How many types of sweeteners?

Different types of sweeteners are used to satisfy taste, flavor, texture and energy requirements. Each sweetener has specific applications as a result of certain advantages and limitations. Every sweetener is not appropriate to the requirements of every individual.

There are two types of sweeteners, bulk and alternative.

Bulk sweeteners

The bulk sweeteners or nutritive sweeteners are substances that supplies energy to body. Sugars, syrups, molasses, sugar alcohols and honey are all classified as nutritive sweeteners. All bulk sweeteners provide a lot of energy. But this is not suitable for a sedentary person. These sweeteners promote tooth decay and obesity.                                          However, these are useful in many respects.

1.   Provide a bulk of energy for body function, about 3.75 kcal or 16kJ/g.

2.   Provide mouth feel for sweet foods in candies, bakery items and syrups

3.   Used as preservative in foods like jams, jellies and marmalades.

4.   Used as a thickening agent in some syrups.

5.   Used as a food for yeast and other microorganisms in fermentations.

6.   Helps in lowering the freezing point of some foods

7.   Serve as sweetening agent in most foods.

Alternative sweeteners

Considering the inherent disadvantages of bulk sweeteners (causes tooth decay and obesity), alternative sweeteners have been developed. Alternative sweeteners do not participate in the metabolism of body and hence do not provide high intake of calories. These are especially good for persons on diets requiring calories restriction (diabetes, overweight).

Following are some alternative sweeteners:

Saccharin:

·       Saccharin was first introduced in1878.

·       It is colorless and odorless organic petroleum compound.

·       It is 200 to 700 times sweeter than sucrose.

·       It is more stable than sucrose over temperature range.

·       It has bitter after taste

·       It is absorbed slowly and secreted unaltered from the kidney.

·       Commercially available as acid saccharin, sodium saccharin and calcium saccharin

·       However excessive consumption of saccharin can lead to cancer.

       Acesulfame K:

·       Acesulfame k was developed in 1967

·       It is 140 to 200 times sweeter than sucrose.

·       It gives persistent side taste at high concentration.

·       It can be used with other sweeteners.

·       It is used in table top sweeteners, dry beverage mixes and chewing gum formulation.

·       It is marked under the brand name Sunette.

       Aspartame:

·       It is known as NutraSweet.

·       It is 180 to 220 times sweeter than sucrose.

·       It has a clean sweet taste, similar to sucrose and there is no bitter after taste.

·       It is used in toppings, confections, bakery items, fruit spreads, toppings and fillings.

·       It provides the same number of calories as sugars but its quantity used is much less (1g for every 180g of sugar).

       Cyclamates:

·       Cyclamates were firstly introduced in 1937.

·       It is 30 times sweeter than sucrose.

·       They are heat stable and taste very much like sugar.

·       When they are used in 10:1 with saccharin it overcomes the bitterness.

·       Cyclamates have been used in the form of cyclamic acid, calcium cyclamates and sodium cyclamates.