Escalating raw material prices are a big problem never more so than with Sodium Saccharin. This is the main ingredient in high intensity sweeteners (HIS) widely used in the animal feed industry. They are most popular when included in young animal diets, especially piglet feeds. Pancosma manufactures SUCRAM® – the patented brand leader product.
Over the past year the price of saccharin has risen by more than 500 % posing a major challenge to the manufacturers of sweetener products. The problem has been exacerbated by no certainty of supply and alternative HIS, such as stevioside, rising in price as a consequence of supply and demand. So what has been the response of the suppliers and is what they are presenting in the best interest of the feed manufacturer?
It is amazing! Suddenly new products are appearing, some claiming to be "saccharin free sweeteners (SFS) and offering wonderful benefits never seen before from these alternatives to saccharin although they have been available to the industry for a long time. Pancosma developed a natural sweetener product, SUCRAM N-3D, some years ago as part of its research programme. So why are other companies reacting so late? Particular reference has to be made to stevioside, which is classified as a natural sweetener but certain aspects should be open to scrutiny:
When comparing with saccharin companies use incorrect levels of sweetening strength for saccharin to build their case for stevioside.
On a unit sucrose equivalent basis (sodium) saccharin is still the most economical HIS available to the animal feed industry.
On a unit sucrose equivalent basis stevioside is at least 3 to 4 times more expensive than saccharin – even today!
If stevioside is being included in the sweetener product at the same cost basis as the saccharin the corresponding sweetening strength will be severely diluted. In this respect the product will be inferior.
stevioside is only being used to introduce diluted products as the inclusion rate does not have to be declared as has to be done with saccharin. There is no way, therefore, for the customer to calculate the sweetening strength, which opens the door to a lack of transparency by the supplier.
It would still be more economical to lower the levels of saccharin but this would immediately be seen as a dilution unless zootechnical claims can be made for new ingredients working in synergy with the different HIS.
In some countries, e.g. USA, stevioside is not a permitted ingredient.
SUCRAM® is still the same as it has always been – no dilutions! We guarantee to our customers that quality standards will not be sacrificed in the face of a pricing problem.
Pancosma purses R&D solutions as aof an on-going project to have less reliance on saccharin. The first fruit of this research was SUCRAM 3D where it was possible to demonstrate the synergistic effect of saccharin combined with sensory stimulants and taste modifiers. The next product based on this concept, SUCRAM TakTik, has just been launched.
Do not forget that a top performing sweetener/taste enhancer does not just contain saccharin. The other ingredients, e.g. taste modifiers, potentiators, etc., are just as important. This is the basis of all SUCRAM products including SUCRAM TakTik.
Sales of SUCRAM® are at record levels demonstrating the feed industry's confidence in the product's efficacy and value for money – that's the proof!
From Pancosma –just good TAKTIKS with SUCRAM® TakTik
