Summary
Formulating better-for-you bars in today’s crowded market requires balancing taste, functionality, and health benefits, especially as more consumers turn to GLP-1 medications and demand nutrient-dense, low-glycemic options. This white paper highlights how Icon Foods’ sweeteners, fibers, and inclusions—such as allulose, PreBiotica™ agave inulin, FibRefine™ soluble tapioca fiber, erythritol, and MonkSweet™ LS4—work together to deliver sugar reduction, digestive support, and satiety without compromising indulgence. From SweetBitz™ inclusions that enhance flavor and shelf life to the “duct tape” functionality of IMO fibers, the tools outlined empower formulators to create bars that taste great, perform well, and align with modern metabolic and microbiome-friendly lifestyles.
Authored by: Thom King, Icon Foods
Chief Innovations Officer/Certified Food Scientist
Let’s be real: the bar aisle is more crowded than a Trader Joe’s parking lot on a Sunday. Between keto, paleo, protein-packed, plant-based, low-carb, and sugar-free, formulating a bar that “delivers” on both taste and functionality is no small feat. Now, toss in a growing segment of consumers using GLP-1 agonists and other anti-obesity meds like semaglutide and tirzepatide, and you’ve got a whole new layer of complexity—and opportunity. Opportunity being the operative word.
Here’s the inside scoop: GLP-1 users are eating less, yes. But when they *do* eat, they want nutrient-dense, low-glycemic, satiating foods that won’t derail their blood sugar or digestive systems. That’s where your bar can shine.
Icon Foods Sweetener Systems: Precision in Sugar Reduction
Icon Foods has been at the forefront of clean-label sugar reduction for decades. Our sweetener systems are calibrated to mimic sugar’s flavor curve without the glycemic load. Whether you’re using stevia (Reb A, Reb M), monk fruit (mogroside V), or a combo like MonkSweet LS4, the latest, you’re getting high-potency sweetness with no metabolic consequences. Bonus: no GI upset that may come from too many polyols.
PreBiotica Agave Inulin: Gut-Friendly Fiber with Function
PreBiotica isn’t just any inulin. Sourced from agave, it’s a prebiotic powerhouse that supports the gut microbiome, which is a critical consideration for GLP-1 users, who often report digestive slowdown. With a mildly sweet taste, excellent solubility, and the ability to improve texture and shelf-life, agave inulin helps you deliver that soft, chewy mouthfeel consumers crave.
Erythritol: The Gentle Sugar Alcohol
Unlike sorbitol or maltitol, erythritol has a near-zero glycemic impact and doesn’t ferment in the gut, meaning no bloating or gas for your consumers. It’s about 60-70% as sweet as sugar and works beautifully as a bulking agent when paired with high-intensity sweeteners. It also adds a subtle cooling effect, which can be refreshing in chocolate-based or mint-flavored bars.
FibRefine Soluble Tapioca Fiber: Clean Label, Clean Gut
This isn’t the sketchy stuff that lands you on FDA warning letters. FibRefine is a true soluble fiber derived from tapioca, offering prebiotic benefits and excellent digestive tolerance. It helps bind ingredients, improve water activity, and increase fiber content—which, let’s face it, most of us could use more of, especially GLP-1 users looking to maintain satiety and digestive regularity.
Allulose: The Metabolic Unicorn
Allulose is the real MVP for formulating in the GLP-1 era. It tastes just like sugar, browns like sugar, and behaves like sugar in baking—but it doesn’t spike blood glucose or insulin. It even shows promise in *reducing* blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity. For consumers already taking meds that modulate insulin response, allulose is a strategic fit that plays well with their lifestyle. For extra credit: read out post about allulose metabolizing into a endogenous GLP-1.
Isomaltooligosaccharides: The Duct Tape of Bar Formulation
Building the perfect bar is a lot like crafting the perfect playlist. You need something that holds it all together, adds smooth transitions, and still lets the headliners (like protein and flavor) shine. That’s where IMO steps in. Think of it as the dependable rhythm guitar in your bar band, and not flashy, but absolutely essential.
These mild-mannered sweetener/fibers don’t crave the spotlight. They quietly do their job—binding oats to nut butter, hugging protein crisps, and keeping your bar chewy instead of turning it into a brittle brick halfway through shelf life.
And let’s talk sweetness. IMO doesn’t crash the party like a high-intensity sweetener can. No, it shows up with a soft handshake—just enough sweetness to round out your formula without stealing the show. Plus, it’s got prebiotic powers, feeding gut bacteria while it holds your bar together. A functional fiber with benefits? Yes, please.
So, whether you are slab-forming, extruding, or cold-pressing your way to glory, IMO is your bar’s wing man. It sticks around (literally), plays nice with others, and makes every bite a chewy, slightly sweet win.
Stevia + Monk Fruit: The Dynamic Duo
By now, you know that pairing stevia and monk fruit is the secret sauce to eliminating bitterness and rounding out sweetness. You see this shine through with MonkSweet LS and MonkSweet LS4. But, if you want to go it on your one use a Reb M-heavy stevia with mogroside V monk fruit, and you’ll get a clean, fast sweetness onset with no tail. This combo is key to making better-for-you bars taste indulgent without compromise.
Don’t Forget to Include the Inclusions: SweetBitz to the Rescue
More than 10% of a bars added sugars come from the inclusions, you know, those tasty little tid bits that add excitement and a burst of flavor.
Icon Foods SweetBitz inclusions are a prime example of how innovative ingredients can transform the nutritional profile of bars. These inclusions are designed to provide sweetness and texture without the excessive calories associated with traditional added sugars. By using SweetBitz, manufacturers can create bars that maintain a satisfying taste and mouthfeel while significantly lowering the total sugar content, drive down water activity and thus extend shelf life.
The versatility of SweetBitz inclusions which include flavor bits, chips in both white and dark, as well as sprinkles, makes them an asset in product formulations. They can be incorporated into various types of bars, including protein bars, granola bars, and snack bars, providing a sweet taste that complements other ingredients. As a result, formulators that utilize these inclusions score big by positioning their bars favorably in a competitive market, appealing to consumers looking for both indulgence and health while snapping up a bonus from the boss.
A Word to You Formulators:
This isn’t just about jumping on the GLP-1 bandwagon. It’s about meeting a rising demand for foods that are metabolically intelligent, microbiome-friendly, and genuinely enjoyable to eat. With tools like Icon Foods sweeteners, PreBiotica, FibRefine, erythritol, and allulose in your toolkit, you can create bars that work with the body’s chemistry—not against it.
Taste is king. But science is your ace.
Now get back to the bench and start mixing.
Since 1999 Icon Foods has been your reliable supply chain partner for sweeteners, fibers, sweetening systems, inclusions and sweetness modulators.
Reach out to your Icon Foods representative for bar rescue kit which includes, KetoseSweet+, SweetBitz Inclusions, ErySweet+, MonkSweet LS. PreBiotica Agave Inulin, and FibRefine soluble tapioca syrup.
Taste the Icon difference.
