Paris Baguette is accelerating the development of low-sugar bakery products by combining fermentation technology, enzyme methods, and raw material research. Centered on the health bakery brand "PARAN LABEL," it is expanding its lineup from meal breads to cakes and desserts.
According to the industry on the 3rd, low-sugar products have been increasing rapidly in the bakery market, including bread, cakes, and desserts. Reducing sugar content in bakery products is considered more technically challenging than in other foods because sugar not only provides sweetness but also affects texture and flavor, retains moisture, and determines product structure.
In particular, for bread and cakes, reducing sugar can make the texture dry or diminish the flavor, so raw material blends and manufacturing processes tailored to each product's characteristics are needed.
Paris Baguette said it redesigned raw material blends and manufacturing processes for each product to lower sugar content while maintaining the product's unique taste and texture. By using fermentation technology and enzyme methods, it achieved a soft and moist texture and repeated sensory evaluations and quality improvement steps. Paris Baguette said this follows the research and development (R&D)-centered management policy emphasized by Hur Young-in, chairman of Sammidang Holdings, and that it is applying related technologies to develop low-sugar products.
These research and development results are translating into stronger sales for PARAN LABEL. Launched last year, PARAN LABEL recorded growth five times faster than existing health bread products, and cumulative sales have surpassed 24 million units.
Signature items include campagne and loaf bread made with the in-house fermentation technology "black barley sourdough," and a low-sugar chicken breast sandwich. The "walnut rye sourdough" lowers sugars to under 4.5g per 100g and enhances a nutty flavor with walnuts and rye.
Following meal breads, Paris Baguette is expanding low-sugar offerings into desserts such as cakes and roll cakes. It has introduced items including a "low-sugar Greek yogurt cake" using proprietary lactic acid bacteria, a "low-sugar fermented butter roll cake," a "low-sugar matcha cake," and a "low-sugar cacao cake."
The low-sugar fermented butter roll cake uses fermented butter and a rice flavor liquid made with in-house patented technology. The company said it achieved a moist texture by using 100% fermented butter while cutting sugars to under 5g per 100g.
The rice flavor liquid is an ingredient made by aging rice koji for a long time, helping to compensate for sweetness and flavor in products that use less sugar. The low-sugar fermented butter roll cake sold 40,000 units in the first 10 days after launch.
The "low-sugar matcha cake" and "low-sugar cacao cake" use matcha and cacao ingredients and apply the enzyme method used in making health breads. According to Paris Baguette, sales of the three PARAN LABEL low-sugar cakes in May rose about 52% from the same period a month earlier.
Most recently, it also launched a "low-sugar yogurt cream bread" made with dough using a patented native yeast and a low-sugar yogurt cream.
As the low-sugar food market expands beyond simply reducing sugar to considering taste, texture, and nutrition, competition in product development in the bakery industry is expected to intensify.
A Paris Baguette official said, "Low-sugar bakery is not simply about cutting sugar; it must be supported by fermentation, raw materials, and process technology," adding, "based on management centered on research and development that Chairman Hur has emphasized, we will introduce bakery products that consider both health and taste."