HealthTech Bio Actives (HTBA) is transforming the landscape of calorie-conscious food and beverage options. In anticipation of the IFT FIRST expo in Chicago, the citrus flavonoid innovator has unveiled citrose, a high-intensity sweetener complex that holds Upcycled Certified status.
Originating solely from natural citrus sources, this groundbreaking product seeks to eliminate the unpleasant aftertastes and harsh labels often linked with sugar substitutes. The introduction of citrose addresses a critical challenge within the industry: while 76% of consumers globally aim to reduce their sugar consumption, 85% prioritize flavor and texture. This issue has become even more pronounced due to the popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, which have heightened awareness of artificial flavors and chemical aftertastes among users. Citrose presents a solution by providing a clean and genuine sweetness, several hundred times more potent than sugar, without any artificial aftertaste.
What distinguishes citrose from synthetic sweeteners is its fully natural and sustainable sourcing. This patented complex is made from immature Citrus aurantium fruits that naturally fall from trees prior to harvesting. HTBA collects these discarded fruits, then sun-dries and processes them using proprietary techniques. This eco-friendly approach has earned citrose its Upcycled Certified designation. Additionally, US manufacturers can now list “citrose” directly on their product ingredient panels, offering a straightforward, easily identifiable name that stands in stark contrast to the complicated-sounding components like aspartame or acesulfame-K.
In consumer testing, citrose consistently surpassed traditional high-intensity sweeteners. Participants rated it more favorably than stevia in terms of its natural qualities while giving it significantly higher scores for delivering an authentic taste profile. Food scientists and product developers will find citrose especially advantageous when combined with other ingredients:
– When blended with stevia, citrose creates a flavor profile that consumers perceive as nearly indistinguishable from a conventional stevia-sugar mix, effectively masking stevia’s typical bitter aftertaste.
– In sucralose combinations, citrose-enhanced formulations received excellent ratings across key taste characteristics, enhancing the sweetness experience while masking undesirable chemical flavors.
– For functional applications, citrose can restore structural richness and mitigate the off-putting profiles often produced by high protein or vitamin contents in nutritional drinks.
Emily Wagener, the global product manager for taste modulation at HTBA, elaborated on the timely launch of citrose: “Food and beverage manufacturers are under pressure to reduce sugar, but taste remains the deciding factor for consumers. Citrose can help producers to improve sweetness quality without the tradeoffs, which is why we’re incredibly excited to introduce this new offering to product developers, R&D teams, and procurement professionals attending IFT FIRST.”
HTBA plans to showcase citrose at the IFT FIRST event in Chicago this July, aiming to attract product developers intent on enhancing label transparency for beverages, dairy alternatives, baked goods, and sports nutrition powders. By providing a complete taste experience akin to sugar through a sustainable, upcycled process, HTBA is positioning citrose as a vital resource for the future of health-focused product development.