Carbonated soft drinks dominate the soft the soft drinks market and the sector is one of the fastest growing. About 30% of the carbonated drinks sold are low sugar products.
Sugar intake and weight gain have always been of interest to consumers. Surveys suggest that approximately 85 percent of all US adult use low calories, reduced sugar or sugar free foods and beverages at least once every weeks.
New low and no sugar products in the soft drink sector provide the opportunity to reduce extrinsic sugars without compromising on taste, which is very important in gaining product acceptance among children and teenagers.
The most popular sugar-free products are artificially sweetened soft drinks and other beverage.
One of the example is ‘apple spritzer’ in Germany. The drinks are sparkling and the juice is around 50% with no sugar or other sweetener added. This provided a very refreshing, calorie-reduced drink with low sweetness.
As global concern regarding obesity and high sugar consumption increases, the market for lower sugar, lower-glycaemic-load and calorie controlled products will increase, and it follows that the use of sugar substitute will increase.
Aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame, cyclamate or the common artificial sweeteners which are not sugar at all, but commonly used intense sweetening agents that are cheap sugar substitutes. They are widely used in diet soft drinks, and regular soft drinks.
Although commercial diet soft drinks are low in sugar, they are high in phosphates, additives and often caffeine.
Low sugar soft drinks also can be manufactured with ‘natural’ ingredients, contain fruits, healthy botanical extracts, antioxidants, etc, and be fully compatible with healthy lifestyle, provided that they are consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
Low sugar soft drinks
