Frontline Food Consultants and Engineers offer complete end-to-end solutions for the production of various kinds of primary food sweeteners, including both natural and artificial sweeteners, and low-calorie sweeteners. From helping to source good raw inputs such as stevia, monk fruit, and sucralose, to helping to formulate the steps that will improve the sweetness of site products and their stability in the marketplace, we work to help advance sweeteners to the market. We effectively control each step from the crystallization procedure right through to blending and drying to create the very same taste and quality.

With our Product Customisation Services, you can construct sweeteners that are appropriate for the intended forms of Applications including beverages, bakery, or confectionery. This is where we come in and offer you Sustainability Consulting through sourcing for eco-friendly non-GMO or Organic ingredients. Explorations such as lower sugar recipes, or no added sugar formulations are some of the patterns that our research and development colleagues help you to design with optimized sweetener blends. In areas of Regulatory Compliance Guidance and Quality Control Systems, we ensure that it is safe to consume your sweeteners with the reliability of sweetness level across uses.

What are Sweeteners?

Based on the definitions provided above sweeteners may be described as certain substances that complement or magnify the sweetness of food and beverages. In this case,  food sweeteners can be artificial or natural, and the selection depends on the actual sweetness, taste of the product, and the rate at which it mixes with the other components. Natural sweeteners are sugar, honey, and stevia while some synthetic sweeteners are aspartame, sucralose, or saccharin respectively. As such, the process of producing sweeteners varies from one kind to the next of sweeteners. For instance, sugar out of sugarcane or sugar beets undergoes further purification and crystallization. 

It comes in structure as it is derived from plant leaves and the presented product is either in the form of powder or liquid. These are synthesized through chemical synthesis in order to arrive at highly sweet molecules that need the use of a small proportion to produce sweetness. Food additives particularly sweeteners are normally incorporated into the food in the process of mixing or during cooking of food. Depending on the quantity and sweetness source applied, the sweetness is not the only characteristic that might be influenced: by affecting the product’s characteristics like the feel of the product, moisture content, and its durability. Another important thing regarding sweeteners is that they should be added together with other ingredients and not overdo them enabling anybody to hide any other tastes that may be found in the food.

Types of Sweeteners

Sweeteners can be categorized based on their source and the type of sweetness they provide:

  1. Sugar

Popular within food products, Natural sugar is derived from sugar cane or sugar beets which act as sweetening material. It is a quickly releasing energy source and increases the palatability of foods and beverages.

Types of Sugar:

  • Granulated Sugar: This type is also white in color and is meant in the form of granules it is commonly used in baking and in cooking since it can dissolve.
  • Brown Sugar: Nourished with molasses that make a difference in the taste as well as the texture of the cookie. This type of flour is used mainly in baking and gives a food product an exceptionally buttery texture.
  • Powdered Sugar: It is also called confectioners’ sugar and is smoother than the grainier sugar commonly used in cooking.
  • Health Considerations: Added sweeteners like sugar should also be taken in small amounts as they lead to obesity, diabetes, and toothache. Diets containing sugars should be taken in moderated amounts.
  1. Honey

Obtained from plant nectar, honey stands for a specific position as an additive and sweetener and, of course, it has its specific taste that may vary depending on the species of flower.

Types of Honey:

  • Raw Honey: C) Honey that has not been pasteurized, or filtered – what is known as common honey contains more enzymes and antioxidants.
  • Manuka Honey: This is a honey that is produced from the Manuka bush in New Zealand it is anti-bacterial and has that very unique taste.
  • Clover Honey: A standard type with a relatively harmless and saccharine flavor profile, ideal for use in pan-frying with and reheated in cuisines and dishes.
  • Health Benefits: As if honey has so many uses, it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties among others. They contain antioxidants; they can be used to cure sore throat and coughs. However, it comprises a lot of sugar and should not therefore be consumed in large amounts.
  1. Stevia
  • Natural Stevia: Stevia – a natural sugar substitute sweetener originates from the green leaves of the stevia rebaudiana plant and Stevia has been identified as being hundreds of times sweeter than common sugar with zero calories.

Forms of Stevia:

  • Stevia Extract: Substance derived from a natural source which is transformed into a powder or liquid form and used in small quantities as a seasoning.
  • Stevia Blends: Together with other bulking or slicing agents in order to mask the sweetness concentration or viscosity.
  • Health Benefits: Sugar substitute Stevia is appreciated by people who want to reduce their calorie intake and diabetics. It does not ‘spike’ insulin, which is beneficial for diabetes victims or anyone who has any problem with insulin.

Sweeteners production process

The process by which sweeteners become safe, reliable and consumable products is as follows.

  1. Sugar Production
  • Extraction: Sugar can be obtained from either the sugar cane or the sugar beets in that you just churn or press the two so that you get the juice.
  • Refining: From here, it is clarified, concentrated by boiling them and then crystallized and this gives them the granulated sugar. It is further processed to obtain powdered or brown sugar.
  1. Honey Production
  • Harvesting: Honey is normally obtained by hand from the hive where bees suck on nectar and turn it into honey.
  • Processing: Actually, normal honey can be put through a filter and heat treated in order to get a better quality honey with fewer objects that are not honey particles floating within and also to extend the proper shelf life of the honey. That is why, there are honey that are not filtered because it is good for their health.
  1. Stevia Production
  • Extraction: This plant is preferably used in its natural form; stevia leaves are most often simply cut and then dried. These dissolve in water or alcohol for extraction for them to be sweet compounds all the time.
  • Purification: It is then purified in order that the sweetener so obtained be free of any other flavor or other chemical so as to contain only that which is required.