R&D RADIO: The Real Science Behind Sugar Replacement with Icon Foods' Thom King

In 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.

Thom 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.

Adam 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.

Listen in as they discuss:

• The eight core functions of sugar that formulators have to account for beyond sweetness
• Why fiber stacking, like Olipop's approach, helps avoid GI discomfort while replicating sugar's viscosity
• A breakdown of common alternative sweeteners, including erythritol, allulose, and monk fruit, and where each works best
• Why stacking sweeteners (like erythritol with allulose and a high-intensity sweetener) often beats using just one
• How monk fruit and stevia combined can actually mask each other's bitter off-notes
• What tagatose is, how it’s made from lactose, and why it scorches faster than other reducing sugars in baked goods
• Why allulose not being accepted at Whole Foods may matter less than founders think, and why Target can be a stronger retail runway
• Why vegetable glycerin is an underrated tool for preventing bars and baked goods from going stale or crumbly
• How protein-based sweetness modulators like thaumatin work, and why they need a sweetener backbone to succeed
• The supply chain outlook for monk fruit, stevia, allulose, tagatose, and erythritol, including when to buy monk fruit and why to start planning 2027 purchases now
• Why founders should work with a professional formulator rather than scaling a kitchen recipe directly

Episode Links:

• Thom King LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/iconicthom
• Icon Foods LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/icon-foods-ingredients
• Icon Foods Website: www.iconfoods.com
• Icon Foods Facebook: www.facebook.com/iconfoodsingredients
• Contact Thom directly: thom.king@iconfoods.com 

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Show Links:

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• Episode music by Super Fantastics