Technologies to Reduce Salt, Sugar and Saturated Fats in Nestle Food Products

Nestle's purpose is enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. Following this purpose Nestle publish commitment to further decrease sugars, sodium and saturated fat, as doing such can contribute in lessening the risk of Non-Communicable Diseases. Reformulating food products to decrease these nutrients in food and beverages products is easier said than done. To do such its important to consider other sensory attributes of food products like taste, structure etc. to ensure that the consumer’s preference and liking of the product still met. (Nestlé Global, 2019)

Nestle started exploring exciting new technologies that improve nutrient profiles without compromising on taste. Some of the suggested technologies for Nestle are mentioned below. Though there is no one-size-fits-all solutions. texture, function and the composition of the food matters. Thus, technology that can work on one product might not work on the other.

Sugar

Using Stevia Sugar

Stevia is a natural, clean label ingredient and its zero-calorie. In addition, the stevia plant has been found to be 30 to 40 times sweeter than sugar itself, allowing manufacturers to add less to achieve the same level of sweetness. However, it may contribute a bitter flavour, and this is because of using the whole leaf. But if we only used the Reb M and D glycosides this can work, since they have a clear sweetness taste. This part is only representing 1% of the whole plant. A technology using specially crafted baker yeast for fermentation to convert the traditional sugar to Reb M glycoside. For the other lost sensory qualities, natural bulking agents such as egg whites, honey, applesauce, fruit puree or yoghurt can contribute to the lost (Xtalks, 2018).

Shrink the Size of Sugar Crystals

This sugar reduction method is based on material science, that is, restructuring the sugar crystals into an amorphous and porous sugar that is added to the products. This will cause the sugar to dissolve faster in the mouth, thus increase the sweetness of the sugar (Xtalks, 2018).

Adding Fibre in Ice Cream Products

Since sugar is essential for the structure of ice creams, removing it from ice creams can pose a structure complication. However, sugar can be substituted by fibre that acts as a suitable bulking agent, contributing to the creaminess of ice creams.

Replacing Sugar in Cereals

In cereals, sugar can be removed and replaced by starch and fibre. (Fstjournal.org, 2019).

Salt

Replacing NaCl with KCl

At industrial leve, the most widely used NaCl replacer is potassium chloride (KCl). However, the replacement of salt by KCl in most foods is limited to only 30% and it must made partially, since higher levels can impart bitter and metallic aftertaste. Though the bitterness taste can be suppressed using L-arginine amino acid, that has the property of masking the bitterness taste of KCl. This method still has not been applied commercially, and it poses some limitations. For instance, there is a need to investigate its stability in cold and heat. (Taylor, Doyle and Webb, 2017).

Using of Mineral Carrier

Loading the mineral carrier with a salt can create a cluster of saltiness and this cluster can stay longer in the taste receptors because they are heavy. Also, this ensures efficient delivery of salt to its target taste receptors at the right place at the right time, creating a higher perception of salt. Same technology can be applied to sugar.

This technology developed by a food-Tech company called DouxMatok. Their work enables the reduction of 30% of salt and sugar in food products, they guarantee their methods will not alter any sensory attribute of the food e.g. structure and mouthfeel. Moreover, they are claiming that their products are FDA and EU compliant and are made using sustainable green chemistry principles.

Gradually Reduce Sodium in Food Products

In food products that only the taste attribute is worried about if salt reduction took place, a gradually reducing of salt by small percentages can be made. For instance, the consumers will not notice a reduction of 5-10%, and with time their taste buds will get used to this. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2011).

Use of other Nutrients

If salt reduction made in a product and the flavour of that product get affected, spices, herbs and flavours can be used to compensate for loss in flavour. However, if the texture gets affected protein and texturants can be used in some products. (Taylor & Francis, 2017).

Reducing the Size of Salt Granule

Reducing the size of salt granule can produce more intense salty flavour. New technologies are being discovered that apply such concept. One of those technology apply inhomogeneous spatial distribution of salt in the food matrix, in which salt particles dispersed through the food intermittently (Taylor & Francis, 2017)

Saturated Fatty Acids

Reducing Total Fat Content

By reducing total fat content, saturated fat amount will also dropdown.

Emulsion Technology

Reducing the saturated fat in its oil phase can be an option However, oil is essential in emulsions food to be mixed with fat and maintain the quality of that food. A solution could be, to follow the emulsion technology. These include the use of different methods for the formation of emulsions e.g. using fat replacements, manipulation of the aqueous phase behaviour, and use of the intrinsic instability of emulsified oil droplets (Sciencedirect.com, 2017).