Intense Sweeteners
Intense sweeteners are sugar substitutes used as food additive that have the effect of sugar in taste without increasing the calorie content. Due to its intense taste intense sweeteners is used in very small amount to give the same taste that of sucrose. A broad variety of high quality low-calorie products is now available to people who do not wish to make any compromises on taste but who want to maintain a balanced diet low in calories. Many people now regularly use low-calorie sweeteners to sweeten tea and coffee, and choose foods and drinks with low-calorie sweeteners. Since low calorie sweeteners do not contain fermentable carbohydrates, they do not cause tooth decay. In fact, low calorie sweeteners are also used to improve the taste of products for dental and oral hygiene, thus contributing to caries prevention. In addition, low calorie sweeteners offer people with diabetes the pleasure of the sweet taste without negative side effects. On the one hand, sweeteners have no impact on insulin and blood sugar levels and, on the other hand, they do not provide calories.
Acesulfame-K (Acesulfame Potassium) is considered as an intense sweetener; it has 200 times sweeter taste than a 3% sucrose solution. The acesulfame K has proven to be stable in solid form and stable over a broad pH range. It may be used with confidence under processing conditions typical to liquid systems including pasteurization UHT and HTST. It is easily soluble in liquids which allow it to be blend quickly with aqueous food components. Combined with other sweeteners acesulfame K present a synergistic effect (the total sweetener effect is more than the sum of the amount of sweetener used). The use of acesulfame K was permitted under the Sweeteners in Food Regulations (1983). The International acceptance of acesulfame K was manifested by a favorable assessment and the allocation of an ADI by the WHO/FAO. To date acesulfame K was suitably used in different caloric free foods or diet food including soft drinks, chewing-gums, jams, marmalades, desserts and baked goods.
Stevionex (Stevia) is another intense sweetener of low calories and with 70-400 times sweeter taste than sugar. Processed forms of pure Stevia plant, Stevia is more considered as a natural sweetner, they do not adversely affect blood glucose levels and may be used freely by both diabetics and hypoglycemics. For people with blood sugar, blood pressure or weight problems Stevia is the most desirable sweetener and it is considered as the sweetener of the future. Unlike artificial sweeteners, the sweet glycosides do not break down in heat which makes Stevia an excellent sweetener for cooking and baking.
Sucranex (Sucralose) is a sucralose product which is an artificial intense sweetener of zero-calorie. Sucranex is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose and 3.3 times as sweet as aspartame. Sucranex is stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions. Therefore, it can be used in baking or in products that require a longer shelf life. The commercial success of sucralose-based products stems from its favorable comparison to other low-calorie sweeteners in terms of taste, stability, and safety.
Natural Sweeteners
A natural sweetener is a kind of sweetener that is used as a substitute of sugar. As it does not undergo any complicated processing or refining, natural sweeteners are considered a more suitable option than brown sugar and artificial sweeteners, both of which pass through processing, which in turn may destroy all essential proteins, organic acids, vitamins, nitrogen substances, and enzymes contained in the natural sugar cane. Herbal or plant-based sweeteners are one of the most popular forms of natural sweeteners. A great benefit of natural sweetener is that it is a healthy alternative over sucrose and artificial sweeteners with side-effects. Since it is minimally processed, a natural sweetener could be consumed in its natural state. Further, in contrast to intake of brown sugar and artificial sweeteners that make you drowsy, intake of natural sweeteners allows you to be more active. Above all, as it contains in it right proportion of glucose, fructose, and micro nutrients, a natural helps to control the blood sugar levels.
Fruit-Sweetness is a fruit concentrate made from monk fruit, the world’s sweetest melon. Monk fruit has been cultivated as a traditional food in Asia for hundreds of years. The clean sweet taste of Fruit-Sweetness comes from the sweetest part of the monk fruit, so that just ¼ of a gram of fruit-sweetness can replace 10 teaspoon of sugar, with less than 1 calorie. Fruit-Sweetness eliminated the trade-off between natural low-calorie sweeteners made entirely from fruit; Fruit-Sweetness provides clean and great tasting sweetness without compromises. In January 2010, Fruit-Sweetness has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). Additionally the processing plant of Fruit-Sweetness is certified under ISO 22000 and HACCP.
