Market Trends of Spain Food Sweetener Industry
Stevia Witnessing Enhanced Applications across Industries
- Stevia acts as a natural sugar substitute and is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, with a zero-calorie content and minimal harmful effects on health. As a result, consumers are shifting from artificial sweeteners to natural sweeteners. An increase in the demand for nutrition-rich products among consumers seeking healthier lifestyles is expected to bring favorable growth to the market during the forecast period.
- Moreover, stevia is packed with ingredients, such as antioxidant compounds, caffeic acid, quercetin, flavonoids, and tannins, which provide numerous health benefits. As a result, food manufacturers are substituting sugar with stevia in products such as yogurt, tea, and coffee. As the millennial populace opts for low-calorie foods and drinks, the demand for stevia will further increase.
- Moreover, the key players in the stevia market offer customized stevia powder and granules for beverage manufacturers. The natural sweetness stevia offers encourages them to introduce beverage products without compromising the taste and flavor. Stevia extracts in both powder and liquid formats have become an ideal replacement for sugar in most bakery products as they remain stable throughout the baking process. Stevia is a valuable ingredient in dairy applications as well. Its benefits include sugar reduction, superb functionality, stability, and flexibility of use in various dairy food categories, such as yogurt, flavored milk, and ice cream. This thus supports enhanced stevia application and the market for food sweeteners.
Understand The Key Trends Shaping This Market
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Bakery and Confectionery Segment Leading the Application Type
- Sweeteners are one of the essential ingredients in baked goods, and sugar is a widely consumed sweetening agent as it provides a desirable texture and mouthfeel. However, in the long term, too much sugar increases the risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. As a result, there has been a significant rise in the demand for food sweeteners as a healthier alternative to sugar. Baked goods can be sweetened with low levels of aspartame in combination with fructose, sorbitol, and xylitol. Sweeteners help at various baking stages, such as avoiding dough rigidity and maintaining the tender crumb texture and volume of the final baked product.
- Furthermore, consumers are becoming conscious of the amount of sugar in their products. According to the 2022 IFIC Food and Health Survey, 73% of consumers are trying to limit or avoid sugar consumption globally. Consumers are looking for bakery and confectionery launches with no sugar or low-calorie sweeteners like stevia. Companies are thus adopting an innovative and sustainable approach to offer food sweeteners that can be used in a wide range of bakery and confectionery applications. Therefore, rising applications and product innovations support the demand for food sweeteners in the country.
