Title: Alternative Sweeteners

Fat and Oil Replacers 527
in products such as bread, cereals, and cooked potatoes. Recently identified, another
type is classified as RS4. This is representative of starch that has been
rendered resistant by chemical modification. Currently, no commercial products
of this type exist. As knowledge of TDF developed through the 1980s, resistant
starches frequently were discussed, but no significant attempts were made to commercialize
them until the 1990s. The first resistant starch released and marketed
as such was an RS2 based on a high-amylose corn starch hybrid. The product—
Hi-Maize—was developed by Starch Australasia Ltd. and won the 1995 Australia
Institute of Food Science and Technology Industry Innovation Award in
Australia. Hi-Maize contained approximately 20–25% total dietary fiber and was
introduced into several breads and extruded cereals as a functional fiber in Australia.
In 1991, Opta Food Ingredients, Bedford, MA, was granted a U.S. patent for a
concentrated, process-tolerant source of RS3-resistant starch in food applications.
Independently, National Starch and Chemical Company, Bridgewater, NJ, a major
food-starch producer, also was granted a U.S. patent on a common process
to produce RS3 starch. The companies agreed to cooperate to commercialize this
higher TDF (30%) product, resulting in the 1994 launch of two new products
marketed as resistant starches—Crystalean (an Opta Food Ingredients product)
and Novelose ® (a National Starch and Chemical Company product). National
Starch continued to expand its Novelose line, offering products with 40% TDF.
Resistant starch represents a functional fiber alternative. The RS3-resistant starch,
for example, has been shown to significantly improve expansion and eating quality
for extruded cereals and snacks SP. The RS2-resistant starch performs well
in baked goods because of its small granule size and low water-holding capacity.
The RS2 product can be labeled as ‘‘cornstarch,’’ and the RS3 as ‘‘maltodextrin,’’
both already recognizable terms on many ingredient legends. They compare
well to several natural grain sources, contain little fat, are white in color,
and neutral in flavor. A 1996 American Institute of Baking study (19) determined
that although nearly one third of the resistant RS3 starch consumed is fermented,
it produces essentially no energy value.
Two fermentation-derived cellulosic thickeners and stabilizers were introduced
in the latter part of the 90s. PrimaCel ® (Monsanto) is produced by the
microbial fermentation of Acetobacter xylinum combined with sucrose and carboxymethylcellulose
coagents to promote dispersion. The technology for this
food cellulose, also known as ‘‘microfibrous cellulose,’’ was originally developed
and patented by Weyerhaeuser Company. The product was previously known as
Cellulon ® . A Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) petition was accepted for
filing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1992. These fibers are extremely
fine, with a 0.1-µm to 0.2-µm diameter, forming a strong, stable colloidal
network. Another fermentation-derived gum has found some success in Japan
and was recently given the green light in the United States. On December 16,
1996, the FDA approved curdlan for use as a formulation aid, processing aid,