Thank you to everyone who joined our recent webinar, Hitting the Sweet Spot in Beverage, hosted by Gillco Ingredients, an Azelis Company, in partnership with Cargill.
During the webinar, our experts explored the consumer trends, market shifts, and technical considerations driving beverage innovation in today’s evolving sweetener landscape.
Special thanks to our guest speakers from Cargill:
- Emily Berg, Marketing Manager, Beverages
- Leanne Pinsonneault, Senior Food Scientist, Beverages
Together, they shared valuable insights into changing consumer preferences, emerging beverage opportunities, and formulation strategies for creating better-for-you beverages without compromising taste.
Key Consumer Trends Driving Sweetness Innovation
1. Consumers Still Want Sweetness — But on New Terms
Sweet remains the most preferred taste profile, with nearly 60% of consumers ranking it as their favorite. At the same time:
- 75% of consumers believe they should reduce sugar intake
- Over 50% say “no artificial sweeteners” claims are important
This creates a challenge for beverage brands: consumers still want sweetness, but they increasingly expect cleaner labels, reduced sugar, and more natural ingredient solutions.
2. Demand for Non-Artificial Sweeteners Continues to Grow
Consumer familiarity with natural sweeteners is increasing rapidly:
- 3 in 4 consumers are familiar with stevia
- Familiarity with monk fruit continues to rise
- Interest in allulose and erythritol is growing
This shift is influencing both product development and purchasing behavior, making sweeteners like stevia and rare sugars increasingly important in beverage formulation.
3. Zero Sugar and Reduced Sugar Beverages Are Growing
The beverage category is no longer split between only full-sugar and zero-sugar products.
A growing middle ground is emerging:
- Reduced sugar beverages
- Mid-calorie beverages
- Sweet-balanced formulations
This category creates new opportunities for brands looking to offer better-for-you options while maintaining great taste.
4. Functional Beverages Are Reshaping the Market
Consumers are increasingly seeking beverages that deliver more than hydration.
Growing functional beverage categories include:
- Energy
- Hydration
- Gut health
- Protein beverages
- Prebiotic sodas
- Calm & focus beverages
As functional ingredients become more common, balancing taste and performance becomes even more important.
Sweet Science: Building Better Sweetness Systems
After reviewing market trends, the webinar shifted into formulation science and sweetener strategy.
Key Beverage Formulation Challenges
Sweetness plays an important role in overcoming several formulation challenges, including:
- Balancing acidity and sourness
- Reducing bitterness
- Masking off-notes from functional ingredients
- Supporting flavor perception
- Maintaining mouthfeel when sugar is reduced
Removing sugar impacts more than sweetness alone—it also affects texture, body, and overall drinking experience.
Understanding the Sweetener Toolkit
Successful beverage formulation often relies on combining multiple sweetener technologies.
Nutritive Sweeteners
- Cane sugar
- High fructose corn syrup
- Juice concentrates
These provide sweetness, calories, and mouthfeel.
High-Intensity Sweeteners
Non-artificial:
- Stevia
- Monk fruit
Artificial:
- Sucralose
- Aspartame
- Ace-K
These deliver sweetness intensity with little to no calories.
Polyols & Rare Sugars
- Erythritol
- Allulose
These ingredients help improve mouthfeel, reduce sweetness linger, and complement high-intensity sweeteners.
Spotlight on Stevia Innovation
Cargill highlighted advancements in stevia technology and how sweetener performance has improved significantly over time.
Key solutions discussed included:
- Traditional Reb A stevia extracts
- Viatech® stevia solutions
- EverSweet® stevia sweetener
- EverSweet® + ClearFlo™ technology
Newer stevia technologies help deliver:
- Faster sweetness onset
- Less lingering sweetness
- Improved sugar-like taste
- Better solubility and formulation flexibility
These improvements make stevia more effective than ever in modern beverage applications.
Case Studies in Beverage Innovation
Case Study 1: Calm & Focus Beverage
A prototype tangerine-ginger beverage was developed to support calm and focus benefits using:
- Ashwagandha
- L-theanine
- Magnesium
- Acetylcholine
Challenge:
Functional ingredients introduced bitterness and off-notes.
Solution:
A sweetener system using EverSweet® + ClearFlo™ helped reduce bitterness and improve drinkability.
Case Study 2: Modern Functional Soda
A mango-guava modern soda concept was developed featuring:
- Whey protein isolate
- Soluble corn fiber
- Allulose
- Stevia (Viatech®)
This formulation delivered:
- Reduced sugar
- Functional nutrition
- Clean label appeal
- Great taste
This highlights how sweetener systems can help brands succeed in fast-growing functional soda categories.
Top Webinar Takeaways
1. Formulate for Today’s Consumer
Understand your target consumer and their expectations around sugar, sweetness, and label claims.
2. Define Your Sweetness Target
Know your desired sweetness level and the sensory profile you want to achieve.
3. Align with Labeling Goals
Whether your goal is reduced sugar, zero sugar, or clean label, ingredient choices matter.
4. Understand Sweetener Trade-Offs
Each sweetener has advantages and limitations related to taste, performance, and label perception.
5. Sweetener Systems Often Perform Best
Blended sweetener systems frequently provide the best overall taste and functionality.
Q&A Highlights
How do you replace mouthfeel when reducing sugar?
Common strategies include using:
- Erythritol
- Allulose
- Hydrocolloids such as pectin
- Soluble fibers
These ingredients can restore body and improve drinking experience.
How stable are non-nutritive sweeteners over shelf life?
Most high-intensity sweeteners remain stable over standard beverage shelf life.
One exception is aspartame, which can degrade over time in low-pH beverages.
Is allulose approved globally?
No. Allulose is approved in the United States but is not yet approved in all global markets, including certain international regions.
Interested in Sweetener Solutions for Your Next Beverage Launch?
Whether you’re developing a zero-sugar beverage, functional soda, protein drink, or clean-label formulation, Gillco Ingredients, an Azelis Company, can help.
Our team works with beverage brands and manufacturers to identify the right ingredient solutions for taste, functionality, and market success.
Contact your Gillco | Azelis account manager to learn more or request samples.