Title: Alternative Sweeteners

448 Richards and Dexter
Figure 14 Ten grams of fish paste was mixed with 5 ml of a 5% solution of sucrose,
maltose, or trehalose. A fourth sample without the addition of a sugar was used as a
control. The samples were boiled for 15 minutes, and the relative release of trimethylamine
was measured, with the control representing 100%.
In food formulations, trehalose has been shown to preserve the color and
texture of cold or frozen foods. A 4% gelatin raspberry mousse was prepared
using sucrose or with a partial substitution of sucrose by trehalose. The mousse
was frozen (18°C) for 1 week and then thawed at 4°C. The addition of trehalose
helped maintain 97.9% of the hardness and integrity of the dessert compared
with the mousse containing only sucrose (81%) (HBC, unpublished data, 1997).
We have not been able to duplicate this data in the United States.
Japanese commercial food processors have used trehalose in a variety of
food categories since 1995. They report that trehalose masks bitterness and enhances
flavor in beverages, reduces sweetness, retards starch retrogradation, increases
moisture-holding capacity in bakery products, prevents Maillard reactions
in candies and light-colored soups, enhances reconstitution of dried noodles, and
prevents hygroscopicity in jellies and in various toppings (HBC, 1997, unpublished
data). Table 6 lists the multifunctional benefits of trehalose reported for
foods and provides the approximate amounts required for each effect. These concentrations
are based on estimated values used in Japanese commercial products
discussed previously and on laboratory trials conducted by HBC.