Title: Alternative Sweeteners

472 Bakal
opments is the introduction of a new brand of cola beverage, which is sweetened
with a combination of acesulfame-K and aspartame. This product contains 70
mg of aspartame and 22.7 mg of acesulfame-K per 8 oz. Another cola-based
beverage uses a combination of saccharin and aspartame. This product contains
63 mg of sodium saccharin and 19 mg of aspartame per 8 oz. For comparison,
the 100% sweetened cola contains 125 mg per 8 oz of aspartame.
Acesulfame-K and aspartame show a sweetness enhancement of about 35%
when used in combination. In addition to sweetness enhancement, aspartame
broadens the taste profile of acesulfame-K and brings the taste of the mixture
closer to the sweetness profile of sucrose.
Aspartame and cyclamate combinations may also prove highly beneficial
if cyclamates are approved in soft drinks. Acesulfame-K and cyclamate is another
combination that is of interest because it yields excellent taste quality and exceptional
storage stability.
The recent approval of sucralose in the United States has not yet resulted
in a major introduction of soft drinks based on a combination of sucralose with
other sweeteners. However, soft drinks containing sucralose as the single sweetener
are available in Canada and the United States.
Experiments conducted in our laboratories indicate that neohesperidin dihydrochalcone
(NHDC), when used as a single sweetener, is inadequate for the
preparation of soft drinks. However, when used in combination with saccharin,
NHDC has a synergistic effect and gives improved taste perceptions. This finding
is in accordance with observations described in the patent literature (20).
Stevioside was also recently evaluated as a single sweetener in cola beverages.
Results were discouraging. The beverages had a licorice-like taste and were
judged unacceptable. Fructose and stevioside are successfully combined in Japan
to produce reduced-calorie soft drinks (50% reduction). These products enjoy
good consumer acceptance in Japan (21).
Moskowitz addressed the issue of sweetness optimization in cola-flavored
beverages using combination sweeteners (22) and presented a quantitative model
for developing products acceptable to the consumer. Hoppe discussed the effect
of various mixtures of sucrose, saccharin, and cyclamate on sweetness perception
in aqueous solutions (23). Van Tornout et al. (24) evaluated the taste characteristics
of mixtures of fructose with saccharin, aspartame, and acesulfame-K in soft
drinks. Their data indicate that combinations of small amounts of fructose with
these intense sweeteners result in soft drinks that cannot be distinguished from
sucrose-sweetened beverages. All these data indicate the benefits to the consumer
that can be derived from the use of combination sweeteners in soft drinks.
C. Dry Mixes
This category encompasses a variety of food products that are sold in dry form
and are reconstituted by the consumer before use. They include beverage mixes,