With impending label changes regarding sugar and the clean label trend going strong, how sugar reduction appears on the label is important. Solutions that don’t contribute to the “added sugar” line in the new Nutrition Facts Label and are recognizable or amplify nutrition are desirable.

“While we are dedicated to helping our customers stay ahead of the latest demands and meet impending regulations, we also believe it is important for them to consider their target audiences and tailor their applications to meet the needs of their end consumers,” said Kathy Sargent, strategic innovation director, Corbion.

Naturally derived sweeteners — stevia, monk fruit and allulose — and chicory root fiber provide nutrition and a cleaner label. Chicory root fiber doesn’t contribute to added sugars but does provide soluble dietary fiber, a nutrient sorely lacking in the American diet.

Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients (CIFI) developed its sweet potato-based sweetener, Carolina Sweet, to create a natural and clean label friendly sweetener.

“Sweet potatoes are so popular with consumers that their place in dessert formulations was obvious to us,” said Paul Verderber, vice-president of sales, CIFI.

Carolina Sweet contributes a neutral sweetness to desserts, offsetting the need for sugar from both a flavor and functional standpoint, he said. The sweetener also imparts minerals and nutritive content of sweet potatoes to the dessert — calcium, magnesium, potassium, protein and vitamin A — in addition to being recognized on the label.