Culture product designed to reduce sugar in dairy products

Chr. Hansen, a global bioscience company that develops enzymes, cultures and probiotics, has launched Sweety Y-1: a culture that is claimed to allow dairy manufacturers to create naturally sweeter products while reducing added sugar.

Manufacturers are facing increasing pressure from health organisations, governments and consumers to reduce sugar in their products, especially in yoghurt. Sugar is added to dairy products to neutralise the taste of post-acidification, finding a balance between sweet and sour. Sweety Y-1 is claimed to reduce the need for added sugar, as it leads to low post-acidification and creates sweetness naturally through lactose in milk.

“Using what is naturally available in milk and applying our expertise in culture application, we have developed a culture that will enable a sweeter taste than other cultures can,” explained Kim Soerensen, senior principal scientist in strains, Bacterial Physiology at Chr. Hansen.

Sweety Y-1 is a culture solution using Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus cultures. The culture can convert existing sugars in milk through lactose and yielding glucose. The culture enables manufacturers to cater to modern market trends for healthy food by reducing added sugar without compromising the taste of the product.