29.03.2013 Views

Title: Alternative Sweeteners

Title: Alternative Sweeteners

Title: Alternative Sweeteners

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

286 Kato and Moskowitz<br />

sweeter. However, there is little difference in sweetness when comparing actual<br />

food products.<br />

IV. APPLICATIONS<br />

Maltitol has many attributes and properties that allow it to be used in a wide<br />

variety of food applications:<br />

White crystalline powder<br />

Sweetness profile similar to sugar<br />

Reduced calorie, bulk sweetener<br />

Noncariogenic<br />

Non-insulin-dependent and can be used in diabetic diet<br />

Substantially nonhygroscopic<br />

Thermostable<br />

Fat replacer<br />

A. Confectionery Products<br />

Considerable formulation and processing information is available for producing<br />

maltitol-based confections and chewing gums (4–6). Confectionery products include<br />

chocolates, hard-boiled candy, and caramels.<br />

Before the development of maltitol, the production of ‘‘sugar-free’’ or ‘‘no<br />

sugar added’’ chocolate proved difficult because of the lack of a polyol with the<br />

physical, chemical, and organoleptic properties of sucrose. Maltitol’s anhydrous<br />

crystalline form, low hygroscopicity, high melting point, and stability allow it<br />

to replace sucrose in high-quality chocolate coatings, confectionery, and bakery<br />

chocolate.<br />

Maltitol may also be used to partially or totally replace the fat component<br />

in foods, because it gives a creamy mouth-feel to products such as brownies,<br />

cakes, and cookies (7). High-quality sugarless chocolates can be made by simply<br />

substituting maltitol for sucrose. Chocolate made with maltitol does not have the<br />

mouth-cooling property associated with sorbitol-based chocolate, and because<br />

the sweetness is greater than chocolate made with sorbitol, the addition of a potent<br />

sweetener is not required. Maltitol-based hard-boiled candies can be manufactured<br />

with conventional ‘‘roping and forming’’ equipment, unlike sorbitol boiled<br />

candy, which generally must be seeded with crystalline sorbitol, deposited into<br />

plastic or metal molds, and allowed to cure (8). Resultant candy must be securely<br />

packaged in a moistureproof wrapper to minimize crystallization. Of note, there<br />

may be slight differences in stability with respect to ‘‘cold flow’’ (a distortion

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!