Beneo to Expand Sugar-Free Gum Development

Beneo (Mannheim, Germany) announced it is expanding its product-development capabilities for chewing gum. Research will focus on replacing sugar with the company’s Isomalt sugar replacer, which is derived from pure sugar beet.

The company has installed an additional kneading, extruding, rolling, and scoring machine in its Offstein, Germany laboratory to test new gum concepts-and to help brands innovate. “Some small and medium-sized manufacturers may not have the equipment, expertise, or facilities to try out different product avenues, which can restrict growth into new areas,” said Ingrid Willibald-Ettle, head of the supplier’s customer technical services.

According to the company, the sugar-free chewing gum market has seen steady growth and is expected to continue growing at 7.2% over the next two years.