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SWEETENER COMPARISON
Sucralose vs Sugar: A Practical Manufacturer Guide
Sucralose can replace some of sugar's sweetness at a low dose. Keep or replace the sugar mass separately where the recipe relies on it for texture, browning or structure.
Compare candidates at the same perceived sweetness in the finished base. Record the actual dose, process and serving conditions.
Compare at equal sweetness
| Comparison | Sucralose | Sucrose |
|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | About 600 times sucrose as a reference. Confirm in the food. | Reference sweetness of 1. |
| Calories | Check the commercial ingredient, carrier and finished serving. | About 4 kcal/g using the general carbohydrate factor in the guide. |
| Browning | Does not replace sugar's browning role at the sweetness dose. | Contributes to browning in heated recipes. |
| Bulk | Supplies little bulk at the use level. | Contributes bulk, solids and structure. |
| Aftertaste | Compare onset and finish against a sugar control. | Use the current sugar recipe as the taste reference. |
| Stability | Check actual use and heat conditions separately from sweetness retention. | Check how sugar removal changes texture and the finished system. |
| Labelling | Check claims on the complete product and target market. | Use the full recipe and destination rules for sugar declarations. |
| Best-fit application | Sweetness replacement where the other recipe functions are covered. | Products that depend on sugar for bulk and structure. |
| Cost-in-use | Use the tested dose that reaches the target, then compare cost per finished unit. | Use the tested dose that reaches the target, then compare cost per finished unit. |
Which should you trial?
- Reduced-sugar direction
- Trial sucralose for sweetness where it fits the brief. Assess any claim on the complete recipe.
- Browning, bulk and structure
- Retain sugar or replace those functions separately before tasting.
- Partial replacement
- Compare a partial sugar reduction with a complete control and record what the remaining sugar still does.
