The phrase “yesterday’s news” might get tossed around about latest fashion trends, but consumers inquisitive nature also is prompting interest in trying new food and beverages. As formulators are developing new products, the sweeteners options from which to choose are helping fuel some “sweet” innovations.

“There is a plethora of sweetener choices beverage product developers are using now,” says Ravi Arora, marketing director at Global Organics, Cambridge, Mass. “For low-calorie beverages, they can use stevia, monk fruit, allulose or a sugar alcohol like erythritol. For low-glycemic beverages, they can use agave along with agave inulin. 

“For clean-label caloric beverages for wide acceptance, they can use cane sugar, maple sugar or honey,” Arora continues.  “And most of these sweeteners are available in organic versions as well to meet the needs of environmentally sensitive consumers as well.”

When it comes to honey, Catherine Barry, vice president of marketing at the National Honey Board, Erie, Colo., explains that beverage-makers are using honey to achieve balanced sweetness while enhancing flavor and functionality. 

“By adjusting the type and amount of honey used, formulators can create a layered, natural sweetness that complements a wide range of beverage profiles,” she says. “Blending different floral sources or incorporating honey at various stages of production allows for greater control over taste, aroma and consistency. 

“This technique helps manage sweetness intensity without resorting to refined sugars, maintaining a clean label appeal,” Barry continues. “Ultimately, honey-only sweetening strategies offer both versatility and a compelling story that resonates with today’s health-conscious consumers.”

Manufacturers also are turning to sweetener solutions that support low- and no-sugar beverages.

“Stevia continues to lead the way, with double-digit sales increases,” says Smaro Kokkinidou, principal food scientist at Cargill, Minneapolis. “But it’s typically used in sweetener blends, which give formulators more flexibility to meet their product development goals.”

Among the stevia options that Cargill offers are leaf-based solutions like Truvia and ViaTech stevia leaf extracts, and its fermentation-derived EverSweet stevia sweetener.

“To further optimize taste and mouthfeel, stevia sweeteners may be paired with erythritol or allulose, which boost up-front sweetness, round out the flavor profile and improve mouthfeel,” Kokkinidou says. “However, for the most complex challenges, we often recommend EverSweet stevia sweetener + ClearFlo natural flavor. From a sweetener perspective, it delivers the right sweetness profile, with up-front sweetness and reduced linger. But on top of those benefits, it also offers significant flavor-modifying benefits.”

Kash Rocheleau, CEO at Icon Foods, Portland, Ore., explains that the company has seen an influx of steviol glycoside blends in beverage innovation. 

“Beverage manufacturers are leaning into combinations like Reb M and Reb D because each glycoside hits different taste receptors, with different onsets, peaks and sweetness curves,” she says. “When dialed in, these blends deliver a clean, smooth sweetness that actually tastes like sugar and without the bitterness or lingering aftertaste that plagued earlier stevia formulations.”

Rocheleau adds there has been a spike in functional fibers when rounding out sweetness for new beverage development.

“Brands are using combinations of prebiotic fibers for the health halo, to reduce glycemic impact, improve texture and round out sweetness,” she says. “You get added functionality — gut health, satiety, improved mouthfeel — without compromising on taste. It’s about delivering a complete sensory and nutritional experience that actually holds up in-market.”

Thom King, chief innovations officer at Icon Foods, further notes that sweetness modulators such as thaumatin, which is derived from the katemfe fruit, can support sugar-reduction goals without compromising on taste.

“Sweetness modulators are sugar reduction flavor technologies that enhance or modify the perception of sweetness without adding sugars while vanquishing off-notes,” he says. “Unlike sweeteners, they don’t do all the sweetness heavy lifting on their own but rather boost or round out sweetness perception, burying off-notes from alternative sweeteners or base ingredients. 

“Thaumatin pairs exceptionally well with a high-intensity sweetener like stevia or monk fruit and prebiotic fibers to create a more sugar-like sweetness experience,” King continues. “For example, Icon Foods’ ThauSweet DRM blends RebM stevia, thaumatin and soluble tapioca fiber, and our ThauSweet DRM blends Mogroside V (from monk fruit), thaumatin and soluble tapioca fiber.”

Erica Campbell, technical solutions manager for sweetening and texturizing solutions at ADM, Chicago, explains that when selecting sweetener solutions, beverage manufacturers are conducting a balancing act to hit on key points in the formulation process.

“When choosing low- and no-calorie sweetening systems, beverage makers need to balance labeling requirements, cost, taste, texture and functionality,” she says. “We help beverage brands identify the best sweetening system within our vast sweetening solutions portfolio and through our Replace Rebalance Rebuild method, which replaces sweetness, rebalances flavor and rebuilds functionality. This holistic approach ensures that sugar reduction, sensory, cost and clean label targets are achieved.”

To support these needs, ADM offers a range of stevia options as well as agave solutions.

“Specifically, ADM SweetRight Stevia Edge portfolio of proprietary extracts are outstanding sweetening solutions when formulating low- or no-sugar beverages with an exceptional taste, while also supporting clean labels,” Campbell says. “Our newly introduced SweetRight Stevia Edgility delivers a superior sweetening profile compared to other Rebaudioside products on the market, with a reduction in bitterness and unmatched solubility. SweetRight Stevia Edgility supports significant sugar- and calorie reduction targets and helps beverage product developers perfect taste while managing costs.

“We also leverage our USDA Organic SweetRight agave to deliver naturally sourced sweetness for low-sugar beverages,” she continues. “With a sweetening potency 25-30% higher than sucrose, less input of SweetRight agave is required to achieve the same sweetness level, supporting sugar reduction and sensory targets. SweetRight agave also has a neutral sensory profile. Plus, SweetRight agave is non-GMO and Kosher- and Halal-suitable, checking boxes on both familiarity and premiumization.”

Johnny Salazar, agave category manager at Global Organics, also touts the benefits that agave can offer with new product development.

“Many plant-based sweeteners require complex precision fermentation processes, which increases the extraction cost for producers,” he says. “On the other hand, agave is a plant-based sweetener alternative that increases operability with lower required volume and low processing cost. 

“Agave nectar is produced by extracting the juice from the core (piña) of the agave plant, filtering, and heating it to convert complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars,” Salazar continues. “This extraction and processing method is generally less complex than the precision fermentation required for other sweeteners, which may involve bio-engineered yeasts to produce the desired sweetener compounds.”

With new product development showing no signs of stopping, sweetener suppliers are delivering the solutions to keep manufacturers and consumers in sweet bliss.