Sugars and Sweeteners

Sugars and Sweeteners Definitions

• Sugars (free sugars) include all mono- and disaccharides added to foods/drinks during production, preparation, and consumption
• Sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices are also included
• Sweeteners are additives meant to give foods a sweet taste with fewer or no calories than sugar
• Sweetening power is a relative measure of how sweet something tastes compared to regular sugar

Types of Sugar

• Free sugars include added sugars and natural sugars

Recommendations for Sugar Intake

• There are 4 kcal per gram of sugar
• Added sugars should be limited to 10 En% of total energy intake
• For women, this is 50g/day
• For men, this is 62.5g/day

Sugar Sources

• Sugar beets are used to make sucrose

Added Sugars

• Sugar/saccharose/sucrose is a disaccharide made of fructose and glucose
• It can be used in food products or as a table sweetener, with or without other sweeteners or fibers
• It provides 4 kcal/g
• Examples include brown sugar and cane sugar
• Sugar syrups have technical advantages in food production

Fructose

• Fructose is a monosaccharide with the same effect as sugar
• It is not suitable as a sugar substitute as it raises triglycerides
• It has a lower glycemic index and also provides 4 kcal/g

Tagatose

• Tagatose is a monosaccharide (hexose) used as a sweetener
• It is derived from lactose
• Chemically, it is similar to fructose
• It is not fully absorbed, providing 1.5 kcal/g
• It is combined with sweeteners like sucralose and fibers like inulin
• Tagatose does not raise blood sugar levels

Natural Sugars

• Natural sugars are no healthier than added sugars because the body processes them into glucose the same way

Honey

• Honey comes from bees (flowers) and has a sugar content of 75-80%
• It mainly contains glucose, fructose, and sucrose and is not vegan
• Honey is not suitable for children under 1 year old due to bacteria that they cannot process

Maple Syrup

• Maple syrup comes from maple trees with a sugar content of 68-87%
• It mainly contains sucrose and small amounts of manganese and zinc
• The quantities are negligible and do not make it healthier

Agave Syrup

• Agave syrup comes from the blue agave plant (cactus) and has a sugar content of approximately 76%
• It mainly contains fructose and glucose
• The fructose content results in a low glycemic index but can also be converted into fats

Coconut Sugar

• Coconut sugar comes from coconut palm blossoms and has a sugar content of 95%
• It is mainly composed of sucrose, with a similar sucrose and kcal content to refined sugar
• It has a browner color due to processing

Date Syrup

• Date syrup comes from dates and has a sugar content of approximately 75%
• It mainly contains glucose and fructose
• Dates are rich in fiber, but date syrup does not contain fiber because they are destroyed during processing

Brown Rice Syrup

• Brown rice syrup comes from brown fermented rice (+ barley) and has a sugar content of 65-75%
• It mainly contains maltose
• Brown rice is a source of slow carbohydrates, but brown rice syrup is a source of fast sugars because the fibers are removed

Trendy Sugars Conclusion

• Trendy sugars have the same nutritional value as regular sugar
• They do not offer additional nutritional benefits
• The choice depends on taste, color, and smell
• They are considered "trendy"

Sweeteners Safety

• Only sweeteners on the "positive list" are considered safe and can be used
• Sweeteners are considered safe and approved by EFSA

Acceptable Daily Intake

• Acceptable daily intake (ADI) is the acceptable daily intake in mg per kg of body weight per day
• It indicates the amount that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without health risks
• The ADI is not the same as the recommended daily intake
• ADIs are applicable for diabetics and those with large "light" consumption habits
• Children are more at risk because of their lower body weight when consuming cyclamate, steviol glycosides, and acesulfame-K

Intensive Sweeteners

• Intensive sweeteners have a higher sweetening power than sugar
• They provide no energy (kcal) and do not affect blood sugar levels

Approved Intensive Sweeteners

• Acesulfame-K (ADI: 9 mg/kg)
• Aspartame (ADI: 40 mg/kg)
• Cyclamate (ADI: 7 mg/kg)
• Neohesperidine (ADI: 5 mg/kg)
• Neotame (ADI: 2 mg/kg)
• Saccharin (ADI: 2.5 mg/kg)
• Stevia (ADI: 4 mg/kg)
• Sucralose (ADI: 15 mg/kg)
• Thaumatin (ADI: unlimited)

Commonly Used Intensive Sweeteners

• Sucralose is heat-stable
• Steviol glycosides (stevia) are heat-stable
• Aspartame (acesulfame-K) is not heat-stable, which is important for people with phenylketonuria

Sweetener Composition

• Sweeteners often include a filler (maltodextrin for volume) plus the sweetener
• These are available as tablets/lumps, liquid, or powder
• Examples are Pure Via, Prinsen, Carrefour Stylesse, and Ti'Light products

Stevia

• Stevia includes Stevioside and Rebaudioside
• It comes from the stevia plant and is processed in the lab, so it is not completely natural
• It has an ADI value and a bitter aftertaste

Compound Products

• Some compound products include sugar + intensive sweetener
• An example of this is Pure Via stevia and cane sugar and Ti'Light, which contains sugar and sucralose providing 5.6 kcal per cube
• These products still provide energy
• They are suitable for people with diabetes to reduce energy intake and glucose spikes

Applications for Diabetics

• Drinks
• Dairy – ice cream
• Chocolate
• Breakfast cereals
• Cookies/pastries

Extensive Sweeteners (Polyols)

• Polyols are also known as sugar alcohols
• Extensive sweeteners have a sweetening power less than or equal to sugar (compared to sucrose)

Sweetening power compared with sucrose:

• Erythritol: 0.6-0.8
• Isomalt: 0.5
• Lactitol: 0.3-0.5
• Maltitol: 0.7-0.9
• Mannitol: 0.6
• Sorbitol: 0.5
• Xylitol: 1.0
• They provide energy (2–2.5 kcal/g), which is slightly less than sugar
• They have almost no effect on blood sugar levels
• Polyols are not interesting for those looking to lose weight

Applications

• Candy
• Chewing gum
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Chocolate
• Sugar which is based on erythritol (the only polyol with a calorie value of zero)

Benefits

• No rise in glycemia

Drawbacks

• Add energy
• Large intake can cause a laxative effect (diarrhea)
• If glucose is absorbed in the small intestine, polyols in the large intestine can cause diarrhea as the digestion attracts water
• Products containing more than 10% polyols require a warning label about the laxative effect of excessive consumption

Zusto

• Zusto is a combination of polydextrose (fibers from corn and chicory), sucralose/isomalt/erythritol and possibly stevia
• It has 1 kcal/g and a sweetening power comparable to sugar

Canderel

• Canderel provides liquid, cyclamate and saccharin
• A green dispenser indicates that the product contains steviol glycoside (green)
• Available for patisserie as erythritol, maltitol and stevia

Chocolate

• If a product contains no cocoa butter, it cannot be called chocolate
• These products are labelled as chocolate fantasy

Pure Chocolate

• Contains cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sugar

Milk Chocolate

• Contains cocoa powder, cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder

White Chocolate

• Contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder

Ruby Chocolate

• Is fruity and sour
• Contains no colorings or added fruit flavors

Facts about Chocolate

• Chocolate contains flavanols which are bioactive substances and antioxidants and contains stearic acid, the conclusion is that it is neutral to cholesterol
• Chocolate contains Theobromine and caffeine and Tryptophan and phenylethylamine, producing a limited effect on depression
• Migraines can be caused by biogenic amines like tyramine in limited amounts