Nestlé Introduces Innovative Sugar Reduction Technology for Food Manufacturing
Nestlé, a global leader in food manufacturing, has unveiled a groundbreaking sugar reduction technology that offers versatile and cost-effective solutions across various product categories. This advanced technology not only reduces sugar content but also brings additional benefits such as producing low lactose and skimmed milk-based products.
Utilizing an enzymatic process, this innovative technology can reduce intrinsic sugar in ingredients like malt, milk, and fruit juices by up to 30% while maintaining the taste and texture of the products. The sugar-reduced ingredients are seamlessly integrated into recipes without the need for added sweeteners or bulking agents to compensate for the eliminated sugar.
A notable advantage of this patented sugar reduction method is its ability to increase prebiotic fibers when applied to milk-based products. Preliminary clinical studies have shown that these fibers support the growth of multiple types of beneficial bacteria, leading to a favorable composition of the microbiome in healthy adults.
Stefan Palzer, Chief Technology Officer at Nestlé, expressed the company’s commitment to sugar reduction: “As a top priority, we continuously strive to reduce sugar in our portfolio. This groundbreaking technology allows us to achieve significant sugar reduction without compromising on taste, all at a minimal cost increase. Moreover, we have discovered that this reduction process generates prebiotic fibers that positively impact the microbiome, providing an additional benefit. We are now expediting the global roll-out of this technology across various formats and categories.”
The initial application of this sugar reduction technology was successfully piloted in cocoa and malt-based ready-to-drink beverages in Southeast Asia. Over the past year, Nestlé has implemented this technology in production lines for cocoa and malt-based powdered beverages, including popular brands like Milo, in multiple countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In the current year, this breakthrough technology has already been employed in more than 200,000 tons of cocoa and malt-based beverages, and Nestlé plans to extend its implementation to other product categories, starting with dairy powders.
This innovation aligns with Nestlé’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the nutritional value of its products while promoting responsible consumption as part of a balanced diet. The new sugar reduction technology complements a wide range of existing solutions developed in collaboration with external innovation partners and suppliers. These include natural sweeteners, sweetness-enhancing or bitterness-masking flavors, and natural bulking agents such as fibers, cereals, and tailor-made dairy and cocoa powders.
