Title: Alternative Sweeteners

532 Deis
Figure 4 Structure of glycerine.
It is used in jelly candies, fudge, cake icings, cookie fillings, dried fruits, and
citrus fruit peels. It prevents oil separation in peanut butter and acts as a softener
and humectant in shredded coconut. Glycerine has been used extensively to influence
texture and decrease water activity in low-moisture fat-free and fatreduced
products. It is extremely effective, but use is restricted by its sweet,
astringent taste. A significant indirect use is the reaction of glycerine with fats
and fatty acids to form monoglycerides and diglycerides—emulsifiers important
to fat reduction. Beyond the basic emulsifiers, glycerine is used to produce polyglycerol
esters, which have become prominent in many of the new entries into
the reduced-fat arena. Most of the glycerine now produced is natural—a byproduct
of production of soaps, fatty acids, and fatty acid esters.
B. Proteins as Fat Replacers
A protein’s contribution to fat replacement is determined by the extent of denaturation,
which affects flavor and the protein’s solubility, gelling properties, and
temperature stability (Table 3). Proteins are important as whipping agents, foam
and emulsion stabilizers, and dough strengtheners (29). Gelatin and egg albumen
have been used extensively in fat-reduced baked goods, frostings, and marshmallows.
Soy proteins, egg albumen, wheat gluten, nonfat dry milk, caseinates, and
Table 3 Functionality of Proteinbased
Fat Replacers
Water-binding
Emulsification
Viscosity
Film formation
Opacity
Whipping and foam stabilization
Binding