Which Analysis Can Support a “No Added Sugar” Claim?

“No added sugar” is a commonly used nutrition claim on food labels and can significantly influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. However, the use of this claim cannot be justified solely by a low sugar content or a single laboratory test result.

Naturally occurring sugars and sugars added during food production must be evaluated differently. Therefore, assessing the compliance of a “no added sugar” claim requires a comprehensive review of the product formulation, raw material characteristics, and analytical results.

What Does “No Added Sugar” Mean?

According to the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Nutrition Claims and its associated guidelines, a “no added sugar” claim may only be used when no monosaccharides, disaccharides, or other ingredients used for their sweetening properties have been added to the product.

For example, in addition to sucrose, glucose, and fructose, ingredients such as honey, molasses, syrups, and fruit juice concentrates used for sweetening purposes must also be considered.

The use of ingredients containing added sugars and manufacturing processes that increase the existing sugar content may also affect compliance with the claim.

Therefore, simply avoiding the direct addition of sugar is not sufficient. The entire product composition and manufacturing process must be taken into account.

Can Products Containing Naturally Occurring Sugars Carry a “No Added Sugar” Claim?

Yes. The natural presence of sugars in a food product does not necessarily prevent the use of this claim, provided that all other applicable requirements are met.

For example, fruits naturally contain fructose and glucose, while milk and dairy products contain lactose.

Therefore, detecting sugars through laboratory analysis does not automatically indicate that sugars have been added during production.

For products that meet the applicable regulatory requirements but naturally contain sugars, the statement “CONTAINS NATURALLY OCCURRING SUGARS” must also appear on the label alongside the “no added sugar” claim, in accordance with the relevant Turkish Food Codex guidelines.

What Is Sugar Composition Analysis and Why Is It Performed?

Sugar composition analysis is an analytical examination used to identify and quantify individual sugar components present in food products.

The following sugar components are commonly evaluated:

• Fructose: A monosaccharide naturally present in fruits and various plant-based raw materials.
• Glucose: A simple sugar naturally found in many foods.
• Sucrose: A disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose.
• Maltose: A disaccharide that may be formed during processes such as starch hydrolysis.
• Lactose: A disaccharide naturally present in milk and dairy ingredients.

The results help characterize a product’s sugar profile, verify its formulation, and provide analytical evidence to support nutrition and labeling claims.

However, sugar composition analysis alone cannot always determine whether the detected sugars originate naturally from raw materials or have been added during manufacturing.

Why Should the Sugar Profiles of Raw Materials and Finished Products Be Compared?

For a more comprehensive evaluation of a “no added sugar” claim, analyzing the raw materials used in the formulation can provide valuable information in addition to testing the finished product.

Sugar composition analysis of both raw materials and finished products enables a comparison between the sugar levels expected from the formulation and those measured through laboratory testing.

This approach makes it possible to:

• Determine the naturally occurring sugar content of raw materials.
• Calculate the expected sugar profile based on the product formulation.
• Compare the calculated values with the analytical results of the finished product.
• Investigate unexpected differences and potential formulation changes.

For example, in a product containing fruit and dairy ingredients, the expected concentrations of fructose, glucose, and lactose can be calculated based on the raw material composition and formulation ratios. These values can then be compared with the measured concentrations in the finished product.

This comparison helps assess the contribution of individual ingredients to the overall sugar profile.

Nevertheless, changes occurring during manufacturing and measurement uncertainty must also be considered. Agreement between the expected and measured sugar profiles provides valuable supporting evidence but does not, on its own, conclusively prove the absence of added sugars.

What Should Manufacturers Check Before Making a Nutrition Claim?

An accurate assessment should begin with a review of the product formulation, raw material specifications, intended functions of ingredients, and manufacturing process.

Particular attention should be given to products containing syrups, concentrates, fruit preparations, or similar ingredients, as their sugar content and technological functions may influence compliance with labeling requirements.

Interpreting laboratory results alongside manufacturing records allows for a more comprehensive technical evaluation of nutrition claims.

Accredited Sugar Composition Analysis at Bilim Laboratories

At Bilim Laboratories, we perform accredited determination of fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, and lactose in food products using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), within the scope of our TÜRKAK accreditation.

By determining the concentrations of individual sugar components, we provide manufacturers with reliable analytical data to support:

• Characterization of raw materials and finished products.
• Formulation verification and quality control.
• Product development and quality assessment.
• Analytical substantiation of nutrition and labeling claims.

For products intended to carry a “no added sugar” claim, an analytical testing plan may be developed, where appropriate, to compare the sugar profiles of raw materials and finished products.

For more information about sugar composition analysis, sample requirements, turnaround times, or to request a quotation, please contact Bilim Laboratories.