Demand for natural sweeteners growing in vegan ice cream applications, says Malt Products Corp.

Photo © iStockphoto.com/OlgaMiltsova

Malt Products Corporation (MPC; Saddle Brook, NJ) is seeing an uptick in demand for its all-natural sweeteners for vegan ice cream. Sweetening vegan ice cream presents a few challenges because not all sweeteners are vegan certified, and the potential for off textures. The market segment also poses a challenge because consumers seeking vegan options often want all-natural ingredients too, which eliminates sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup, even if it’s technically vegan. 

All MPC’s TapRite tapioca extract and RiceRite brown rice-based sweeteners offer a lower dextrose equivalent (DE), provide bulking, and control ice crystal growth to offer a creamy consistency to vegan ice cream. MPC’s OatRite oat extract, as well as certain vegan-certified items in its CaneRite sugar cane molasses portfolio help provide appropriate taste to flavors such as crème brulee and cookies & cream. MPC’s all-natural sweeteners contain health benefits such as proteins and antioxidants, too, as well as digestive benefits by optimizing good bacteria and minimizing bad bacteria.

“The emergence of vegan ice cream is a logical next step from non-dairy ice creams, which have been incredibly popular for quite some time,” said Amy Targan, president of Malt Products Corp., in a press release “Companies trying to create niche versions of traditional food products— in this case, ice cream — frequently face challenges finding ideal formulations that meet specific criteria while still appealing to a target consumer subset. Many are finding our MaltRite, OatRite, and certain molasses varieties as highly attractive options to sweeten vegan ice cream, which can be a delicate dance from an ingredients perspective.”