Flavourings & Sweeteners

What are flavorings and sweeteners used for in cooking?

This section addresses a specific need: to add flavor to a preparation without adding sugar or calories. Plain white cheese, porridge with water, an unflavored protein shake: all correct bases on paper, but difficult to consume as is.

Sweeteners provide the sweet taste. In powder, tablet, or liquid form, they replace sugar in a ratio ranging from one-to-one to one-to-six-hundred depending on the molecule. Flavorings provide identity — vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, cookie, red berries — without adding sweetness. Some products combine both, which simplifies use but removes control over separate dosing.

The logic is similar to zero sauces and zero jams, except here you create your own: more economical to use and much more flexible.

What are the main families of sweeteners?

The most useful classification is not natural versus synthetic, but intense versus bulk.

Intense sweeteners

They are hundreds of times sweeter than sucrose and are used in milligrams. Their energy contribution is practically zero.

• Sucralose (E955): approximately 600 times the sweetening power of sugar. Very similar profile to sucrose, without marked bitterness. The most versatile.
• Steviol glycosides (E960), extracted from the stevia leaf: 200 to 300 times. Licorice note and slight bitterness in the finish, depending on the purity of the extract.
• Aspartame (E951): approximately 200 times. Distinct taste, but unstable with heat.
• Acesulfame-K (E950): approximately 200 times. Rarely used alone, almost always combined with another sweetener whose defects it masks.

Bulk sweeteners, or polyols

They are less sweet than sugar or only barely as sweet, but provide volume and texture. This allows replacing 100g of sugar with 100g of product in a recipe.

• Erythritol (E968): 60 to 80% of sugar's sweetening power, refreshing effect in the mouth. The only polyol counted as 0 kcal per gram in European labeling, others being counted as 2.4 kcal per gram.
• Xylitol (E967): sweetening power equivalent to that of sugar, making it the easiest to substitute. Toxic to dogs, even in small quantities: store out of reach if you have a pet.
• Maltitol (E965) and sorbitol (E420): approximately 90% and 60%. Good technological performance, but the least well tolerated digestively.

How do they behave when cooked?

Aspartame does not withstand heat. It degrades at high temperatures or after prolonged heating, losing its sweetening power: a cake sweetened with aspartame will come out of the oven bland. Reserve it for cold preparations and beverages.

Sucralose, acesulfame-K, and steviol glycosides withstand the usual temperatures of a domestic oven. These are the three candidates for baking.

Polyols also withstand heat, and erythritol has a particularity to be aware of: it recrystallizes as it cools, which gives a grainy crust on a glaze or a sandy texture in a moist cake. Mixing it with a little intense sweetener, or dissolving it completely when hot, limits the phenomenon.

The point that most recipes overlook: sugar does more than just sweeten. It browns through the Maillard reaction, retains water, and tenderizes the crumb. No sweetener reproduces these functions, and an entirely sugar-free cake will be paler, drier, and denser. Two solutions: retain 20 to 30% of the original sugar, or compensate for moisture with applesauce, yogurt, or peanut butter.

Why do polyols have a laxative effect?

Polyols are incompletely absorbed in the small intestine. The unabsorbed fraction draws water by osmotic effect, then reaches the colon where the microbiota ferments it. The result: bloating, gas, and at higher doses, loose stools.

European regulations require the mention "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects" on any food containing more than 10% polyols. This is not a commercial warning but a labeling obligation: if it appears on a package, it means the threshold has been crossed. This is the case for many protein cookies, protein bars, and sugar-free confections.

Tolerance varies greatly from person to person and from polyol to polyol. Sorbitol and maltitol are the least well tolerated; erythritol is much better tolerated, being largely absorbed in the small intestine and then eliminated in the urine. The practical rule: introduce gradually, and count all your sources throughout the day — it's almost always the total, not an isolated product, that causes discomfort.

How to dose a concentrated flavor?

Under-dosing a flavor costs nothing, over-dosing spoils the preparation. That's the only rule that truly matters.

Food flavorings in drops are concentrated to the point that two to five drops are enough to flavor a 300 ml shake or a bowl of white cheese. For a 500g cake batter, we're talking about half a teaspoon. Refer to the manufacturer's dosage, which varies greatly from one range to another, and always correct upwards.

• Flavor develops at rest. A preparation tasted immediately may seem bland; the same one after ten minutes in the refrigerator is just right.
• Certain profiles become off-putting with over-dosing. Banana, coconut, almond, and vanilla become soapy or bitter well before chocolate or caramel flavors.
• Heat dissipates some flavors, which are volatile: for oven baking, dose slightly higher, or add the flavor to the glaze rather than the batter.

In a shaker, the most frequent use is to start with a neutral base — an unflavored whey isolate, for example — and create your own flavor, which prevents getting tired of a flavor bought in a two-kilogram tub. The same logic applies to rice cream, oat flour, or protein pancakes.

What do EFSA and ANSES say about their safety?

We adhere strictly to the positions of the competent authorities, without adding any interpretation.

All sweeteners marketed in the European Union are authorized food additives, evaluated by EFSA and subject to an acceptable daily intake expressed in milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day: 40 mg/kg for aspartame, 15 mg/kg for sucralose, 4 mg/kg in steviol equivalents for steviol glycosides.

Two labeling mentions are mandatory: "contains a source of phenylalanine" on aspartame products, intended for people with phenylketonuria; and the mention regarding laxative effects beyond 10% polyols.

On the French side, ANSES conducted an expert assessment on the nutritional benefits and risks of intense sweeteners and concluded that no long-term nutritional benefit was demonstrated, neither on weight control nor on blood sugar. Replacing sugar with a sweetener thus reduces an immediate caloric intake, which is an arithmetic fact, but does not in itself constitute a validated weight loss strategy.

Beyond these positions, we do not take sides. Any personal questions — pregnancy, diabetes, digestive pathology, ongoing treatment — should be addressed to your doctor or a dietitian.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is a sweetener?

An ingredient that provides a sweet taste without contributing the carbohydrate load of sugar. The category covers two very different realities: intense sweeteners, active at milligram doses, and polyols, used in grams and which also provide volume. In the European Union, these are additives identified by an E-code and evaluated before authorization.

Which is the healthiest sweetener?

No health authority establishes this ranking, and one must be wary of what is read online. All authorized sweeteners in the European Union have been evaluated and assigned an acceptable daily intake that current consumption rarely exceeds. What can be said factually: erythritol is the best tolerated of the polyols digestively; sucralose has the taste profile closest to sugar; steviol glycosides are of plant origin, which makes them neither more nor less safe — "natural" is not a safety category. And the most important point, often overlooked: ANSES reminds us that no long-term nutritional benefit of intense sweeteners has been demonstrated. The healthiest approach therefore remains to gradually reduce the sweet taste itself.

Is erythritol dangerous?

It remains an authorized additive in the European Union, and its status has not changed. What caused a stir were studies published from 2023 linking high blood levels of erythritol to an increased cardiovascular risk in patients already at risk. Three clarifications are necessary: these studies are observational and do not establish a cause-and-effect link; erythritol is also naturally produced by the body, which makes the interpretation of blood levels delicate; and European authorities have not modified its authorization to date. The honest position is therefore: an open, monitored subject, without established conclusion. If you are being treated for a cardiovascular problem, it is up to your doctor to judge, not a product sheet.

Do sweeteners make you gain weight?

They provide little to no calories: arithmetically, replacing sugar with a sweetener reduces the energy intake of the product. What remains debated is the effect over an entire day and in the long term: ANSES concluded that no benefit was demonstrated on weight control. Two mechanisms are advanced to explain this, without being definitively settled: compensation, when one allows oneself something else because the product was "light," and the maintenance of a taste for sweetness. Used as a specific tool in an otherwise controlled diet, they are helpful; used as a free pass, they change nothing.

How to sweeten yogurt or plain white cheese without sugar?

Three approaches, from the simplest to the most interesting. A few drops of concentrated flavor, with or without liquid sweetener: it's instant and doesn't change the texture. A spoonful of fruit preparation without added sugar or zero syrup, which also adds color. Or, without any additives, cinnamon, powdered vanilla, unsweetened cocoa, mashed fruit, or thawed frozen red berries — their juice naturally sweetens the dairy product. A tip for all three: let it rest for ten minutes in the fridge before tasting, the flavor needs this time to diffuse.

What is stevia, and why is it said to be banned?

Stevia is a plant from South America whose leaves contain steviol glycosides, very sweet molecules. These purified glycosides are authorized as an additive in the European Union under code E960, with an acceptable daily intake of 4 mg/kg body weight in steviol equivalents. The idea of a ban comes from the period prior to this authorization. What remains unauthorized as a food ingredient is the raw leaf — not the sweetener sold in stores.

Sucralose or stevia: which to choose?

A matter of taste, not hierarchy. Sucralose has the closest profile to sugar, with no noticeable aftertaste, and is easier to use alone. Steviol glycosides leave a licorice note that some people don't perceive at all and others can't stand. Both are heat-stable for cooking. The only way to decide is to try both on a preparation you know well.

How much sweetener to replace 100g of sugar?

With a polyol, it's close to one-to-one: 100g of xylitol, 120 to 140g of erythritol since it's less sweet. With an intense sweetener, it goes down to a few tenths of a gram, impossible to weigh at home: consumer products are therefore diluted in a carrier, with an equivalence indicated on the packaging. Trust this equivalence, and remember that in baking, the missing volume must be compensated by something else.

Which sweetener for oven baking?

Sucralose, acesulfame-K, and steviol glycosides for the sweetening part; erythritol or xylitol for volume. Avoid aspartame, which loses its sweetening power with heat. The best compromise remains a polyol plus intense sweetener mix, with a little sugar retained for browning.

Are sweeteners suitable for people with diabetes?

It is not up to us to decide. European regulations no longer recognize a category of foods intended for people with diabetes, and ANSES has not found any demonstrated benefit of intense sweeteners on long-term blood sugar control. Factually, these ingredients do not provide absorbable carbohydrates. Any dietary decision for diabetes should be made with your doctor or a dietitian.

Does a food flavoring contain sugar or calories?

Concentrated liquid flavorings are used in such small doses that their contribution is practically nil, and most do not contain sugar. Flavored powders, however, often combine flavor, sweetener, and sometimes a carbohydrate carrier: the nutritional panel provides the answer for the recommended dose. A pure flavor and a flavored powder are not the same product.

Can water be flavored without sugar or sweetener?

Yes, with pure flavorings without sweetener, or by cold infusion: citrus, cucumber, mint, ginger, thawed frozen red berries. The result is flavored but not sweet. For sports use, sugar-free drink mixes and electrolytes meet another need, that of hydration during exercise.

What will you find in this section?

We select these products based on the type of sweetener used, the clarity of the indicated dosage, and the actual aromatic quality. Bolero covers the range of stevia-based drink mixes. Sinob offers flavored powders designed for cooking and baking, where flavor and sweetener are already dosed together.

These ingredients find their place alongside the rest of the grocery aisle — including cooking spray — and transform a neutral base into something edible: clear whey, homemade protein snacks.

Can I taste before buying near Montpellier?

A flavor is evaluated by nose and mouth, and sensitivity to the aftertaste of sweeteners varies greatly from person to person. At our store in Vendargues, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we take the time to guide you towards the right family depending on what you want to prepare — a shake and a cake do not call for the same product. We also ship everywhere in France and Europe.