Title: Alternative Sweeteners

Isomalt 277
C. Chewing Gum
Sticks, pellets, or gum balls can be manufactured with powder-fine isomalt. Its
low solubility causes isomalt to remain crystalline in the chewing gum mass,
which leads to a softer/smoother textured product. Shelf-life tests indicate that
chewing gums containing 10 to 15% isomalt remain flexible longer than other
sugar-free chewing gums (30). Furthermore, sensorial tests have shown that the
slow solubility of isomalt gives a longer lasting flavor release and sweetness.
The addition of flavored coarse isomalt crystals to the gum base is an interesting
new approach in sugar-free products to further extend the long-lasting flavor
release.
D. Low-boiled Candies
Low-boiled candies often have a crystallizing and noncrystallizing phase. Isomalt
can replace sugar in the noncrystallizing phase. The addition of gelatin and fat
gives the candy its chewable consistency. The water content of the low boiling
affects the crystallization and must be between 6 and 10%. Form, stability and
stickiness are often problems in low-boiled candies. If the stickiness of the lowboiled
candy has to be reduced, the level of the crystallizing phase has to be
increased. Isomalt’s low hygroscopicity minimizes stickiness during cooling,
forming, cutting, and wrapping. In addition, it prevents the soft-boiled mass from
sticking to the wrapper. Seeding the low boiling mass with powdered isomalt
after the boiling process also results in an increased form stability and a reduced
stickiness.
E. Compressed Tablets/Lozenges
Chewable tablets and lozenges can be made with isomalt by direct compressing
without the use of excipients. The major advantage of compressed tablets based
on isomalt is their sugar-comparable taste and slow solubility. Because of the
low hygroscopicity, isomalt tablets have a long shelf-life. The newly developed
isomalt-DC gives an even better compressibility (30, 34).
F. Chocolate
Isomalt is used in reduced-calorie and diabetic chocolate products because of its
sugarlike neutral taste, snap, melting behavior, and negligible cooling effect. The
normal formulation for a sucrose chocolate can be used for an isomalt chocolate
(milk and bittersweet). Isomalt-LM has a lower water content (1%) than
isomalt-ST (5–7%). This allows higher temperatures during conching. Isomalt
chocolate is both sugar free and calorie reduced. Because the major source of