Introduction: Are all sweet things sugar? That's not necessarily the case. In this era when milk tea desserts are popular, people urgently need a food that can satisfy their sweetness needs without gaining weight to replace sugar. Therefore, high-sweetness, low-calorie sugar substitutes have emerged. This summer, "zero sugar and zero calories" has become an important consideration for young people when purchasing drinks, and various snack products with zero sugar as a selling point have also emerged in the market. So what exactly is sugar substitute? How to choose from the wide variety of sugar substitutes?
Sugar substitutes refer to food additives that add sweetness to food in place of white sugar, granulated sugar, sucrose, etc. There are many categories. According to the source, they can be divided into artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners and sugar alcohol sugar substitutes. According to whether can provide energy, sugar substitutes can be divided into two categories: nutritional sugar substitutes and non-nutritive sugar substitutes. The sweetness of sugar substitutes varies greatly due to different types. Those with higher sweetness can be hundreds of times higher than white sugar, while those with lower sweetness can be lower than ordinary white sugar.
There are thousands of types of sugar substitutes
Do you know?
Above we have introduced that sugar substitutes can be roughly divided into sugar alcohols, natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners. Below we will learn more about the specific types, sweetness and applications of these sugar substitutes in our daily lives. (Table 1).
Table 1 Large variety of sugar substitutes PK
Data source: [1]丨Cartography: Bioexploration editing team
1 Sugar alcohol sugar substitutes: nutritious and low calorie
Sugar alcohol sugar substitutes refer to the reduction of aldehyde and ketone carbonyl groups of sugars The polyol generated after being converted into a hydroxyl group is a sugar whose properties and structure have been changed. sugar alcohol sugar substitutes are mainly derived from natural dietary fiber in fruits and vegetables. They have the advantages of being low in calories and nutritious. They will not cause blood sugar to rise and can prevent obesity. Common sugar alcohols include xylitol , sorbitol , erythritol , mannitol and isomalt, etc., which are widely used in daily life:
● The sweetness of xylitol The concentration is 60% to 100% that of sucrose, and it is widely used in chewing gum production. Tests have proven that chewing gum can clean teeth and protect oral health;
● Maltitol is 75% to 95% sweeter than sucrose, has low calories, good stability and water solubility, and is more commonly used in bread and dairy products , beverages, ice cream and other products;
● The sweetness of erythritol, which has been popular in recent years, is about 75% of sucrose. It has the advantages of low melting point, low calories, and harmonious sweetness. The popular Yuanqi Forest and on the market HiTea sugar-free sparkling water uses erythritol;
2 natural sweeteners: plant-derived high sweetness
natural sweeteners refer to compounds extracted from plants and chemically refined, common There are stevia , mogroside, glycyrrhizin, etc. Because these natural plant sugar substitutes cannot be metabolized by the human body and do not generate heat, but their sweetness is much higher than that of sucrose, they have a wide range of applications.
1. Stevia
Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted and purified from the herb Stevia rebaudiana. In recent years, stevia has been favored by manufacturers and consumers around the world due to its rich sources, low price, low calories, high sweetness, and good stability. It is widely added to carbonated drinks, milk drinks, and solid beverages. , ice cream products, preserved fruits , bread pastries, aquatic products and other foods. However, stevia has a hint of plant bitterness, which is unacceptable to some consumers. This may be the reason why stevia cola produced by Coca-Cola was quickly removed from the shelves. .
2. Mogroside
Mogroside is the main sweetener in Cucurbitaceae plant Monk Fruit, and its sweetness is about 300 times that of sucrose. Compared with steviol glycosides, mogroside has the advantages of long lasting sweetness, weak bitterness, and longer-lasting aftertaste . The biggest application of mogroside is in beverages. Monk fruit compound drinks, compound herbal teas, monk fruit vinegar, monk fruit milk drinks, etc. are emerging one after another. In addition, mogroside is also widely used in the production of candies and seasonings.
3. Glycyrrhizin
Glycyrrhizin is extracted from the rhizome of licorice , and its sweetness is about 50 times that of sucrose. At present, glycyrrhizin is mainly used in bread, shortbread, cake, meat floss and other foods. It not only produces sweetness, but also has the effect of loosening and foaming, making the product softer. Glycyrrhizin can also be added to food as a flavor enhancer. Adding it to cocoa, chocolate, and cream can increase aroma and improve flavor.
Of course, it needs to be emphasized that the above-mentioned natural plant sugar substitutes inevitably undergo a chemical refining process during the extraction process. The main purpose of calling them "natural sweeteners" is to distinguish them from completely synthetic sweeteners.
3 Artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are synthesized through a variety of methods. They neither have a similar structure to traditional sugars nor are they derived from natural plants. Currently, the most widely used artificial sweeteners on the market include aspartame , acesulfame potassium and sucralose , etc. The specific introduction is as follows:
1. Aspartame
Since 1974, the United States After the FDA first approved aspartame as a legal food additive, more and more food manufacturers began to target aspartame. Nowadays, aspartame has become a well-established "sugar substitute" and a sugar substitute for many people who want to lose weight. choose. However, in recent years, studies have pointed out that long-term large intake of aspartame will increase the risk of brain cancer, migraine, and other diseases, mainly because its metabolites contain phenylalanine, which can pass through The blood-brain barrier changes the ratio of amino acids to in the brain, interfering with the transmission of neurotransmitter , thereby increasing the risk of brain diseases .
2. Acesulfame potassium
In 1967, German chemist Karl Clauss accidentally discovered acesulfame potassium, which is what we know today as acesulfame potassium. Acesulfame potassium is 200 times sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter aftertaste and is often mixed with other sweeteners. Acesulfame potassium has a stable shelf life and is commonly used in the production of flavored fermented milk, frozen foods, canned fruits, jam preserves, candies, condiments and other foods. Because there is a chlorine-containing organic compound in acesulfame potassium, long-term and large intake of acesulfame potassium may increase the burden on the liver and kidneys, leading to damage to liver and kidney functions . Therefore, when purchasing foods containing acesulfame potassium on a daily basis, you must pay attention to the dosage to avoid excessive intake that may cause damage to the body.
3. Sucralose
In 1976, the British company Tate & Lyle and University of London jointly developed a new sweetener-sucralose. In 1988, sucralose began to enter the market. It is the only functional sweetener using sucrose as raw material. Its sweetness can be up to 600 times that of sucrose, and it has the reputation of "King of Sweeteners".
Sucralose has the advantages of no energy, high sweetness, pure sweetness and high safety. It is one of the ideal sugar substitute choices for patients with obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It is currently mainly used in beverages, food, In the production of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. In addition, some scholars have studied the differences between sucralose and sucrose, aspartame, saccharin, and acesulfame potassium in terms of sweetness, bitter aftertaste, sourness, volume, sweet aftertaste, and non-sweet aftertaste, and found that three The taste of sucralose is closest to that of sucrose, which shows that the advent of sucralose represents the highest achievement of high-intensity sweeteners.
Natural sugar substitutes have many advantages
You are expected to usher in the "golden age" of commercialization
Natural sugar substitutes are generally a class of sweet compounds that are directly extracted from nature or obtained through appropriate modifications, most of which are plants or microorganisms The secondary metabolism products mainly include natural sweeteners and sugar alcohol sugar substitutes, which have been on the market for more than ten years. They have obvious advantages in safety, production cost and added health value. is a high-quality choice among many sugar substitute products in terms of low calories, health, cost, and benefits to the human body. .
1 has safety advantages
Compared with the first-generation sweeteners represented by sucrose and the second-generation sweeteners represented by cyclamate , natural sugar substitutes have the advantages of good solubility, good taste, and high stability. , and does not have the high calorie of the first-generation sweeteners and the safety issues of the second-generation sweeteners. It can be widely used in various foods and has huge development and application prospects [1]
uses mogroside as the For example, Luo Han Guo is a medicinal and edible food that has been consumed in China for hundreds of years. The sweetness of mogroside is 300 times that of sucrose, but it does not produce calories and is 100% natural and non-GMO. So far, no side effects have been found in the applications and research of steviol glycosides and mogrosides.
2 Has a cost advantage
At present, most natural sweeteners have a lower price per unit sweetness and have a cost advantage compared to low-intensity sweeteners, such as steviol glycosides and mogrosides; as natural sweeteners, mogrosides are In terms of application, it is very "easy to beat". Not only does it have zero calories and the taste is infinitely close to that of sucrose, but it also has good solubility and stability. It has a diluting effect on sour and salty tastes, and has a masking effect on astringent and bitter tastes. It has a certain synergistic effect on milky and spicy taste, so it is usually used in combination with other sweeteners. Therefore, for downstream manufacturers, the use of natural sweeteners is more conducive to cost control.
3 Has high added health value
In addition to the above-mentioned safety advantages and cost advantages, many studies have shown that natural sweeteners also have health benefits.
■ Stevia can be used as an alternative to antibiotics
In June 2018, according to a study released by researchers at the University of New Haven in the United States, the ethanol extract of stevia acted on of Borrusella, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Biofilm , which can effectively destroy biofilms and reduce the quality of bacteria by 40%, is considered a safer and more effective alternative to antibiotics . Previous studies have found that stevia glycosides are suitable for people who like sweets but have blood sugar intolerance. They are beneficial to weight management, blood pressure control, tooth and skin care, bone health, etc. They are sugar substitutes with outstanding functional benefits and selling points [ 2].
■ Luo Han Guo can manage weight and protect cardiovascular disease.
Luo Han Guo is a food with the same origin as medicine and food in my country. It has the advantages of clearing the lungs, relieving cough and promoting intestinal function. It is also used in acute and chronic bronchitis , acute and chronic tonsillitis , acute It is good for gastritis, constipation, etc. It is a better and higher-grade natural sweetener. Not only that, Luo Han Guo contains a variety of nutrients, such as vitamin C, glycosides, fructose , glucose and protein. Research shows that monk fruit supports weight management and cardiovascular health [3].
At present, the above-mentioned steviol glycosides and mogrosides are being used as natural sweeteners by more terminal brands at home and abroad, such as Coca-Cola, Starbucks , Nestlé , Cargill 's Truvia, Ingredion Incorporated's PureCircle, etc. In addition to terminal food and beverage products, the products launched on the market also include bagged sweeteners, liquid sweeteners, Spoonable, stevia for bread, stevia tablets, organic stevia and other natural sweetener products for consumption. choice, as can be seen from its popularity in the global market.
The vitality forest is on fire " erythritol "
Set off a "new sugar-free revolution"
If you want to ask what is the most popular sugar substitute in China in recent years, then it must be erythritol. This sugar alcohol-based sugar substitute sparked by Yuanqi Forest has quickly set off a new round of "sugar-free revolution" in China.
Erythritol, also known as protoalcohol and erythritol, is a natural active substance widely found in nature. Erythritol is found in seaweed, lichen, mushrooms, melons, grapes, and common fermented foods such as soy sauce, wine, chewing gum, etc.Erythritol has a refreshing taste when eaten, pure sweetness, and no after-bitterness. Its sweetness is 60-70% of sucrose, so it can be used as a diluent for high-intensity sweeteners in combination with stevioside or saccharin. [4].
Since erythritol was first isolated and identified in 1852, and in 2001, erythritol was approved by the US FDA for marketing, erythritol quickly became popular around the world and is currently on the market in many countries around the world (Figure 1). Erythritol has many advantages, so even though it is expensive, it has become the first choice for products developed by many well-known beverage companies:
Figure 1 Development history of erythritol
■ Does not produce heat and protects the oral cavity
Erythritol is a small molecule substance. It is more easily absorbed by the small intestine through passive diffusion, 90% of which is metabolized by the kidneys, and less than 10% may be metabolized and utilized by colon flora, so it produces almost no heat and will not cause gastrointestinal discomfort and other problems . The "2021 China Sugar-Free Beverage Market Trend Insight Report" pointed out that nearly 80% of consumers choose to consume sugar-free drinks because they are "healthier", and erythritol can well meet public needs. At the same time, research shows that erythritol has good oral health protection functions and can reduce the risk of dental caries.
■ Multiple performance advantages, wide range of applications
Because of its unique metabolism, erythritol is used in functional foods for special groups such as diabetes and glucose intolerance. Erythritol's anti-caries properties, antioxidant properties, properties, moisturizing properties and non-flammability make its application in the fields of medicine and daily chemicals continue to expand. At present, most of the world's erythritol production capacity is concentrated in China. There are about 4-5 domestic erythritol manufacturers with production scale, with a total designed production capacity of about 100,000 tons.
At present, there are many reasons why domestic natural sweeteners have not fully blossomed as they have in overseas markets. From a macro perspective, the domestic market began to apply natural sweeteners later than overseas. Overseas markets have taken the lead in forming an application trend of natural sweeteners, and their application development in product formulations, consumer market Cognition is relatively mature. For example, the rare sugar allulose that has emerged abroad has been approved by the US FDA as a safety-level food as early as 2011, but it has not yet been reviewed in China. Domestically, consumers mainly learn about sugar substitutes through the sugar-free food and beverage products launched by brands, and their knowledge of sugar substitutes is limited. Since the application of natural sweeteners requires certain formulation capabilities, the lack of formulation application capabilities of domestic brands will also affect the popularity of natural sweeteners to a certain extent.
From steviol glycosides and mogrosides in natural sweeteners to the rise of sugar alcohol sugar substitutes, the sugar substitute product line has been continuously enriched, providing global consumers with diversified sugar reduction options. We also look forward to the future in which the sweetener industry can "roll up" and produce more high-quality sweeteners, which will not only protect the public's health, but also satisfy our love for sweetness.
question map source: National Kidney Foundation, for academic communication only. Written by
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