Indulgence is continually top of mind for consumers who look toward confectionery and sweet bakery products for comfort. With the “guilt-free” indication trending in branding for some time now, solutions that help reduce saturated fat and sugar maintain their hold on the market.
In flavor trend developments for the sweet snacking space, “niche fruits” including guava, lime, peach and yuzu are appealing to a wider audience. Meanwhile, cheese flavors in ice cream are marrying sweet and salty for elevated decadence.
“Indulgence is still one of the main reasons why consumers reach for sweet snacks and sugar as a stimulant naturally plays an important role here,” comments Angela Lötscher, marketing project manager at Jungbunzlauer.
“On the other hand, sugar reduction is becoming increasingly important in all food categories, including the sweet snacks market.”
Slashing saturated fat
Addressing the reformulation demands of sweet bakery consumers, Fuji Oil has developed its Redusat fats to lower the saturated fat content of biscuit creams by up to 60%, without impacting the original texture and taste of a well-structured cream.
“Despite the fact that Redusat fats contain a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, they crystallize very fast and result in a harder texture and often better heat resistance compared to the traditional, higher SAFA fats they replace,” Karen Saey, product manager at Fuji Oil Europe, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.
“All these facts – healthier, fast crystallizing and with no compromise on texture – makes Redusat a fat range for which we see a growing interest from confectionery and biscuit manufacturers.
Saey adds that significant attention has been drawn toward the origin of Redusat’s ingredients, particularly shea and sunflower, for which consumers expect an elevated level of transparency and ethical sourcing.
“Fuji Oil has its own logistics and processing facilities in Ghana, Fuji Oil Ghana. We commit to local value creation through 100% local processing of the shea kernels and fractionation of shea butter to the high-value shea stearin,” she details.