EP4003057A1

EP4003057A1 - Process for the preparation of a food product

Info

Publication number: EP4003057A1
Application number: EP20736718.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean Hypolites Koek; Mohamed Said CHAARA; Johannes Hendrikus Maria VAN DEN BROEK; Salomon Leendert Abrahamse
Original assignee: Unilever IP Holdings BV
Current assignee: Unilever IP Holdings BV
Priority date: 2019-07-22
Filing date: 2020-07-10
Publication date: 2022-06-01
Also published as: WO2021013576A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a coconut sugar alternative, the preparation of a food product comprising the coconut sugar alternative and to the use of the coconut sugar alternative as a sweetener for food products.

Description

PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF A FOOD PRODUCT

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of alternatives for coconut sugar. The invention relates to a process for the preparation of the coconut sugar alternative and to the use of this composition as an aromatic sweetener in foodstuffs and beverages, in particular savoury foodstuffs and beverages such as soy sauce.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Coconut sugar is produced from the sap of cut flower buds of the coconut palm. In some areas, predominantly in Thailand, the terms "coconut sugar" and "palm sugar" are often used interchangeably. However, coconut sugar is different both in taste, texture and manufacture methods from palm sugar, which is made from the sap in the stems of palms trees, such as the Palmyra palm, date palm, sugar date palm, sago palm or the sugar palm.

Coconut sugar is produced by local farmers, mainly in the Philippines and Indonesia. The process of making coconut sugar starts with collecting coconut sap from the blossoms of a coconut tree. Farmers make a cut on the spadix of the blossom and the sap starts to flow from the cut. The sap is then collected in containers. The collected sap is then transferred into large woks and exposed to moderate heat to evaporate the moisture content of the sap. The sap is translucent and contains about 80% water. As the water evaporates from the sap, it starts to transform into a thick syrup-like substance. From this form, it is further reduced to crystal, a block or soft paste form, or it remains as a syrup-like form.

Coconut sugar has a complex flavor. It is subtly sweet, almost like brown cane sugar, but with a slight hint of caramel yet with a savoury aftertaste. It has been used as a traditional sweetener for thousands of years in the South and South-East Asian regions. In addition, it has found wide application in the food industry and is a key ingredient in sweet sauces and Asian sauces and condiments. Despite the popularity and high demands of coconut sugar in the world market, the supply of coconut sugar is very variable. The color, sweetness and flavor of the coconut sugar can vary depending on the coconut species used, season when it was harvested, where it was harvested and/or the way the sap was processed by the local farmer. In addition, in the rain season and during the Ramadan the supply of coconut sugar is significantly reduced and in some seasons other crops are more interesting for the farmers than the coconut sugar production.

The current supply of high grade coconut sugar has reached its limits. The demand for coconut sugar is outgrowing by far the available combined supplies of both high grades and low grades of coconut sugar.

The world market shortage of coconut sugar indicates a clear need for an alternative process to prepare flavoured sweetened food products and compositions that can replace coconut sugar and reduce the problems mentioned above. Such a process should involve materials widely available on the market, it should be robust, reproducible and of relatively simple implementation.

WO2018/050434 discloses a coconut sugar alternative which can be prepared by a process comprising the steps: preparing a syrup mixture by combining: 100 parts of sugar component, including 10-100 parts of sugar selected from cane sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar and combinations thereof and 0-90 parts coconut sugar; 0.2-50 parts of coconut material, 0-100 parts of water, and 0-50 parts of other edible ingredients; heating the syrup mixture. The examples show partial replacement of coconut sugar in the recipe of sweet soy sauce by the alternative according to invention, and the process requires the presence of coconut material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The inventors have developed a process for the preparation of a composition that provides the flavour properties of natural coconut sugar, i.e.is an alternative to coconut sugar that involves materials widely available on the market, is robust, reproducible and allows for scalability. Advantageously, the process does not require the presence of coconut materials thus making the present process independent of unpredictable supply of coconut materials. The coconut sugar alternative has a unique and pleasant aroma, very similar to that of coconut sugar. Furthermore, the food product obtainable by the process offers optimal properties regarding taste and aroma.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a coconut sugar alternative comprising the steps of:

a) preparing a syrup mixture by combining, by total weight of the syrup mixture,: i. 100 parts by weight of sugar component comprising at least 80 wt.%, by weight of sugar component, sucrose.

ii. 0.2-50 parts by weight amino acid source selected from yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and mixtures thereof.

iii. 0.2-100 parts by weight of water,

iv. 0-50 parts by weight other edible ingredients,

b) heating the mixture for at least 5 minutes at a temperature of at least 110 °C, wherein the food product is preferably a coconut sugar substitute.

Although the inventors do not wish to be bound by theory, it is believed that during the heating of the syrup mixture comprising a sugar component comprising at least 80 wt.%, by weight of sugar component, sucrose and an amino acid source selected from yeast extract and/or hydrolysed vegetable protein, aroma components are formed that are similar to the aroma components that give coconut sugar its typical aroma. Unexpectedly, despite the use of non-reducing sugar component, such as sucrose, and in the absence of coconut derived material, Maillard reaction products are formed that contribute to the taste and aroma profile associated with coconut sugar.

The invention also relates to a coconut sugar substitute obtainable by the above mentioned process. Further, the invention relates to a food product, preferably a sweet soy sauce, obtainable by the above mentioned process.

The invention also relates to the use of a composition obtainable by heating a sugar component comprising at least 80 wt.% sucrose, by weight of sugar component, and yeast extract and/or hydrolyzed vegetable protein, as a sweetener in a food product, preferably wherein the food product is a sweet soy sauce.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention relates to a process for preparing a coconut sugar alternative comprising the step of:

a) preparing a syrup mixture by combining by total weight of the syrup mixture: i. 100 parts by weight of sugar component comprising at least 80 wt.%, by weight of sugar component, sucrose.

iii. 0.2-100 parts by weight of water,

iv. 0-50 parts by weight other edible ingredients,

b) heating the mixture for at least 5 minutes at a temperature of at least 110 °C.

The term “yeast extract” as used herein refers to refers to a composition comprising water soluble components of the yeast cell, the composition of which is primarily amino-acids, peptides, carbohydrates and salts. Yeast extract is produced through the hydrolysis of peptide bonds by the naturally occurring enzymes present in edible yeast and/or or by the addition of food-grade enzymes (Food Chemical Codex), i.e. by autolysis or hydrolysis. A yeast extract is synonymous with yeast hydrolysate or yeast autolysate, i.e. a soluble extract from yeast comprising hydrolysed protein. The term“hydrolysed vegetable protein” as used herein refers to a composition comprising products of the hydrolysis of vegetable protein, together with other components derived from the starting material that is used to form the composition. The hydrolysis of the invention may be carried out enzymatically, for example using one or more protease enzymes, or non-enzymatically, for example by acid or base catalysed hydrolysis. Typically, hydrolysed vegetable protein has a dry matter content by weight of at least 20%, preferably in the range of 30 to 95%. The term“coconut sugar” as used herein refers to sugar produced from the sap of cut flower buds of the coconut palm.

The word‘comprising’ as used herein is intended to mean‘including’ but not necessarily‘consisting of or‘composed of. In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

Unless specified otherwise, numerical ranges expressed in the format‘from x to y’ or‘x-y’ are understood to include x and y. When for a specific feature multiple preferred ranges are described in the format‘from x to y’ or‘x-y’, it is understood that all ranges combining the different endpoints are also contemplated. For the purpose of the invention ambient temperature is defined as a temperature of about 20 °C.

Unless indicated otherwise, weight percentages (wt.%) are based on the total weight of the coconut sugar alternative.

The term“particulate” as used herein in relation to a material, refers to a material that consists of discrete particles, preferably discrete particles having a particle size of at least 10 pm. Particle size distributions of particulate components can suitably be determined with a set of sieves of different mesh sizes.

Whenever reference is made herein to water content, unless indicated otherwise, said water content includes unbound (free) as well as bound water. The water content of the syrup mixture preferably lies in the range of 1-50 wt.%, more preferably in the range of 2-30 wt.% and most preferably of 5-20 wt.%, by total weight of the syrup mixture.

During the heating of the syrup mixture the water content of the mixture may be reduced as a result of evaporation. Preferably, during the heating of the syrup mixture the water content of the mixture is reduced to less than 5 wt.%, more preferably to less than 2 wt.% by total weight of the syrup mixture. The combination of sugar component and amino acid source typically represents at least 50 wt.%, more preferably at least 70 wt.% and most preferably at least 90 wt.% of the syrup mixture. The sugar component preferably comprises at least 80 wt.%, by weight of the sugar component, of a non-reducing sugar component. In other words, the sugar component preferably contains at least 85 wt.% of sucrose, more preferably at least 90 wt.% sucrose, most preferably at least 95 wt.%. sucrose. The sugar component preferably contains at least 90 wt.%, by weight of the sugar component, of saccharides selected from sucrose, trehalose and combinations thereof, more preferably at least 95 wt.% of saccharides selected from sucrose, trehalose and combinations thereof. The amino acid source comprises yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and/or mixtures thereof. Preferably the amino acid source is yeast extract.

The amino acid content of the amino acid source preferably is at least 30%, preferably at least 40%, even more preferably at least 50% and most preferably at least 60 w%, by weight of dry matter of yeast extract. The amino acid content can be determined by the ratio of free amino nitrogen to total nitrogen according to the standard methods as known to the skilled person, for example the Kjeldahl method and multiplying by factor of 6.5 as described by Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2008 Feb;48(2): 177-84. Preferably, the yeast extract has a molecular weight distribution whereby at least

50% of the yeast extract has a molecular weight of less than 500 Dalton, preferably at least 60% of the yeast extract has a molecular weight of less than 500 Dalton, more preferably at least 70% of the yeast extract has a molecular weight of less than 500 Dalton may therefore have the following composition.

Typically, yeast extract has a composition comprising:

- 60% water

- 40% total dry matter of which: 8% salt (sodium chloride) = 20 wt% of the total dry matter 32% yeast dry matter of which = 80% of the total dry matter

6% 5'ribonucleotides = 18.75% of the yeast dry matter (6/32).

26% others such as amino acids, peptides, lipids, polysaccharides.

The sugar component preferably contains 0-50 wt.% coconut sugar and 50-100 wt.% of sugar selected from cane-sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar and combinations thereof, preferably wherein the sugar component contains 0-45 wt.% coconut sugar and 55-100 wt.% of sugar selected from cane-sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar and combinations thereof, more preferably , wherein the sugar component contains 0-30 wt.% coconut sugar and 70-100 wt.% sugar selected from cane-sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar and combinations thereof, by weight of the sugar component.

Preferably, the sugar component contains 0-10 wt.% coconut sugar and 90-100 wt.% sugar selected from cane-sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar and combinations thereof, by weight of the sugar component.

Preferably the sugar component is cane sugar. Preferably, the sugar component is selected from the group consisting of refined cane sugar, unrefined cane sugar and mixtures thereof.

Preferably, the sugar component, amino acid source water, and other edible ingredients if present, are combined and then the mixture is heated to prepare the syrup mixture. Alternatively, the syrup mixture can be prepared in more than one step, preferably at least the sugar component and water are combined and heated, and the amino acid source and optionally other edible ingredients are added, then finally the resultant syrup mixture is heated for at least 5 minutes at least 110 °C, more preferably at least 15 minutes. The syrup mixture is preferably free of coconut material. Preferably, the syrup mixture comprises preferably contains 0-10 wt.% coconut material, more preferably, 0-5 coconut material, by total weight of the syrup mixture. In other words, the syrup mixture preferably comprises less than 10 wt.%, preferably less than 5 wt.% coconut material. In the context of the present invention, coconut material means coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut water or coconut meat.

The syrup mixture preferably contains 1 to 30 parts by weight yeast extract, more preferably 10 to 25 parts by weight yeast extract, most preferably 15-20 parts by weight yeast extract.

The mixture in step (b) of the process according to the invention is preferably heated for at least 15 minutes, more preferably the mixture is heated for at least 20 minutes, most preferably the mixture is heated for at least 30 minutes.

The mixture in step (b) of the process according to the invention is preferably heated at a temperature in the range of 110 °C to 160 °C, more preferably, 115 °C to 155°C, even more preferably 120 °C to 150 °C, most preferably 125 to 145 °C.

The step (b) of the process according to the invention is preferably carried out at atmospheric pressure or reduced pressure.

The step (b) of the process according to the invention is preferably carried out allowing the water to evaporate during heating. Preferably the heated sugar composition that is obtained after the heating contains less than 15 wt.% water, more preferably less than 10 wt.% water, most preferably less than 5 wt.% water.

Starting from the syrup of the according to the present invention, at atmospheric or sub-atmospheric pressure, water evaporation may be necessary to realize the heating conditions specified for step (b).

The preparation of the syrup mixture optionally comprises addition of up to 50 parts by weight, preferably up to 30 parts by weight and most preferably 0-15 parts by weight of other edible ingredients, i.e. components other than sugar component, amino acid source and water. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention the heated mixture has a water content of less than 5 wt.% and this mixture is cooled to a temperature of less than 40 °C, followed by milling or grinding to produce a particulate composition having a mass weighted average particle size, preferably in the range of 10-1000 pm, more preferably in the range of 50-800 pm. The particulate composition so obtained is easy to dose and can be used in the same way as ordinary table sugar or refined sugar.

Preferably, the process of the present invention does not include a step of microbial fermentation of the sugar component. More preferably, the present invention does not include microbial fermentation of the syrup mixture.

Preferably, the coconut sugar alternative obtainable by the process described herein is combined with 10-100 parts by weight of fermented soy sauce, to prepare a sweetened soy sauce.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a process of preparing a sweetened foodstuff or a sweetened beverage, comprising the steps of

i) providing a coconut sugar alternative according as defined herein,

ii) combining the coconut sugar alternative with 10-250 parts by weight of edible food ingredients, preferably fermented soy sauce.

iii) optionally dried.

Preferably, the coconut sugar alternative is dried. The drying step is preferably carried out by vacuum oven drying.

The process according to the invention can be used to prepare a sweetened foodstuff, for example a sweet soy sauce or sate sauce.

In a preferred embodiment, 10-200 parts by weight of edible food ingredients, preferably 10-150 parts by weight of edible food ingredients, more preferably 10-100 parts by weight of edible food ingredients are combined with the coconut sugar alternative. Preferably, 10-200 parts by weight of edible food ingredients, preferably 10-150 parts by weight of edible food ingredients, more preferably 10-100 parts by weight of edible food ingredients are combined with 10-900, preferably 50-750, more preferably 100 -500, most preferably 150-200 parts by weight of the coconut sugar alternative.

Preferably, the edible food ingredients are combined with the syrup mixture prepared in step a) before, during or after heating in step b).

The edible food ingredients are preferably selected from the group consisting of soy sauce, fish sauce, peanut butter and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the edible food ingredient is soy sauce, more preferably fermented soy sauce.

Preferably, at least 10-100 parts by weight of fermented soy sauce are combined with 10-400 parts by weight of coconut sugar alternative, preferably 10-50 parts by weight of fermented soy sauce are combined with 40-200 parts by weight of coconut sugar alternative, even more preferably 10-25 parts by weight of fermented soy sauce are combined with 50-100 parts by weight of coconut sugar alternative.

More preferably at least 20-90 parts by weight of fermented soy sauce are combined with the syrup mixture before, during or after heating in step b). Most preferably 30-80 parts by weight of fermented soy sauce are combined with the syrup mixture before, during or after heating in step b). Preferably, the fermented soy sauce is combined with the syrup mixture before or during in step b). The fermented soy sauce is preferably a black bean or yellow bean soy sauce.

The mixture in step (b) of the process according to the invention to prepare soy sauce is preferably heated at a temperature in the range of 110 °C to 160 °C, more preferably, 115 °C to 155 °C, and most preferably 120 °C to 150 °C. Preferably, the mixture in step b) is heated in the presence of fermented soy sauce until the mixture has a Brix in the range of 60 to 90 °Bx, preferably 65 to 85 °Bx.

The heated mixture of the process according to the invention to prepare soy sauce is preferably diluted with an aqueous composition in a step c) to obtain a food product having a Brix content of 10 to 90 °Bx., preferably, 20 to 85 °Bx, more preferably 30 to 80 °Bx. Preferably, the heated mixture of the process according to the invention to prepare soy sauce is diluted with an aqueous composition in a step c) obtain a food product having a Brix content of 50 to 90 °Bx., preferably, 55 to 85 °Bx, more preferably 60 to 80 °Bx.

The mixture in step (c) is preferably diluted with water.

In a preferred in embodiment, there is provided a process for the preparation of a sweet soy sauce comprising the steps of:

a) preparing a syrup mixture by combining:

i. 100 parts of sugar component comprising at least 80 wt.%, by weight of sugar component, sucrose.

iii. 0.2-100 parts by weight of water,

iv. 0-50 parts by weight other edible ingredients, b) heating the mixture for at least 5 minutes at a temperature of at least 110 °C,

wherein 10-100 parts by weight of fermented soy sauce are combined with the syrup mixture before, during or after the mixture is heated.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a food product comprising a coconut sugar substitute obtainable by the process described herein is provided. Preferably 0.5 to 50 parts by weight of the coconut sugar substitute obtainable by the process described herein is combined with 0.5 to 100 parts by weight edible ingredients. Examples of foodstuff in which compositions obtained by the present process may be suitable incorporated include, sauces, soy sauce, cakes, desserts and ice cream. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the coconut sugar substitute obtainable by the process according to the invention is incorporated in savoury sauces such as ketchup, kecap, sate sauce and soy sauce, especially fermented soy sauce.

According to an advantageous embodiment a pourable food product is obtainable by the present process. In this embodiment the heated mixture is diluted with an aqueous composition to produce a pourable composition. The pourable composition preferably has a concentration of 50 to 85 °Bx, more preferably 60 to 75 °Bx. This pourable composition is easy to dose and does not produce dust (airborne composition particles). The pourable food product is preferably a sweetener or a sauce, more preferably the pourable food product is a soy sauce. Preferably, a sweet soy sauce is obtainable by incorporating 100 parts by weight of fermented soy sauce in 10-900 parts by weight of a pourable composition obtainable according to the present process.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to the use of a composition obtainable by heating a sugar component comprising at least 80 wt.% sucrose, by weight of sugar component, and yeast extract and/or hydrolyzed vegetable protein, as a sweetener in a food product, preferably wherein the food product is a sweet soy sauce.

EXAMPLES

General methods / reagents used

Refined cane sugar: (Angels Products, Indonesia)

Standard Yeast Extract Paste: LM615 (Angels Products, Indonesia)

HVP: NURISH® Powdered Soy Protein Isolate (Dupont, USA)

Soy sauce: naturally brewed soy sauce (Kikkoman, Japan)

Fructose: FRUCTOPURE® (Tate and Lyle, UK) Example 1

A coconut sugar alternative (Sample 1) was prepared starting from the recipe shown in Table 1.

Table 1

The coconut sugar alternative was prepared by adding water, sugar component and yeast extract to a lab reactor. The mixture was heated to a temperature of 121 °C for 110 minutes.

Comparative Example

Table 2

Comparative example A and B were prepared according to example 1 but used the ingredients listed in Table 2. Comparative example C corresponds to the coconut sugar alternative of WO2018/050434 and was prepared by introducing the ingredients into an open pan and by cooking the contents of the pan on an induction heating plate under continuous stirring. During the cooking the temperature of the mixture was monitored. At a temperature of 130°C browning of the mixture started to occur. Cooking was continued until the mixture reached a temperature of 178°C (total cooking time: 25 minutes). Example 2

Preparation of sweet soy sauces (Table 4) using either samples 1 , 2, 3, 4, or 5 (according to the invention) or comparative examples A, B or C were compared to a reference product comprising coconut sugar. The ingredients for the preparation of the syrup mixture used in the preparation of the coconut sugar alternative are shown in Table 3.

Table 3

Table 4

Fermented soy sauce was added to samples A, B and C, 1 , 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Example 2 and the mixture was kept boiling until it reached 75° Brix. The hot mixture was filtered and cooled, followed by maturation at 60°C for 3 days.

The sweet soy sauces (A’, B’, C’ and T,2’,3’,4’,5’) were evaluated by an expert panel. It was found that appearance, taste and texture of products T to 5’ were very similar to that of the Reference product. Product 1 contains no coconut sugar in the syrup mixture. Product A’, prepared from 80% coconut sugar (comparative A) and also product C’ prepared with coconut concentrate (comparative C) were not very close, while product B’, prepared with the reducing sugar fructose (from comparative B) had a burnt and bitter taste. Example 3

The process of Example 1 , sample 1 , was repeated, but this time the yeast extract was added to the other ingredients of the syrup mixture at different points in time (before heating [time = 0 min], during heating, [time = 55 min] or after heating the syrup mixture [time =110 min]). The resultant soy sauces 6, 7 and 8 could not be distinguished from the reference product made using coconut sugar.

Table 5

Example 4 Savoury satay sauces were prepared using the sucrose (G), coconut sugar (H) and the coconut sugar alternative according to the present invention (9). Table 1 shows a satay sauce recipe: Table 6

The ingredients were put in a saucepan and brought to the boil with stirring. The sauce was simmered for 20 minutes, removed from the heat and cooled to room temperature. The flavour profile of the products was evaluated by expert panel. The satay sauce made with the coconut sugar alternative according to the invention had an improved, more rounded flavour profile having a favourable sweet flavour with umami notes, as compared to the comparative example G (prepared from sucrose) only having a dominant sweet flavour. Product 9 (prepared from coconut sugar alternative according to the invention) was indistinguishable from comparative example H (prepared from coconut sugar).

Claims

1. Process for the preparation of a coconut sugar alternative comprising the steps of:

a) preparing a syrup mixture by combining, by total weight of the syrup mixture:

i. 100 parts by weight of sugar component comprising at least 80 wt.%, by weight of sugar component, sucrose,

ii. 0.2-50 parts by weight amino acid source selected from yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and mixtures thereof, iii. 0.2-100 parts by weight of water,

iv. 0-50 parts by weight other edible ingredients, b) heating the mixture for at least 5 minutes at a temperature of at least 110 °C.

2. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the sugar component contains, by weight of the sugar component, 0-50 wt.% coconut sugar and 50-100 wt.% of sugar selected from cane-sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar and combinations thereof, preferably wherein the sugar component contains 0-45 wt.% coconut sugar and 55-100 wt.% of sugar selected from cane-sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar and combinations thereof, more preferably , wherein the sugar component contains 0-30 wt.% coconut sugar and 70-100 wt.% sugar selected from cane-sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar and combinations thereof.

3. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the sugar component is selected from the group consisting of refined cane sugar, unrefined cane sugar and mixtures thereof.

4. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the amino source is hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

5. Process according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the amino acid source is yeast extract.

6. Process according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the yeast extract component is present in the syrup mixture at an amount of 1 to 30 parts by weight, preferably 10 to 25 parts by weight.

7. Process according any one of the previous claims, wherein the mixture in step b) is heated for at least 15 minutes, preferably at a temperature in the range of 11Q- 160 °C, preferably wherein the mixture in step b) is heated at atmospheric pressure or reduced pressure and water is allowed to evaporate during the heating.

8. A process of preparing a sweetened foodstuff or a sweetened beverage, comprising the steps of:

i) providing a coconut sugar alternative obtainable by a process according to any one of claims 1-7,

9. Process according to claim 8, wherein the fermented soy sauce is combined with the syrup mixture before, during or after step b), preferably after step b).

10. Process according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the mixture is heated for at least 15 minutes after addition of the fermented soy sauce, and preferably wherein the mixture is heated at a temperature in the range of 110-160 °C.

11. Process according to any of claims 8 or 9, wherein the heated mixture is diluted with an aqueous composition in a step c) to obtain a food product having a Brix content of 50 to 90 °Bx., preferably, 55 to 85 °Bx, more preferably 60 to 80 °Bx.

12. Process according to claim 10, wherein the aqueous composition is water.

13. Process according to any of claims 8 to 11 , wherein the fermented soy sauce is a black bean or yellow bean soy sauce.

14. A food product comprising a coconut sugar alternative obtainable by the process according to any of claims 1-7.

15. Use of a coconut sugar alternative obtainable by a process of any of claims 1-7 as a sweetener in a food product, preferably wherein the food product is a sweet soy sauce.