Sugar Substitutes

As sugar reduction becomes crucial, appealing taste, texture, and mouthfeel are equally important. The utilization of multiple ingredients to make up the functional losses due to sugar removal is the area that manufacturers are currently focusing on to deliver cost-effective sweeteners. They are also working on extending the products’ shelf life, improving their overall taste, and reducing the bitter aftertaste of certain products.

Furthermore, manufacturers are also embarking upon pairing plant-based sweeteners with plant-based products to cater to the shift away from animal-derived products. Sugar-free and sugar-reduction are also becoming popular in the emerging economies and opening new opportunities for processed food manufacturers to develop new products for the market in the coming years.

The global sugar substitutes market size was valued at USD 7.50 billion in 2021. The market is projected to grow from USD 7.91 billion in 2022 to USD 12.86 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.20% during the forecast period. The global COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented and staggering, with sugar substitutes experiencing higher-than-anticipated demand across all regions compared to pre-pandemic levels. Based on our analysis, the global market exhibited a growth of 4.06% in 2020 as compared to 2019.

Negative Health Impacts Due to Over Consumption of Sugar Drives Market Growth

Rapid industrialization across the globe has led to an increase in urbanization in recent years. People are leading a more sedentary lifestyle with more time spent in the office and lack of exercise. Hence, an imbalance in food intake is causing energy imbalance in their bodies. The quantity of calorie intake exceeds the number of calories, which is burned by the body. Consumption of calorie-rich food products has led to fat accumulation in the body and obesity. Obesity, in turn, is responsible for causing several health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. Thus, consumers are increasingly demanding low-calorie sweeteners for food and beverages in recent years.

Huge consumption of sugar or sugar-based food products in countries, such as the U.S, China, Japan, and India, is one of the key factors contributing to the growth of the diabetic population globally. Furthermore, as per data from the International Diabetes Foundation, around 537 million people worldwide have diabetes. The cells of diabetic people become insulin resistant, so they cannot absorb sugar. Thus, consuming products that contain sugar in unregulated quantities can severely impact the health of such people. This has further created the necessity of substituting sugar with other sugar alternatives having low-calorie content and similar sugar-like sweetness levels.

Negative Impact on Consumer Faith due to Contradictory Results of Clinical Trials Hampers Market Growth

There are many controversies associated with sugar substitutes, and these contradictory opinions regarding the negative health impact of these products affect public perception. This, in turn, impacts the sales of these products in the market. For instance, Pepsico removed aspartame-based diet coke products from the markets in 2016 over research studies that suggest that it causes cancer among consumers. Additionally, in 2017, new Canadian Medical Association Journal data indicated that artificial sweeteners might negatively affect gut bacteria, metabolism, and appetite. Thus, the growing ambiguity associated with the safety of artificial sweeteners in various food products significantly hampers their adoption in the market.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved products are considered safe for consumption and used in various industries to manufacture diverse food and beverage products. Though they are considered safe by the FDA, and the evidence supports at least one short-term weight management benefit, there are questionable health downsides associated with non-nutritive sweeteners. Continuous use of artificial sweeteners is expected to overstimulate the sugar receptors of the brain and increase the tolerance limit of sugar products. Hence, consumers may find unsweet and less sweet food, such as fruits and vegetables, unpalatable in the long run.

Sugar Substitutes

Sugar substitutes are plant-based substances called artificial sweeteners that enhance the flavor of food and possess similar flavor and texture as conventional sugar. These products are mainly developed to replace or reduce the dependence on sugar. Some of the most widely used raw materials for making these products include stevia, sucralose, and others. They are considered healthier and environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional sugar.

Agave Nectar

Agave syrup is 1.4 times sweeter than sugar, is less viscous, does not crystallize like honey and has a shelf life of 3 years. It is organic and Kosher. Total Carbohydrate Grams = 16/Tablespoon. Total calories/serving = 60. Agave Nectar was found to have a glycemic index of 32 .

Aspartame, Nutrasweet or Equal

Aspartame is the combination of two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. 200 times sweeter than sugar, seems to stimulate the appetite and cause side effects such as PKU seizures (phenylketonuria), high blood pressure, headaches, insomnia, ovarian cancer, and brain tumors. See the special page I built on Nutrasweet .

Barley Malt or Rice Syrup

Mild, natural, made from barley sprouts or rice cooked into a syrup. 40% as sweet as sugar. A good choice for diabetics because it is digested slowly and does not disrupt the insulin levels.

Blackstrap Molasses 

A leftover sludge of the sugar making process. Teeming with minerals and vitamins. Ounce per ounce it contains more calcium than milk, more iron than eggs, and more potassium than ANY other food. What I love about blackstrap molasses is that the body seems to assimilate all the minerals quite readily. It’s great for anemia problems.

Date sugar 

Derived from ground, dried dates about half as sweet as table sugar. High in potassium and very alkalizing, but it also has a high glycemic load and should be used sparingly for diabetics.

Fructose, Crystalline 

Fructose is commercially produced and refined from cornstarch, but has the same molecular structure as fruit sugar. Fructose takes longer to digest so it is better than sugar on the glycemic index, meaning that it releases sugar into the bloodstream more slowly. Fructose is twice as sweet as sugar and for dieters, it seems to decrease the need for edible calories if taken prior to eating, but it may raise blood fats and contribute to heart disease. Less dental plaque is reported with the use of fructose.

Fruit Juice Concentrate

A derivative of grapes usually, this highly refined product contains about 68% soluble sugar. The fructose, glucose and sucrose levels vary with each fruit used. High glycemic load, not recommended for diabetics. Note: Sometimes extra corn syrups are added to this to get the sugar content up.

Honey

A natural sweetener with proven bioactive antibiotic and antiseptic properties. It’s best to get honey that was produced in your area if possible. Honey is made from flower nectar and the enzyme bees mix with it called invertase. Honey contains vitamins and enzymes necessary for the proper metabolism and digestion of glucose and other sugar molecules. It is twice as sweet as sugar. Honey is a very high glycemic load food and should be avoided if you have diabetes, Candida, or other sugar issues like hypoglycemia.

Just Like Sugar

An analysis on Just Like Sugar (now sold in Whole Foods and Wild Oats) has shown it is free of excitotoxins. It is made from chicory, orange peel, Vitamin C and Calcium. For more on Just Like Sugar go to that webpage on this site or check out their website: https://www.justlikesugar.com/

Lactose

A disaccharide sugar derived of milk used mainly in infant foods and baked goods, but it is sometimes used as a filler for nutritional supplements. Read the labels. Those people with lactose intolerance experience gastrointestinal disturbances after consuming it.

Lo Han Kuo

(also spelled Lo Han Guo or Lo Han ,) is a sweet Chinese fruit in the cucumber family. The Lo Han fruit has been used by local people in southern provinces of China for centuries as a sweetener and a medicinal herb for the treatment of lung congestion, colds, sore throats, and for minor stomach and intestinal problems. Modern scientific research has shown that Lo Han extracts help relieve gastritis, constipation and respiratory inflammations, and they also appear to inhibit the Epstein-Barr virus and display anti-carcinogenic properties.

Maple syrup

Derived from concentrated sap of sugar maple trees. Note: Unless the product is labeled pure maple syrup, it is probably mixed with corn syrup. The real stuff is quite pricey. This is a high glycemic load product and should be used sparingly.

Peru Root (Yacon )

Overweight? Diabetic? Afflicted with a hopeless sweet tooth? A dark brown, tubular root from Peru could be a big part of your future. Yacon is a tasty rood that scientists say is good for the gut, potentially safeguards against cancer, helps absorption of calcium and vitamins, and can reduce the blood sugar peaks from eating sweet food that make trouble for diabetics.

Sorghum Molasses

Derived from the concentrated juice of sorghum, a cereal grain. Like molasses only a lighter flavor.

Sucanat

Available in health food stores, this is a product made from dried granulated cane juice. It contains some complex sugars, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and molasses. Use in place of sugar. It has a high glycemic load. Diabetics beware.

Suchero

Coconut juice dehydrated and granulated. Used as a low-glycemic load sugar.

Sugar, Raw

Made from evaporated sugar cane juice and contains 98% sucrose.

Turbinado sugar

This is raw sugar that has been refined by washing in a centrifuge. Essentially the same as white sugar. High glycemic load. Diabetics beware.

Yacon

is a native to South America. It has a crunchy texture like a water chestnut and is refreshingly sweet and juicy. Left in the sun, its sweetness intensifies, and it can be eaten as a fruit, consumed in drinks, syrups, cakes or pickles. although its packed with sugar, this particular sugar is good for you. The sugar, called oligofructose, which cannot be absorbed by the body, contains half the calories of sugar. Oligofructose also promotes beneficial bacteria in the colon.

Xylitol

Made from birch wood chips, neutralizes acids in the mouth so reduces tooth decay. Wow, if you are allergic to corn, (which most blood type O people are) there are a lot of hidden sugars that you can’t eat. They put corn sugar derivatives in everything. So what can you eat? The answer is that it’s better to use whole foods that you put together yourself so you know what goes into them. Xylitol is very toxic to dogs.

Increased Demand for Artificial Sugar Products Supported the Market Growth

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has caused a global standstill in various sectors, including the food and beverage industry, and negatively impacted the global economy by disrupting the manufacturing and transportation sector. This caused ripple effects in all the related sectors bringing the entire global economy to a standstill. Even the consumption behaviors underwent significant changes during the period. As governments worldwide started implementing strict lockdown measures without stating the exact date when it would be uplifted, the consumers were alarmed, causing stockpiling of various food and beverage products. Such behaviors were exhibited to ensure that they could survive a longer lockdown period without the need to go out of their houses.

Moreover, the manufacturing companies have seen a disturbance in their supply chains, mainly due to transportation restrictions during the peak period of the pandemic. This impacted the import and export of raw materials, causing a slowdown in the availability of products such as stevia leaves that are used for manufacturing these products. Thus, lack of availability of raw materials caused a slowdown in product manufacturing and impacted the company’s ability to launch new products in the market.

The impact on the production of such products further impacted the export of final products. The disruptions also led to delays in the end-product delivery, thus upsetting the production operations of related industries, which use these products as one of their raw materials. For instance, China and Germany were not only the world’s largest exporters but also among the key contributors to the supply chain. Hence, sugar substitutes manufacturers relying heavily on the import of artificial sweeteners from these countries, specifically stevia leaves products, suffered due to movement restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.