Lazaya is embracing the trend for sugar-free products

Over the past few years there has been a rise in demand for sugar free products by consumers. No longer content with solely having sugar-free soft drinks or adding sweeteners rather than sugar to their coffee, people are now requesting and consuming more and more sugar free products. As a result, here at Lazaya we have moved with the tide and began offering a range of sugar-free preserved fruit a few years ago. We would not want our clients to miss out on the colour and flavour that our preserved fruits can add to their sugar-free creations.

Consumers are increasingly health conscious and want products free from sugar

Consumers are increasingly aware of issues concerning their health and wellbeing, conscious that what they eat plays an important role in living healthily. This increased awareness leads them to seek alternatives that taste nice but at the same time allow them to eat healthily. They are not willing to sacrifice flavour, any more than they are willing to sacrifice health.

Overall it seems that consumers are willing to embrace the trend towards sugar-free products, but seek certain traits in the products they purchase:

• They want to eat food that does not cause weight gain and look for products that help them keep slim and thus are low in calories.
• They do not want to sacrifice on flavour, just on sugar. They seek tasty and appetizing food.
• They want more healthy products as a certain “health awareness” phenomenon permeates society.
• They want to keep enjoying the same products as always and therefore look for alternatives that will permit them to continue enjoying their favourite foods.

Therefore, it is important that from the professional sectors of pastry making and baked goods, we adapt to this new trend and request from customers by adding a selection of sugar-free items from within our range of products. There are, in fact, some patisseries that opt to only offer sugar free products.

Sugar free products that are suitable for everyone

At Lazaya we aim to ensure that nobody needs to give up on the delightful taste of fruit in syrup or candied fruit because they may contain sugar. Our range of sugar-free preserved fruit products are apt for diabetics and yet are also perfect for those consumers who wish to reduce their calorie intake and control their weight. Our clients can reach a wider audience thanks to our range of sugar-free traditional products which they can use in their desserts, cakes, confectionary and ice creams, allowing consumers to indulge in these sorts of delicious special treats! Also available from Lazaya are a range of sugar-free candied and preserved fruits to decorate sweet and tasty – yet healthy – confections.

The key factor is attaining the same taste without including sugar

Successful sugar-free products on the market are those which consumers seek because they keep the same flavour and texture as the original product but are free from sugar. Reaching the balance between flavour and texture is often not straightforward because sugar is an element that mixes well with many ingredients and adds a distinctive mark to edible products, especially within the baked goods sector. Thus, it is important to work in research and development to find sugar substitutes that mean there are no sacrifices when it comes to the flavour, texture, colour and freshness of products, and, of course, to ensure that these sweeteners are the most healthy possible.

At Lazaya we are proud of the fact that we have created sweet products that traditionally contained high levels of sugar in such a way that they continue being sweet to taste, but have eliminated that ingredient. There is no need to give way on flavour when it comes to candied fruit, tinned fruit or jams.

At Lazaya we blend tradition and innovation at the request of our clients

We believe it is important to keep up with the demands of our clients, thereby achieving customer satisfaction with our products. We cannot ignore social trends, and in response have been offering sugar free preserved fruit since 2012 and more recently fruits in syrup, jams and fruit piping gels that are free from sugar, allowing our consumers to use these sugar free products as fillings for their desserts or as a glaze on their confections. Thus we have become the perfect ally for pastry making companies, patisseries, hospitality caterers, confectionary makers and ice cream providers who all offer sugar-free products on their menus or in their catalogues.

We have an in-house research and development team which includes professionals from Quality Control and Food Safety, who are continuously innovating in order to adapt to and meet our clients’ requirements. In this case, we have found artificial sweeteners that best adapt to the nature and preservation of our fruit, with maltitol being our sweetener of choice in order to reduce the number of calories therein. Furthermore, we use natural colorants and avoid preservatives, among other steps.