Title: Alternative Sweeteners

Trehalose 429
of 2.3, 4.6, 6.9, and 9.2%. The report showed that the perceived sweetness of
trehalose increased in a nonlinear fashion as the concentration increased. The
ratios of the intensity of sweetness at the various concentrations between sucrose
and trehalose were 6.5:1, 5.0:1, 3.5:1, and 2.5:1, respectively. Comparisons of
sucrose to glucose and fructose showed that the sweetness intensity ratio did not
change with increasing concentration.
Increasing the concentration of trehalose also lead to a disproportionate
increase in the perception of the persistence of sweetness as compared with sucrose
(32). The ratio of the persistence of sweetness of sucrose to trehalose was
1.5:1 (2.3%), 0.8:1 (4.6%), 0.6:1 (6.9%), and 0.5:1 (9.2%), whereas glucose
and fructose showed little change. The ratio of the intensity and persistence of
sucrose to maltose had a similar pattern as trehalose but was less dramatic.
HBC performed a comparative sweetness test using a 22.2% solution
(w/w) of trehalose and various concentrations of sucrose (HBC, unpublished
data, 1997). The study showed that trehalose at 22.2% is about 45% as sweet as
sucrose (Fig. 3). The studies suggest that although the sweetness of trehalose is
less intense, it can be more persistent than sucrose (32).
Figure 3 The relative sweetness of various sugar solutions compared with a 22.2%
(w/w) solution of trehalose.