Photo Courtesy of US Highbush Blueberry Council

Photo Courtesy of Nature Research Foods

Many consumers have formed their own criteria for what they consider natural, and most would consider products that contain honey and molasses a good fit in this category. Photo Courtesy of California Raisin Board

Today's health-conscious consumers still crave an occasional sweet treat. Certain traditional sweeteners, or novel sweeteners derived from fruits, vegetables, leaves and other sources, add to the natural appeal of bakery foods.

Natural has become a hot button for consumers. According to Mintel's Global New Products Database, “all natural” was the third most frequent claim on new products introduced in 2007. Last year, Sara Lee and the Sugar Association petitioned the FDA to end a long era of industry ambiguity by defining the term “natural.” But in January, the FDA noted that, because of limited resources, it had no plans to define the term in the near future.

One sweetener embroiled in the natural debate is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In 2007, both Cadbury Schweppes and Kraft faced lawsuits over “natural” label claims on products that contained HFCS. In early 2008, an FDA spokesperson provided some clarity to the issue in an email explaining that because the production of HFCS involves synthetic fixing agents and certain acids, the sweetener “would not be consistent with our… policy regarding the use of the term ‘natural.’”

The often-maligned HFCS offers numerous advantages to the bakery industry, including its pumpability in the plant, fermentability in yeast-raised products and moisture-retention in finished bakery foods. But bakers who want to label their products “all natural” must now explore other sweeteners. Fortunately, quite a few options are available, ranging from traditional sucrose to newer sweeteners, derived from fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Stevia

Although not yet approved for food use in the United States, stevia is one alternate sweetener bakers may want to explore. In the summer of 2007, Cargill and Coca Cola announced a partnership to develop food applications for stevia, a natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the herb Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Currently grown in South America and China, stevia is a natural zero-calorie sweetener. Depending on the purity, stevia extracts are 300 to 400 times sweeter than sugar.

David Bishop, C.O.O., GLG Life Tech Corp., China, notes, “The stevia plant contains many components, but only three have had attention to date: rebaudioside A is the sweetest component, rebaudioside B doesn't taste as good, and rebaudioside C is a bitter component.” GLG is focusing on developing seeds with high yield of the rebaudioside A component, growing these in China, and developing the world's best extraction process.

Currently, stevia is approved for use as a food additive in many countries, including China, Japan, Korea and Brazil. It is approved as a dietary supplement in the United States and Australia. In Canada, it is approved as a food for individual use only. Some industry sources anticipate GRAS approval of stevia in the United States this year. It is not known if approval will only be for beverages, or also will include bakery applications. Because of its intense sweetness, a consumer version currently available in specialty stores is often carried on maltodextrin. Bishop adds, “Stevia is heat stable up to 392°F (200°C).” This is in contrast to some artificial sweeteners that have limited heat stability.

Fruit and vegetable blends

A variety of bakery sweeteners have been produced from fruit and vegetable sources. New to this category is Natur Baker's Blend, an all natural sweetener with 40 percent fewer calories than sucrose. This ingredient tastes and bakes like sugar, and has the same glycemic index as an apple, notes Loren Miles, C.E.O., Natur Research Foods, Los Angeles. “For wholesale bakers we have three products, and the selection of the appropriate product will be determined by whether the baker needs only sweetness, or sweetness and performance. The Natur Baker's Blend product mimics the qualities of sucrose in that it rises like sugar, caramelizes like sugar, browns like sugar and forms a crust like sugar.”