Reduced-sugar applications are tricky, too. “Sugar not only provides sweetness, but also solids content,” Gray says. “Therefore, fillers will need to be added to provide proper texture.” Then there are the off notes associated with alternative sweeteners, which usually require masking solutions of their own. “The addition of sweetness enhancers generally requires careful rebalancing of the entire flavor system,” she says, “as the change in perceived sweetness also changes the flavor impact.”
No-sugar-added fruit preps are also difficult to process. “Sugar gets infused into the fruit and makes it sturdier for processing; brightens the color; and makes the appearance more appealing,” explains Kate Jacobsen, team manager, multiple food applications, Danisco USA, New Century, KS. By contrast, “the pieces of fruit in sugar-free fruit preps tend to get very torn or shredded when moving through processing lines.” To preserve fruit identity in low-solids preps, she suggests keeping process viscosity very low, but maintaining homogeneity of the fruit pieces throughout the entire batch—a task that manufacturers can accomplish with pectin. Furthermore, she adds, “viscosity of the fruit prep needs to be sufficient to keep the fruit pieces from sinking or floating in the matrix. It also needs to be pumpable and easy to mix into the base.”
Given the popularity of innovative yogurt products, it seems it only requires a little creativity and technical know-how to keep things in a state of ferment.
Kimberly J. Decker, a California-based technical writer, has a B.S. in consumer food science with a minor in English from the University of California, Davis. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area, where she enjoys eating and writing about food. You can reach her at
kim@decker.net.
Web resources
2009 Tipped as Actively Healthy Year for Yogurts
The Dominant Culture:Yogurt for the Masses
Facts About Yogurt, Dairy Management Inc.™
More resources
Fruit, Preparations
Stabilizers
Yogurt