Regulations and various government initiatives concerning sugar content in food and beverages as well as sugar taxes, like in UK, Portugal or Spain, stimulating manufactures to reformulating products.
According to the UNESDA, the Union of European Soft Drinks Associations, this has led to the fact that “no- and low-calorie versions now represent over 30 % of soft drinks sales across Europe”1.
However, reducing or removing sugar in non-alcoholic beverages impacts the overall taste profile and negatively influences the consumer liking as taste remains a key driver when it comes to consumer preferences. Alternative sweeteners mark a convenient solution for sugar reduced non-alcoholic beverages. On the other hand, these sweeteners sometimes carry off-notes and provide unpleasant tastes to the overall profile. Additionally, the overall sweetness perception might be affected which leads to less acceptance and consumer liking. Symrise has developed a wide range of taste solutions and proprietary technologies, aimed at masking off-notes and rebalance the sweetness perception in low sugar beverages.
1 UNESDA.eu – EU Manifesto for 2024 – 2029, page 6
