Nestle Discovery to Lower Sugar by 40% in Confectionery Goods

Material scientists at Nestle have created a new process that changes the structure of sugar that may dramatically reduce the amount of the sweetener used in the company’s products, the Swiss food and beverage giant announced Wednesday.

“This truly groundbreaking research is inspired by nature and has the potential to reduce total sugar by up to 40% in our confectionary,” said Stefan Catsicas, Nestle’s chief technology officer, in a company press release. “Our scientists have discovered a completely new way to use a traditional, natural ingredient.

Bloomberg reported that the process involves converting the sugar into fast-dissolving “hollow” crystals that intensify the sweetness of sugar, enabling food makers to use less of the substance. Catsicas told Bloomberg that the sugar crystals work by dissolving quickly and engaging the taste buds faster than traditional sugar.

“Unprocessed food has complex structures, which Nestle is trying to mimic by distributing the sugar in a less uniform way,” wrote Bloomberg.

Catsicas told Bloomberg that the company will begin selling confectionary products made using the process by 2018 and that Nestle plans to reduce the sugar content in those products over time.

Nestle said it is patenting the new process as it prepares to incorporate it in its production, and that the discovery is part of the company’s pledge to reduce sugar in its products.

It is unclear if Nestle will incorporate the process in other product categories, a company spokesperson told Bloomberg, and said that the 40% estimated reduction in sugar is not a formal target set by the company.

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