Characteristics of sweeteners

The characteristics of high-strength sweeteners are high safety, low dosage, high sweetness, not prone to caries, and the cost of use is generally much lower than that of sucrose. Synthetic high-strength sweeteners currently occupy a larger market share, because it has the following advantages:

(1) Synthetic high-strength sweeteners have high sweetness, small size, low usage, and an energy value of 0 or almost 0, which helps manufacturers reduce costs and improve efficiency.

(2) It is not digested and absorbed by the body, does not cause blood sugar fluctuations, and does not have the risk of causing obesity and hyperlipidemia. Special populations such as diabetic and obese people can safely eat.

(3) It is harmless to human teeth and will not cause dental caries.

(4) Aspartame, sucralose, etc. are used in foods and have obvious flavor enhancement effects.

Of course, high-power sweeteners also have some shortcomings, which are mainly reflected in the following two aspects:

One is that the sweetness of a small part of synthetic products is not pure enough, with varying degrees of bitterness, astringency, metallic aftertaste or peculiar taste, and there is a certain gap compared with the sucrose flavor, which is sometimes difficult for people to accept. For example, saccharin has a slightly bad taste; for example, Alitian, because its molecule contains sulfur, the taste is also affected. However, most sweeteners such as sucralose and stevioside (RA) have very good sweetness characteristics, and the taste is similar to that of sucrose.

Second, due to the high sweetness and small volume of high-intensity sweetener products, the application of iso-sweetness instead of sucrose in solid or semi-solid foods will cause significant changes in product texture, viscosity, volume and food flavor. In some cases Fillers or bulk sweeteners are also needed for the next step.

Therefore, the global market has an increasing demand for a new generation of high-power sweeteners with higher safety and better performance. The high-intensity sweeteners currently in the development and utilization stage include thaumatin, African arrowroot, sugar alcohol reprocessed sweetener, super sweetener perilla and so on. The new high-power sweetener developed must not only meet the requirements of the food industry, but also have to pass strict safety evaluation of toxicity and toxicology tests. The specific requirements should include: high safety; high sweetness; sweetness close to or similar to sucrose; stable properties , Convenient application; low cost, environmental protection, etc.