Nestlé is trying to patent a new type of sugar — but there’s one problem
The F&B giant plans to reduce sugar content of its 'confectionery products' by 40%, but will this make a difference in our high-sugar diet?
Too much sugar is terrible for our health and most of us overindulge daily.
There are alternatives, of course — aspartame-sweetened diet drinks, sucralose-stuffed snacks, stevia-infused protein powders. But not everyone is a fan of fake sugar. Some cringe at the notoriously too-sweete taste; others cite the spotty scientific consensus on their safety.
Enter international food giant Nestlé, who announced last week that it has come up with a way of altering the chemical structure of sugar itself so that less is needed to provide the same honeyed flavor.
The alleged result? Less calories, same taste.
“Imagine if your favourite chocolate bar tasted just as good, but with much less sugar,” the company wrote in its release. “This could soon be a reality, thanks to a major breakthrough by Nestlé scientists.”
The company is currently trying to patent the technology with hopes of introducing it as early as 2018, so for now it is not releasing any precise details. But Nestlé said it plans to use the product to reduce the sugar content of its candy (or “confectionery products,” as the company calls them) by as much as 40%.