It's always a challenge to formulate sugar-free confections, and mints are no exception. We recently reached out to Kyle Krause, regional product manager, functional fibers and carbohydrates, North America, Beneo, to learn about some of the issues manufacturers come across in reducing sugar or creating sugar-free products, and how functional carbohydrates can help.

Liz Parker Kuhn: What are some of the key challenges manufacturers face when formulating sugar-free mints, and how do ingredients like functional carbohydrates help overcome them?

Kyle Krause: As sugar is crucial for taste and texture, there is a range of technical and sensorial challenges that must be resolved to effectively reduce or replace sugar in confectionery and yet meet high consumer expectations. Despite this, sugar-reduced, no-added sugar, and sugar-free products have all made their presence felt in the global confectionery market thanks to the use of functional ingredients. 

In any product reformulation involving cutting out sugar, the challenge is to maintain the same sweetness and mouthfeel that is given by the original ingredients. Consumers want a better nutritional profile, but they don’t want to make sacrifices when it comes to taste or the overall indulgent experience. Producers are looking to sugar replacers that provide bulk and sweetness, such as BENEO’s Isomalt which is the only sugar replacer derived from sugar beet. It has a rounded sweetness similar to sucrose, with only half the calories and a low-glycemic response, thus helping to keep blood sugar levels balanced. Even better, Isomalt carries a health claim by the FDA for not promoting tooth decay, which is especially relevant in the segment of products such as mints, candies, and chewies. 

Beneo also produces a direct compressible isomalt ingredient, which is used to create sugar-free, tasty mints. 

LPK: Can you elaborate on the role of functional ingredients in achieving brilliant, translucent and/or colored coatings in mints and how that influences consumer appeal and product differentiation?

KK: Isomalt is the number one sugar replacer worldwide in hard candies due to its low hygroscopicity and is a preferred solution for gum and candy coatings, including mints. Its unique property to crystallize translucently makes it attractive to those producers looking to create brilliantly colored mint coatings with innovative visual effects and without an uneven, mottled color appearance. Isomalt requires less heat and color usage in coating applications, supporting productivity and sustainability. Since Isomalt is low hygroscopic, candies stay dry and don’t stick to one another which makes it easy to package them unwrapped for less waste and lower costs. This sugar replacer can also be used in a range of other confectionery applications, including providing technical benefits within chewing gum mass. 

For chewing gum coatings, there is no need to use a binder such as gum arabic in the Isomalt coating process. The coating layers are stable and not affected by mechanical stress, resulting in significantly less chipping as compared to other polyols.  The coating still provides a nice crunch.

Besides Isomalt as part of the functional carbohydrate portfolio, Beneo's rice ingredients are also a good fit for use in confectionery. For example, rice starch offers a high level of whiteness and is a proven alternative to titanium dioxide in applications such as confectionery coatings and chewing gum.   With its small granule size, the clean label ingredient also easily smoothes rough surfaces of confectionery coatings during the production process

LPK: Gum and mint products often suffer from stickiness due to humidity. What solutions help to improve shelf life and consumer experience?

KK: Isomalt has a lower hygroscopicity than most polyols and is significantly lower than sugar. It absorbs little to no moisture at room temperature and at relatively high humidity levels. Isomalt prevents hard-boiled candies and compressed mints from becoming sticky or moist, guaranteeing a longer shelf life, so that even unwrapped items can be packaged together. 

For this reason, isomalt should be considered in “car cup” type packaging, which are bulk packages of chewing gum that sit for long periods of time in consumers’ vehicles. Isomalt’s lack of hygroscopicity could increase the period of time by which such gum remains crunchy.

LPK: With rising interest in blood sugar management, how do Beneo's lower glycemic carbohydrates support this need in candy applications, particularly in mints and gum?

KK: Physiologically, isomalt is a low-digestible carbohydrate and releases very little glucose into the bloodstream. This explains why isomalt has a minimal effect on blood glucose levels and insulin release. Providing only half the calories of sugar as an additional benefit, Isomalt replaces higher glycemic sugars in mints, gum, and confectionery in general. In a Beneo study[1], the replacement of only 30 g sucrose with isomalt in several products over 12 weeks led to significant improvements in long-term blood glucose parameters like HbA1c and insulin resistance in type-2 diabetics.

LPK: Aftertaste can be a major barrier in sugar-free confections—how do Beneo's ingredients maintain a clean, sweet flavor profile without the drawbacks of some sugar substitutes?

KK: When looking for a sugar alternative that tastes just right, Isomalt offers a taste and texture very close to regular sugar with about half the sweetness. When paired with high-intensity sweeteners, Isomalt helps balance out the flavor, enabling clean sweet profiles without an undesired aftertaste. 

LPK: In addition, tooth friendliness is a growing concern among health-conscious consumers—how do BENEO’s ingredients support dental health in everyday gum and mint consumption?

KK: With the rising popularity of GLP-1 medications, more consumers are turning to chewing gums and mints to alleviate common side effects such as dry mouth and bad breath. As these products become part of daily routines, the demand for tooth-friendly options is increasing.

Beneo's Isomalt stands out as an ideal ingredient in this context. Recognized by the FDA with a health claim for not promoting tooth decay, Isomalt supports oral health, particularly when used in confections consumed by children, while delivering a pleasant sweetness. 

By combining dental benefits with metabolic support, Isomalt enables manufacturers to meet the evolving needs of today’s health-conscious consumers.