Towards healthier low-sugar and low-fat beverages: Design, production, and characterization

Chen Yang; Lianliang Liu; Chuanjian Cui; Huimei Cai; Qianying Dai; Guijie Chen; David Julian McClements; Ruyan Hou

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2024.115457

Towards healthier low-sugar and low-fat beverages: Design, production, and characterization

Food Res Int. 2025 Jan:200:115457. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.115457. Epub 2024 Nov 29.

Authors

Chen Yang¹, Lianliang Liu², Chuanjian Cui³, Huimei Cai¹, Qianying Dai¹, Guijie Chen¹, David Julian McClements⁴, Ruyan Hou⁵

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, School of Tea and Food Science & Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China; Joint Research Center for Food Nutrition and Health of IHM, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China.
² State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, College of Food and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Animal Protein Food Processing Technology of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, Zhejiang Province, China.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
⁴ Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, School of Tea and Food Science & Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China; Joint Research Center for Food Nutrition and Health of IHM, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Food Safety Monitoring and Quality Control, New-style Industrial Tea Beverage Green Manufacturing Joint Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39779115
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.115457

Abstract

Many consumers are adopting low-sugar and low-fat beverages to avoid excessive calories and the negative impact of high trans- and/or saturated fat on health and wellbeing. This article reviews strategies to reduce sugar, fat, and high trans- and/or saturated fat content in beverages while maintaining their desirable physicochemical and sensory attributes. It assesses the impact of various sugar and fat replacers on the aroma, taste, texture, appearance, and nutritional profile of beverages. Combinations of natural sugar replacers and protein or polysaccharide-based fat replacers have shown partial success in mimicking the qualities of sucrose and fat. Future strategies for designing low-sugar and low-fat beverages include developing novel replacers and using odorants to enhance sensory profiles. The article also highlights methods for flavor detection and oral tribology methods, emphasizing their role in development of low-sugar and low-fat beverages. The information presented in this review article is intended to stimulate research into the design of healthier low-sugar and low-fat beverages in the future.

Keywords: Fat replacers; Flavor evaluation; Low-fat beverages; Low-sugar beverages; Sensory attributes; Sugar replacers.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Beverages* / analysis
Dietary Fats / analysis
Dietary Sugars / analysis
Humans
Nutritive Value
Taste

Substances

Dietary Fats
Dietary Sugars