This Natural Sugar Replacement is the Sweetest

It looks and tastes like the real thing.

Strawberries sweetened with artificial sweetener.

(fotoknips / Shutterstock.com)

There are so many sugar replacements that you can use including Splenda, Equal, and plant-based ones like Stevia. With so many to choose from, creating yet another one may seem like a waste of time. But an Israeli foodtech startup came up with a new product that looks, tastes and acts like regular sugar.

Resugar, the company that was founded in 2020 by Niv Ben-Ami and Ron Livny, and the product share the same name. The product is actually made of 30 percent sucrose combined with dietary fibers and natural flavors that enhance the sweetness of sugar, reported No Camels.

It’s a one-to-one replacement product so that food manufactures use the same amount of Resugar as regular sugar which makes it easy to use.

Cutting sugar consumption
The world consumes a lot of sugar, its in beverages, baked goods, yogurts and even in unexpected foods like soups, according to the startup. Too much sugar can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues.

Many countries have levied sugar taxes to help reduce the consumption of sugar but that led manufacturers to use more artificial sweeteners that come with health risks of their own. A recent French study found a link between aspartame – used in Equal and Nutra Sweet – and heart disease and the risk of having a stroke.

“Artificial sweeteners may not be a safe alternative to sugar,” said Mathilde Touvier, the study’s author and a research director at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research told NBC News.

The startup wants to change that by creating a product that mimics sugar but is safe to use. “The food and beverage industry has been disappointed by decades of sugar substitutes that underperform on taste, industrial properties, or both,”  Ben-Ami said in a company press release

“Stemming the tide of global sugar addiction requires harnessing the latest innovations in food science to deliver a flawless all-natural sugar substitute – to literally reinvent sugar, without the drawbacks.” 

Other natural sugar replacements like those made from fruits and agave, do not share the same properties as sugar so it is difficult to use them in manufacturing. Many also have an unpleasant aftertaste, reported No Camels.

Why Resugar is better
The startup uses a proprietary process that was developed in a partnership with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa to transform all-natural ingredients into the finished product, according to the press release.

Resugar is low glycemic so it is safe for diabetics to use, contains 70-80 percent less sugar, and has 50 percent fewer calories than traditional sugar.

While Resugar costs more than using sugar, it is actually cheaper to use than the other leading substitutes that are currently being utilized. It is already being used in Nestlé-Froneri’s low-calorie ice cream bars that are sold in Israel., reported No Camels. And there will more products using it soon.

Right now, Resugar is only sold to food manufactures, but it may be sold directly to consumers in the future. That way, you can enjoy your coffee, and dessert without the risks.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
5 Best Sugar Substitutes
This New Sugar Substitute Is Made From Natural Fruit
Food Nutrition Labels Are About to Get a Whole Lot Better