Non-Caloric Sweeteners, Sweetness Modulators, and Sweetener Enhancers

Abstract

For a new sweetness technology to realize strong commercial success, it must be safe, exhibit good taste quality, be sufficiently soluble and stable in food and beverage systems, and be cost effective and patentable. Assessments of the commercial promise of eight synthetic and eight natural non-caloric sweeteners are made relevant to these metrics. High-potency (HP) non-caloric sweeteners, both synthetic and natural, are generally limited in taste quality by (a) low maximal sweetness response, (b) "off" tastes, (c) slow-onset sweet tastes that linger, and (d) sweet tastes that adapt or desensitize the gustatory system. Formulation approaches to address these limitations are discussed. Enhancement of the normal sucrose sensory response by action of a sweetener receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM) has been achieved with very significant calorie reduction and with retention of the taste quality of sucrose. Research on PAM discovery over the past decade is summarized.

Miracle fruit: An alternative sugar substitute in sour beverages

“…Bitterness and metallic off-flavors have been one of the most common problems of low-calorie sweeteners (Cardoso & Bolini, 2008;Du Bois & Prakash, 2012;Souza et al 2013). In relation to these aspects, sucralose has been considered as the sweetener that best substitutes sucrose, since it provokes less sensory alterations in the product (Brito & Bolini, 2010;Souza et al 2013;Zorn et al, 2014) as also noted in the present study.…”

Effect of Substitution of Sugar by High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Physicochemical Properties of Bakery and Dairy Products: A Review

“…Use of non-nutritive sweeteners within the approved regulations is safe. However, it should be more concerned within children and pregnant women (6). Non-nutritive sweeteners are much sweeter than sucrose but they do not have the same functionality such as microbial inhibition, crystallization and browning (7).…”

“…From the clinical viewpoint, Glycemic Index (GI) of sweeteners is of interest (8). Maltose with GI 105 and glucose with GI 100 have the highest, and lactulose, mannitol and tagatose with GI=0 have the lowest GI among the nutritive sweeteners (6).…”

Integration of Taste and Calorie Sensing inDrosophila

“…While these variables are often correlated-sugars tend to be a good source of carbohydrates and also have an appetitive sweet taste-there are notable exceptions. For example, some natural and synthetic sweeteners, such as stevioside and saccharin, have an appetitive taste but provide no nutritional value (DuBois and Prakash, 2012). Moreover, sugars with similar caloric content can differ in perceived sweetness by a factor of Ͼ10 (Biester et al, 1925).…”