Sweeteners intensity values

Intense sweeteners are characterised by a high sweetness intensity on a weight basis. Sweetness intensity values differ for general comparisons standard sweetness intensity values are often used with sucrose being the standard with a sweetness intensity of 1. Sweetness intensities depend on a number of factors, e.g. concentration and presence of flavours or taste components. They are therefore not a suitable tool for calculation of use concentrations except for very preliminary approaches. 

Table 6 Intensity values for frequently used sweeteners ...

Sugar alcohols are very stable in acidic or alkaline solutions. Relative taste intensity values for various sweeteners are found in Table 19.1. Taste intensity within a food can depend on a series of parameters, e. g., aroma, pH or food texture. 

Metabolism via normal metabolic pathways or fast excretion without metabolism are desirable characteristics. Some intense sweeteners are excreted unchanged while others are metabolised. Bulk sweetener absorption is lower and slower than for carbohydrates and results in reduced caloric availability which is partly due to metabolites formed by intestinal bacteria. Such metabolites and osmotic effects of not fully absorbed bulk sweeteners can cause laxative effects. Generally, the calorific value of bulk sweeteners is lower than for carbohydrates. Intense and bulk sweeteners are, as far as they are metabolised, not dependent on insulin. They are therefore acceptable for diabetics as part of a suitable diet. 

An important step and for some countries even a prerequisite before food additive approval is endorsement for food use by international scientific bodies like the JECFA or the European SCF. These committees evaluate the safety data, identify a no-observed-effect level and allocate an ADI, usually by applying a safety factor of 100 to the ADI. While numerical values have been allocated for all intense sweeteners, the ADIs for bulk sweeteners are normally not specified as any numerical limitation would not be reasonable for these substances. 

Table 10.3 Approved use levels for intense sweeteners in some categories of sugar-free or calorie-reduced products in the European Union (values in mg/kg or mg/1)... 

Sweetness is an important and easily identifiable characteristic of glucose- and fructose-containing sweeteners. The sensation of sweetness has been extensively studied.80-82 Shallenberger83 defines sweetness as a primary taste. He furthermore asserts that no two substances can have the same taste. Thus, when compared to sucrose, no other sweetener will have the unique properties of sweetness onset, duration and intensity of sucrose. It is possible to compare the relative sweetness values of various sweeteners, as shown in Table 21.17,84 but it must be kept in mind that these are relative values. There will be variations in onset, which is a function of the chirality of the sweetener,85 variations in duration, which is a function of the molecular weight profile and is impacted by the viscosity, and changes in intensity, which is affected by... 

Unlike some other intense sweeteners, aspartame is metabolized in the body and consequently has some nutritive value 1 g provides approximately 17kJ (4kcal). However, in practice, the small quantity of aspartame consumed provides a minimal nutritive effect. 

Artificial or intense sweeteners are often used not only to restrict the sugar intake in food and beverages but also to boost the degree of sweetness to mask bitter notes. Only few are approved for use in over 80 countries (e.g., saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium). There is some ongoing controversy over whether artificial sweeteners are health risks despite lack of scientifically controlled peer-reviewed studies in general consistently to produce clear evidence. It is to be noted that if an acceptable daily intake (ADI) value is available, most of the time it is for a general adult population and not specifically for pediatric and geriatric population. 

Recently, the conversion of xylose into value-added chemicals, such as xylitol, ethanol, and lactic acid have made this process attractive to the fermentation industry [4]. In particular, bioconversion for xylitol production has been intensively studied during the last decade because xylitol can be used as a functional sweetener [5]. 

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