The Sweet Thereafter

The Sweet Thereafter
by Somlynn Rorie

The use of alternative sweeteners continues to gain momentum, in part due to the growing discussion of healthy diets that help in the prevention of obesity and other diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and heart disease.

More consumers are looking for healthy choices; yet, they are not willing to compromise taste and functionality. As a result, consumer desires are creating an opportunity for manufacturers to introduce new products that can be incorporated into consumers healthy lifestyles and satisfy their finicky palates. While the roar of the low carb craze has subsided quite a bit, the lingering effects of the hype has had a permanent effect on manufacturers product development, said Ryan Stirland, vice president of marketing and development for Orem, Utah-based Xlear, a manufacturer of xylitol products.Companies have discovered that people like products with natural sweeteners and fewer sugar carbs, and some consumers realize that products with natural sweeteners actually taste good.

Rodger Rohde, Jr., president of Triarco Industries in Wayne, N.J, added: Even though the whole movement of high protein has crested, a training theory for the masses taught them that carbs are bad and proteins are good. And now as weve gone through that period of excess, there is still a mindset of watch those carbs, and a better understanding of glycemic index and the kind of the residual effect processed sugar has on the body. I think the consumer, without being totally aware, knows or has a basic knowledge from which they are making their choices and choosing to stay away from refined sugar in general.

A sweetener is any natural and/or artificial substance that provides a sweet taste in food and beverages. In addition to their sweetening power, they are used during food preparation for fermentation, baking, food browning and carmelization. Sugar and other natural sweeteners such as honey and corn syrup have served as the main sweetening agent for most food products. However, these sweeteners have received bad press due to their affiliation with health problems such as tooth decay, obesity and diabetes. In addition, low-carb diets and other specialty diets have shifted consumer interest away from sweet snacks and toward products with fewer calories and carbohydrates. People are seeking alternatives but, most interestingly, they are looking for added benefits such as adding fiber, reducing calories or controlling glycemic load, said Ross Craig of Copenhagen, Denmarkbased Danisco, a manufacturer that has partnered with food companies to develop a variety of sugar-free or reduced sugar products for more than 25 years. Adding a sweetener is no longer about providing just taste and pleasure, it must actively participate in the welfare of the consumer.

Nutritive sweeteners provide a sweet taste and a source of calories or energy, while non-nutritive sweeteners are sweet without the added calories. Nutritive sweeteners include refined sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose and sugar alcohols. Sucrose, which is also referred to as table sugar, is a disaccharide comprising of glucose and fructose. Derived from sugar cane or sugar beets, it provides 4 calories per gram. Fructose also contains 4 calories per gram, is a constituent of sucrose and is often referred to as fruit sugar because of its presence in fruits. A group of related compounds includes corn sugar (glucose or dextrose), milk sugar (lactose) and malt sugar (maltose). In addition to imparting sweetness and adding calories, nutritive sweeteners can enhance the moisture, tenderness and mouth feel of food, while also acting as a preservative in some foods.

Currently, there are six non-nutritive or low-calorie sweeteners approved for use in the United States with two others, alitame and cyclamate, awaiting government approval. However, the use of these low-calorie sweeteners can be problematic for many food manufacturers. For example, certain non-nutritive sweeteners lose their sweetness at high temperatures, some possess an undesirable aftertaste, and others fail to mask undesirable product flavor notes. In addition, there is some controversy regarding their use. A recent story in The New York Times, for example, discussed a new study linking aspartame to cancer in rats, despite extensive safety studies over the past 25 years and federal approval for its use in foods and beverages. Saccharin and sucralose have also gained some publicity. One of the most popular synthetic sweeteners being used today, sucralose, is still being researched and evaluated to determine what, if any, effects it may have on the human body in the long term, Stirland said. There are still many unanswered questions about the regular use of synthetic sweeteners because many are so new to the market.

Among the alternative sweeteners are:

was approved as a flavor enhancer in 2003. It contains no calories, is heat stable and, when blended with other low calorie sweeteners, has a synergistic effect that helps improve taste, sweetness and stability of lowcalorie foods and beverages.

, commonly seen as a tabletop sweetener, is 200 times sweeter than sugar.

is about 8,000 times sweeter than sugar and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002.

is the oldest low-calorie sweetener and contains no calories.

is the only low calorie sweetener made from sugar. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar, contains no calories and is highly stable under a variety of processing conditions.

, known as D-tagatose, is a low calorie sweetener derived from lactose.

The Benefits of Natural

Natural is one of the key distinctions for sweeteners in the nutraceutical and functional food arena because the users of such products are well educated and discerning consumers, said Aaron Henderson, director of marketing and communications for Gilbert, Ariz.-based Wisdom Natural Brands. There has been a mass exodus from sugar to chemical sweeteners, and now the same thing is happening from chemical sweeteners to natural options.

Henderson also pointed out that the natural label is the number one trend in the sweetener category, citing Splendas rise to fame as an example. Splenda saw a huge rise in sales due to a controversial marketing campaign that positioned them as a natural option, he said. As a result, the sugar industry and makers of aspartame sued Tate & Lyle, the U.K.-based supplier of Splenda.

In the nutraceutical and functional food arena, natural is an important distinction for sweeteners because of their perceived or real health benefits. With sugar linked to a variety of physical ailments and artificial sweeteners raising concerns, consumers are increasingly demanding sugar alternatives that contain natural ingredients and are not overly processed or chemically enhanced elements. Some manufacturers have responded to these demands by adding natural sugar blends and sugar alcohols.

Sugar alcohols or polyols have recently gained a lot of attention as healthier, lowcalorie, nutritive sweeteners. They are carbohydrates with a chemical structure that partially resembles sugar and partially resembles alcohol, but does not contain ethanol. They are incompletely absorbed and metabolized by the body and, consequently, contribute fewer calories. Sugar alcohols are regularly used as sugar substitutes because they provide fewer calories and have little effect on blood sugar levels, Stirland said.

Polyols commonly used in food production include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, maltitol syrup, lactitol, erythritol, isomalt and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. Sugar alcohols occur naturally in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, but are commercially produced from other carbohydrates such as sucrose, glucose and starch. They can be classified by chemical structure as monosaccaride-derived, disaccharide-derived or polysaccharide-derived mixtures. These polyols are regulated by FDA as either GRAS (generally recognized as safe) ingredients or approved food additives.

Their calorie content ranges from 1.5 to 3 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for sucrose or other sugars. Most are approximately half as sweet as sucrose; and malitol and xylitol are about as sweet as sucrose. While their traditional uses have been in sugar-free or reduced-sugar products, they have also started appearing in processed foods including cookies, chewing gum, cheesecake and brownies that are catered for the low carb market While sugar alcohol is labeled as a carbohydrate, these sweeteners do not count toward what many of the popular diets refer to as net carbs, Stirland said.

DNP International is the exclusive North American supplier of Shugr, a combination of alternative sweeteners including maltodextrin, erythritol, tagatose and sucralose. According to the company, it tastes and functions like sucrose in food production, without the calories but with the added benefit of prebiotic fiber and benefits for oral health. David Ji, president of DNP International, said: Over the past six months we have seen Shugr rise to the top 20 ingredients featured to our customers. Looking ahead, we are expecting high demand for Shugr as more and more of our customers conclude their evaluation and start placing orders in the next few months.We are excited about the future for this high-quality alternative zero-calorie sweetener.

As more consumers realize the benefits of using such sweeteners, newer diets that focus on the rising concern of diabetes caused by obesity could be the next big craze. Scientific evidence related to the glycemic effect of carbohydrates and its role in chronic Western diseases suggest that a low-glycemic diet may lead not only to improved blood glucose control but also to lower insulin levels, a reduced insulin demand and reduced blood lipid levels, according to Morris Plains, N.J-based Palatinit of America, makers of Palatinose. Moreover, long-term consumption of a diet based on high-carbohydrate, low-glycemic foods may not only be used for weight control, but may also make an important contribution to the prevention of diseases like obesity, cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 diabetes.

Many food manufacturers are left with an interesting dilemma.How to create a healthier version of the same products that consumers love without compromising taste or functionality? Fructose has been long used in food production, Rohde said. Food manufacturers understand the use of fructose, how to formulate with it and how to supplement with its shortcomings. With the onslaught of these alternative sweetening systems, everyone must start at ground zero.

The use of polyols as sweeteners has helped iron out many of these formulaic frustrations. Used alone or as blends, they can balance mouth feel, taste and texture while keeping the caloric intake low. These challenges have helped define the various strengths and weakness of polyols, which are selected based on various health benefits, their sweetening power and how they mingle with properties of a food product such as its physical state, temperature and the presence of other flavors. Sweeteners are all a little different, said Robyn Frisch, president of Rochem International in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. For example, maltitol is used more for sugarless candy and baked goods; xylitol is absolutely great for chewing gum, candy, dental care and pharmaceutical applications; and erythritol is popular for baked goods and low carb diet products.

Another perk with sugar alcohols is that they perform a variety of functions such as adding bulk and texture; providing a cooling effect or taste; inhibiting the browning that occurs during heating; and retaining moisture in foods. While polyols do not actually prevent browning, they do not cause browning either. Polyols do not undergo a Maillard reaction, Palatinit reported. The result is a light color in some recipes. For most end products, this is no issue at all. However, depending on the requirements, a better browning of some products may be preferred. In these cases, the addition of ingredients that undergo a Maillard reaction is recommended. Adding inulin or polydextrose, for example and possibly combining them with whey proteins, will give the desired color.

Whether it is sugar, low-calorie sweeteners or sugar alcohols at work to produce the prized taste of many favorite foods, nutrition experts agree sweet foods can remain part of a healthful diet. The ability to provide sweet products without the loaded calories is an opportunity to introduce conventional consumers to functional and nutraceutical products they would normally not reach for. In addition, those who have already incorporated such products can expect new products and flavor profiles on the horizon. Taste and pleasurable eating experiences are so important to consumers who are concerned with health and wellness, so any sacrifice of great taste will reduce the long term success of the product and minimize the potential health benefits consumers could have experienced, Craig said. The blending of sweetenerswhether they are natural, synthetic or traditionalcan help create products with better health profiles while still being enjoyable to eat on a repeated basis. Hence, everyone wins.

Somlynn Rorie is a Phoenix-based journalist and former associate editor for INSIDER.

Fiber for Health & Sweetness

Even as government agencies are urging consumers to add more fiber into their diets and reduce refined sugar intake, product formulators are exploring the possibilities posed by a range of fibers to address both issues. In the March 2006 issue of Food Product Design (INSIDERs sister publication), feature articles explore the use of fiber for fortification as well as the role of alternative sweeteners in beverage systems.

Prebiotics are one fiber source that also assists with the sweetening profile.The primary categories of prebiotics are fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin, with the differences primarily seen in the length of the fructose-terminated chain. Inulin is primarily a long-chain, glucose-terminated polysaccharide mixture; its partially hydrolyzed form is known as oligofructose. FOS, while used generically in many cases, primarily refers to a mixture of glucose-terminated fructose chains with a maximum length of five units, and may also be designated as short chain FOS (sc-FOS).

In addition to their role as food for good gut bacteria, these soluble polyfructans, which occur naturally as storage polymers in plants, offer a mildly sweet taste. Inulin has a very pleasant flavor, said Sally Romano, vice president of sales and marketing with Sensus America in Monmouth Junction, N.J. Generally, the shorter the chain length, the sweeter the FOS.

ScFOS is mildly sweet, according to Juliana Zeiher, ingredient technologies manager at GTC Nutrition, Golden, Colo. Oligofructose is a pleasantly sweet hydrolysis product of native inulin, she said, consisting mostly of linked fructose units, with some glucoseterminated chains. Oligofructose is about 30 percent to 60 percent as sweet as sugar.

In addition, some prebiotic fibers allow for claims such as enhances calcium absorption, helps build a stronger immune system, good/excellent source of fiber, for optimal digestive health and more, Zeiher said. The opportunity to make claims will vary depending on the fiber source, the application used and inclusion rates.

And polydextrose is a fiber that can add body to products lacking sugar solids, according to Donna Brooks, product manager of Litesse at Danisco Sweeteners. This 90-percent prebiotic [soluble] fiber can improve digestive health, he adds. It is a clean-tasting, sugarfree fiber that contributes only 1 calorie per gram and is suitable for diabetics. It is compatible with different sweetening systems to support reduction of higher-calorie options.

To learn more, visit www.foodproductdesign.com.