{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Startup CPG Podcast","title":"R&D RADIO: The Real Science Behind Sugar Replacement with Icon Foods' Thom King","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1864,"description":"\nIn this episode of R&D Radio, host Adam Yee sits down with longtime friend Thom King, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Icon Foods, for a deep dive on sweetener systems from a food scientist's perspective.\n\nThom founded Icon Foods in 1999 (originally as Steviva Brands), becoming one of the first companies to import stevia glycosides into the US. After partnering with Quest Nutrition on their first bar, the company shifted fully into ingredient supply, eventually rebranding to Icon Foods and expanding into rare sugars, fibers, and polyols. Thom holds a Master's degree in Food Science from Cornell and has spent decades helping brands solve one of the industry's toughest problems: removing sugar without sacrificing taste, texture, or consumer acceptance.\n\nAdam and Thom break down the eight functions of sugar beyond sweetness, why fiber stacking (as seen in brands like Olipop) helps avoid gut discomfort while boosting mouthfeel, and how sweeteners like erythritol, allulose, and tagatose each behave differently in formulation. They also dig into supply chain timing, tariffs, and Thom's practical advice for founders working with a formulator versus experimenting solo in the kitchen.\n\nListen in as they discuss:\n\nThe eight core functions of sugar that formulators have to account for beyond sweetness\nWhy fiber stacking, like Olipop's approach, helps avoid GI discomfort while replicating sugar's viscosity\nA breakdown of common alternative sweeteners, including erythritol, allulose, and monk fruit, and where each works best\nWhy stacking sweeteners (like erythritol with allulose and a high-intensity sweetener) often beats using just one\nHow monk fruit and stevia combined can actually mask each other's bitter off-notes\nWhat tagatose is, how it’s made from lactose, and why it scorches faster than other reducing sugars in baked goods\nWhy allulose not being accepted at Whole Foods may matter less than founders think, and why Target can be a stronger retail runway\nWhy...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/pMuUaMpWaAi3tfCEgC2OkLBVzokuLjLsIzwDIbGFqi4/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hMTFl/MTgxNTNlZTAwZjU1/ZmNmNWM1ZjkwMDg5/NTU4MS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}