A functional carbohydrate for products combining indulgence with nutritional benefits
UPDATED 1 OCTOBER 2026.
Consumers do not necessarily want to choose between enjoyment and nutritional quality. This creates opportunities for product developers to bring ingredients more commonly associated with functional nutrition into traditionally indulgent categories such as confectionery and snacks.
Palatinose™ (isomaltulose) is one example. The functional carbohydrate has a mild, natural sweetness and technological properties that make it suitable for applications ranging from confectionery and snacks to sports nutrition, functional foods and beverages.
A different carbohydrate approach to confectionery
BENEO has demonstrated the potential of Palatinose™ in a toffee concept in which more than 30% of the high-glycaemic sugars in a conventional formulation were replaced with Palatinose™.
The concept shows how a traditionally indulgent product can be reformulated with a different carbohydrate profile while maintaining important sensory characteristics such as creamy sweetness, pleasant bite and mouthfeel.
Palatinose™ is derived from sugar beet and provides approximately 50% of the sweetness of sucrose. Its mild, sugar-like taste allows other flavours to remain prominent, making it particularly suitable for applications where sweetness should not dominate the overall flavour profile.
From healthy indulgence to active nutrition
The same properties also make Palatinose™ relevant beyond confectionery. It is fully digestible but digested more slowly than conventional sugars, resulting in a lower and more sustained blood glucose response. This makes it relevant to applications such as sports nutrition, energy products, functional foods and specialised nutrition.
The combination of mild sweetness, carbohydrate energy and nutritional functionality creates opportunities for products positioned at the intersection of indulgence and functional nutrition – from confectionery and snacks to products designed for active lifestyles.
Palatinose™ has authorised EU health claims relating to a lower post-prandial blood glucose response and maintenance of tooth mineralisation when the applicable conditions of use are met.
Interested in using Palatinose™ in your formulation? Contact us to discuss applications, technical information and samples.
[1] Health Focus International 2018, Global Trend Study
[2] Mintel 2017
[3] Innova 2018
