An Israeli company has discovered a way to reduce the sugar content of confectionary without the need for artificial sweeteners — and crucially, without changing the product’s flavour.

The company DouxMatok has announced a partnership with Südzucker, Europe’s largest sugar producer, to introduce its product to the European market, according to The Times.

Eran Baniel, Israeli firm’s chief executive, said the company’s aim was to “enable consumers to enjoy the exact same tastes they know & love, with a better & healthier nutritional profile.”

DouxMatok, which was set up in 2014, has found a way to increase the ability of sugar to reach the tongue’s taste receptors.

Most sugar in cakes or biscuit is not picked up by the taste buds, meaning that products will contain much larger amounts of sugar to ensure that the taste is picked up by consumers.

The firm, which is based in Petach Tikvah, has developed a way to prevent this by attaching sugar molecules to minute particles of silica, mimicking the technique used by pharmaceutical companies to ensure the correct medicinal dose reaches the appropriate parts of the body. It has also managed to achieve similar results with salt.

DouxMatok says its technology enables a “reduction of over 30% in sugar and salt, while fully retaining the same sugar or salt ‘experience’ — same taste that consumers are looking for, with lower caloric value, no aftertastes, similar mouthfeel, same colour and texture.”

It is marketing its product as useful for biscuits, cakes, chocolates, confectionary, spreads, biscuits and cereals.

Mr Baniel described the deal with Südzucker as “a vote of confidence by the best of the sugar industry in Europe in launching the first sugar-based targeted delivery technology.

“We feel fortunate to have Südzucker as our European partner in launching our first products and together bringing our vision to life.”