the lingering sweet taste can accentuate off-notes of the other ingredients in the beverage that may not be noticeable in the original product.
Additionally, when consumers drink low calorie beverages, they may consider the perceived lingering sweet taste as artificial tasting.
Unlocking New Markets
Just as sugar-free does not automatically mean tooth-friendly, tooth-friendly does not always mean sugar-friendly. The next generation carbohydrate, Palatinose (isomaltulose) is the first sugar to have tooth-friendly credentials. Derived from beet sugar, it is a white crystalline powder that gives the same energy as sugar and a similar sweetness. While it cannot be claimed as sugar-free, being fully digestible, Palatinose enables the production of tooth-friendly chocolate, chewable sweet and gums without any negative side effects on digestibility.
The approval of stevia in the EU could signal a breakthrough for sugar-free and tooth-friendly confectionery especially for the kids’ market in terms of providing a healthier alternative.
Confectionery consumers are continuously looking for new flavour experiences, providing opportunities for creative and innovative producers. Since the global consolidation of the confectionery industry, the increased supply chain demands that products keep their excellent quality for a longer period of time. For all candies, a prolonged supply chain can result in unwanted stickiness. This is a direct result of sugar inversion, where sucrose splits into glucose and fructose.
Future Growth
As a low calorie, natural, non-carcinogenic intensity sweetener, stevia has great potential to capture markets from competing alternative sweeteners and to replace some markets for starch syrups when blended with sugar or other bulking agents. Furthermore, regulatory bodies like the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) agree that the sweetening compound is safe for all populations to consume and is a suitable sweetening option for diabetics.
The stevia landscape is changing fast, and more regulatory approvals are giving rise to new products in the marketplace. Developing innovative, great-tasting products, however, is the first step in expanding the reach of some of these natural sweeteners which are poised for global growth. The cost benefits behind using stevia as an alternative all-natural sweetener will not only have a high economic impact, being a lower cost alternative to sugar, but by being a zero-calorie sweetener, it offers additional health benefits.
(FOODREVIEW INDONESIA | VOL. VII/NO. 4/APRIL 2012)
