Tate & Lyle PLC has announced an addition to its sweetener portfolio: ERYTESSE Erythritol. Through a strategic partnership distribution agreement with a leading supplier of erythritol, this addition expands its ability to help customers deliver on consumer demand for healthier sugar- and calorie- reduced products.

ERYTESSE Erythritol has 70% the sweetness of sucrose and a similar temporal profile, with zero calories. It can be used in a range of categories, including beverages, dairy, bakery, and confectionery. Erythritol fits well into the brand's existing portfolio and can be used alone or in combination with natural sweeteners, like stevia and monk fruit, and high potency sweeteners like sucralose. It offers a full sugar-like taste experience and helps customers formulate sugar reduced foods and beverages at an acceptable cost in use. It can also be used to create sweetening solutions for manufactured food products, including bulking and mouthfeel when sucrose is reduced or removed. In addition, it offers good stability in high levels of heat or acidity during processing, making it suitable for a host of formulations.

The Compound Annual Growth Rate for all new product launches globally with low/no/reduced calorie claims containing erythritol (either on its own or in combination with other sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose) for the last five complete calendar years was 22%, indicating strong and consistent demand for erythritol. The strategic partnership agreement will provide security of supply and can meet both the short-term and long-term demands of the company's customers.

The perception and awareness of the benefits of erythritol are increasing, with 67% of industry professionals feeling positive about the ingredient, and an increasing number of U.S. consumers likely or very likely to buy a product which contains erythritol now at 23% (up from 6% in 2020).

"Consumers are increasingly switching to sugar reduced products, so manufacturers are looking for more sweetening solutions that will help them reformulate and still deliver the taste and texture consumers will love," said Abigail Storms, global head of sweeteners, Tate & Lyle. "ERYTESSE Erythritol has a clean taste and bulking properties that make it perfect for helping manufacturers meet this demand, and as such it strengthens our existing sweetening toolbox, as well as our overall portfolio.

“It forms part of our commitment to transform lives through the science of food and helps our customers to meet consumer expectations for making healthy food tastier and tasty food healthier," Storms finishes.