As the focus on sugar calories increases, consumer demand for zero-calorie sweeteners is expected to grow at an annual rate of 5% by 2017. Of the 360 new products sampled in 2013, approximately 38.3% contained zero-calorie sweeteners. However, caloric sugar still accounts for the majority of the global sweetener market. In 2013, the world consumed 180 million tons of sugar, all from sugar cane and beets, including high fructose corn syrup, which accounted for 80% of the entire sugar and sweetener market. Low-calorie and zero-calorie sweeteners still maintain a 20% market share, or 34 million tons of consumption.

As concerns about obesity and related health issues grow, some countries have implemented sugar taxes to curb the intake of sugary drinks, which has stimulated the development of the zero-calorie sweetener market. In particular, natural plant-based sweeteners such as stevia are becoming increasingly popular as more people seek natural products.

The era of natural sweeteners has arrived

The overall food and natural products market trend is the increasing demand for natural sweeteners derived from herbs. In 2013, new zero-calorie soft drinks based on natural sweeteners accounted for 20% of the market. With many potential applications being developed in North America, Europe and Japan, this category is expected to continue its significant growth trend.

Although the category is growing, its market growth starts from a relatively low market capacity. In 2013, the consumption of stevia in the soft drink industry was only 700 tons, compared with 12,300 tons of aspartame and 8,700 tons of acesulfame potassium. Stevia is still the largest market in the natural sweetener market, but other herbal sweeteners such as Monk fruit also show great potential.

Taste Challenge

Organic monk Fruit Extract:Natural sweeteners are still in the exploratory stage, and many product manufacturers are still working to find the best balance of steviol glycosides in their beverages. Although various new technologies have been used to improve these stevia-containing products, the aftertaste is still the main obstacle to the application of natural sweeteners.

Not everyone can accept the taste of stevia. Some beverage brands, such as Cools Vitamin Water, mix stevia with sugar to improve its taste. In the United States, Coca-Cola had to restore its previously launched stevia vitamin water formula to its original composition because American consumers do not accept the taste of stevia. However, stevia also has its own advantages. It may be more suitable for certain products such as tea, nectar, and juice drinks because it has the ability to enhance the taste of natural ingredients.

According to Zhitiqiao Media, the current zero-calorie sweetener market is dominated by sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, saccharin and sodium cyclamate, with shares of 26.5%, 15.9%, 14.7%, 13.2% and 5.9% respectively. The smallest share is natural sweeteners such as stevia, which only account for 5.7%. In the next three years, in the global market, aspartame is showing a decreasing trend with a negative growth of 0.9% per year; acesulfame potassium and sucralose have the highest growth in soft drinks and the largest usage. Stevia still has a long way to go to reach this market level.

New breakthrough in application field: low-calorie chocolate

Chocolate, which tastes sweet and brings pleasant feelings, has always been a leader in the field of fast-moving consumer goods in the world, but chocolate products designed in traditional ways are also synonymous with high calories. Today, global natural raw material industry manufacturers are actively exploring the dual advantages of chocolate that is both delicious and healthy.

Organic Monk Fruit Extract:According to the media of Zhitiqiao, Amano Chocolate, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amano Artisan Chocolate, the most acclaimed chocolate manufacturer in the United States, has been looking for a growing market for healthy alternatives to traditional sweeteners. The company will introduce a series of chocolates with stevia and Monk Fruit Sweeteners to expand its unique chocolate product line. The sweetener formula of this chocolate does not contain maltitol. In addition to adding stevia extract and monk fruit extract sweeteners, it also produces chocolates containing various nutrients such as antioxidants, caffeine, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Scientific research continues to be strong

At the same time, Zhitiqiao Media also learned that a study recently published in the American Journal of Food Chemistry came to a clear conclusion that the taste of the combined sweetener of stevioside + peppermint extract is particularly perfect.

The researchers used ethanol sucrose, dietary fiber, syrup and natural sweeteners as substitutes for sucrose to produce chocolate, with a cocoa content of 50%. Subsequently, the researchers tested the physical properties of the formula chocolate, such as particle size and distribution, texture and sensory properties, monosaccharide composition, polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity. The caloric value of all chocolates was more than 20% lower than that of standard chocolate sweetened with sucrose.

Organic Monk Fruit Extract:The test results showed that sweeteners containing stevia leaf and peppermint extract had the best sensory properties, especially taste, sweetness and herbal aroma, and also had the highest polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity.

It is also understood that the trend of whole foods and natural products also means that the market demand for natural sweeteners derived from herbs is growing. In 2013, nearly 20% of the newly launched low-calorie or no-calorie soft drinks contained natural sweeteners. The British company Canadia predicts that such products will continue to grow with strong momentum in North America, Europe and Japan. Although such products have been on a growth trend, due to the low growth base, it will take several years to catch up with the growth of the main ingredients in this category.

In the beverage industry, natural sweeteners still have huge space

Data shows that compared with 12,300 tons of aspartame or 8,700 tons of acesulfame K, the soft drink industry consumed only 700 tons of stevia in 2013. Currently, stevia is the natural sweetener with the largest market share, and monk fruit is also recognized as a natural sweetener with greater market potential in the future.

At present, natural sweeteners are still in the exploratory stage, and many product manufacturers are still trying to find the balance point of stevioside in beverages. Although new technologies to improve the taste of these products are also being formed, taste is still the main obstacle to the development of the natural sweetener category. Not everyone can accept this unique taste and some beverage brands, such as the sugary Cools vitamin water. In the United States, Coca-Cola had to restore the original formula ingredients of vitamin water because American consumers are not used to the unique taste of stevia. But this does not mean that the future market of stevioside is not optimistic. Enterprises developing beverages with new category positioning can completely implant new flavors in the near future. And according to the information from Zhitiqiao Media, the advantages of stevia itself are more suitable for products such as tea, nectar and juice drinks because it has the ability to enhance the taste of natural ingredients.

Organic Monk Fruit Extract:In addition, sports drinks are also a field where stevioside and mogroside can play a big role. Zhitiqiao Media has recently learned that Fruitawater, an American weight loss beverage company, will launch a new sports drink product in 2014. The new product uses stevioside as a sweetener and is suitable for diabetic patients and children. The new product is a vitamin water product, and the stevioside sweetener beverage flavor used has been approved by the FDA, which is helpful for people with obesity, diabetes and sleepiness.

According to the company's leaders, stevia functional beverages can be used to refresh and control weight gain. Unlike other beverage products that use artificial sucrose, the new product is a non-toxic fruit-flavored beverage with a new natural sweetener that can effectively promote health without causing users to gain weight and reduce the risk of diabetes.