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Sweet Choices For Indian Dairy Industry
Arora*, S; Sharma, V; Wadhwa, B. K, Sharma, G. S and George, V.
Dairy Chemistry Division, National Dairy Research Institute
Karnal-132 001, Haryana (India) * Senior Scientist
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Sucrose, or table sugar, is one of the most widely used ingredients in the foods we buy. We compare the sweetness of all other sweeteners to sugar, which is classified as a nutritive sweetener. Other nutritive sweeteners found on ingredient labels include fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, honey, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), molasses, invert sugars, concentrated fruit juice sweeteners, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and other sugar alcohols. Nutritive sugars not only add flavor to our foods, but they also add a lot of calories. Because of our changing dietary habits and the improved quality of nonnutritive sweeteners, the food industry is using these alternative sweeteners, more and more. These improved Low-calorie sweeteners offer consumers and food manufacturers greater food choices.
Low-calorie sweeteners
Low-calorie sweeteners have different functional properties. They provide consumers with many benefits, both psychological and physiological. Health professionals and consumers believe low-calorie sweeteners are effective for the following purposes: weight maintenance, weight reduction, management of diabetes, reduction of dental caries, and reduction in the risks associated with obesity. These offer a means to enjoy good-tasting foods and beverages without as many calories. The ideal low-calorie sweetener also should be colorless, odorless, and have no aftertaste. The sweetness should be experienced immediately and should taste as sweet as sugar but have fewer calories. These sweeteners should not cause cancer and should be inexpensive to produce. Availability of a variety of low-calorie sweeteners for use in foods expands the capability to develop reduced-calorie products that better meet consumer needs and desires. Blends of some low-calorie sweeteners in foods and beverages may also act synergistically to produce the desired level of sweetness with smaller amounts of each sweetener. The resulting taste often better meets consumer expectations of a sweetness profile close to
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that of sugar. The products may also have longer sweetness shelf lives. When food products are reformulated with alternative sweeteners, the nonnutritive sweetener does not simply replace the sugar. Manufacturers use a bulking agent such as cellulose, polydextrose, maltodextrins, and alcohol sugars to replace the bulk of sugar as well as some of functional properties of sugars.
PFA regulatory standards
The Indian Government have permitted use of artificial sweeteners in about 25 food items including carbonated water, soft drink concentrate, sugar/sugar free confectionery, chewing gum, biscuits, breads, cakes and pastries, traditional sweets like halwa, gulab jamun, khoya burfi, rasogulla and other milk products. According to a notification amending the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Rules 1955, issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India on June 25, 2004 the use of artificial sweeteners has been allowed in food items as per the limits prescribed and under proper label declarations. The notification permits use of four artificial sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame and sucralose in combination, within prescribed limits (Table 1).
The change in the food law opens up a vast untapped market of sugar-free food products including dairy products. With several sweeteners available, food manufacturers can use sweeteners in the applications for which they are best suited, and limitations of individual sweeteners can be overcome by using them in blends. Most sweeteners, including the polyols, are synergistic, so the sweetness of sweetener blends is greater than that produced by individual sweeteners. In the field of sugar replacement, the use of high potency artificial sweeteners to develop low calorie foods has been a success. However, extensive evaluation would still be essential to ensure the safety of these sweeteners when consumed in formulated dairy products.
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Table 1: PFA limits of artificial sweeteners in dairy based sweets |
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Name of artificial sweetener |
Article of food |
Maximum limit of artificial sweetener (ppm) |
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Saccharin Sodium |
Sweets (carbohydrates based and milk
products based):-Halwa, Mysore Pak,
Boondi ladoo, Jalebi, Khoya burfi,
Peda, Gulab Jamun, Rasogolla and
similar product based sweets sold by
any name. |
500 |
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Aspartame (methyl ester) |
200 |
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Acesulfame potassium |
500 |
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Sucralose |
750 |
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Source: Notification issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 25th June 2004. |
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136
Dairy Year Book 2008 |
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