Clean label specialists Ulrick & Short have launched Avanté 9, a new gluten-free substitute for sugar. The ingredient is touted as reducing the need for sugar in bakery formulations by up to 20 percent while retaining the volume and texture of cakes, muffins and other baked goods.

As a gluten-free, non-GM and clean label ingredient, Avanté 9 taps into a number of front-of-pack declaration trends. It mimics the functional properties of sugar without requiring any factory process changes, ensuring easy application, according to Ulrick & Short.

“We’ve had a lot of success in the past in significantly reducing sugar in standard products, it was a natural progression to introduce this technology to the gluten-free sector. To develop a product that is capable of both improving nutritionals and retaining the free-from claim is very difficult and occupies a unique position in the market. This is the key for manufacturers to stay competitive,” says Emma Walker of Ulrick & Short.

The 2020 sugar reduction targets Public Health England (PHE) has set call for changes in baked goods formulations. Last week, PHE announced that it will be reporting on businesses that fail to make inroads into sugar reduction from 2019.

Additionally, a new survey by PHE showed overwhelming public support towards the sugar reduction scheme.

The survey examined the public’s perception of obesity and PHE’s reduction programmes that have challenged the food industry to reduce sugar and calories by 20 percent in everyday foods such as breakfast cereals, yogurts and pizzas, as well as ready meals.

One of the findings shows that there is support from 87 percent of respondents to replace unhealthy products in the market, with healthier ones. Moreover, nine in ten respondents believe obesity is a problem in the UK.

“Gluten-free bakery is tough enough, and to match the product integrity of the standard is not easy to do. However, gluten-free baked goods are still subject to the traffic light system, and they are still affected by the 2020 regulations the same as any other product,” Walker adds highlighting the need for healthy sugar alternatives.