Stevia tops preferences for low-cal chocolate

Beverages formulated with stevia are preferred by consumers over similar products sweetened with sugar or other common high intensity sweeteners, says new research from Croatia.

Cocoa beverages formulated with stevia produced “the most balanced attributes” when tested by a panel of 15 tasters, according to findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

“On the basis of these results, it can be seen that panellists preferred the drinks made with stevia sweetener, because it tasted well, was moderately sweet, and provided a well-balanced flavour and taste, which indicates a great potential of using this sweetener,” wrote the researchers, led by Drazenka Komes from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology at the University of Zagreb.

On the other hand, the scientists also report that the highest scores for sweetness were observed for beverages formulated with a blend of aspartameand acesulfame K, indicating the potential of different formulations, according to local preferences.

There has been a great deal of excitement about stevia and its high purity component Reb A since the US Food and Drug Administration said it considers the zero-calorie, natural sweetener to be GRAS (generally recognized as safe) in December 2008. This was followed by a positive opinion from EFSA on the safety of stevia in April of this year. Final EU approval is expected next year.

Differentiation must be made between rebaudiside A and steviol glycosides in general. Rebaudioside A, also known as Reb A and rebiana, is a high-intensity sweetener derived from the stevia leaf. It is said to be approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar.

Boosting flavour, maintaining health

Cocoa beverages were formulated using two cocoa powders with various fat contents and a variety of sweeteners, including sucrose, glucose, maltodextrin, erythritol (all from Cargill), fructose (Merck), isomaltulose (Beneo-Palatinit), inulin and oligofructose (Beneo-Orafti), a 50-50 blend of aspartame/acesulfam K (Brenntag), and stevia (Kal, USA).

BioPlus to challenge Tate & Lyle in Sucralose

Bangalore-based BioPlus Life Sciences manufactures sucralose using a process it claims does not infringe any of Tate & Lyle's patents and is itself supported by a suite of patents.

BioPlus vice president Joe Zannoni told FoodManufacture.co.uk that he predicted “continued growth of existing products containing sucralose currently on the market as well as new product launches containing sucralose”.
 

Solae soy fiber increase yield in process meet

Solae said its Cenergy FMS ingredient contains a mixture of protein, soluble and insoluble fibre from the soybean cotyledon – the part of a seed embryo that becomes the first leaves of a seedling. According to the company, the combination of these components results in the ingredient’s ability to control purge, increase water retention and improve cooking yields in ground meat applications.

The ingredient is said to increase moisture retention with fast hydration and integration into manufacturers’ formulations.

No Weight Gain consume Sucralose

Results from animal studies that indicated sucralose could modify the absorption of glucose in the intestine were not observed when the sweetener was fed to humans, according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition.


Researchers from the University of Adelaide and the Royal Adelaide Hospital also report that consumption of the sweetener did not affect levels of a hormone linked to hunger - glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).
Previous studies with animals have suggested that sweeteners may interact with glucose and enhance the absorption of glucose in the gut via GLUT2 expression.