Make it Sweeter Without the Sugar!

How to Choose a Sugar Substitute, Plus a Closer Look into Stevia

You’re hungry and at home. You open the cabinet, examine the contents, and finally decide to reach for…that’s right—a sugary snack. For the hundredth time. There goes your plan to cut down on sugar and stick to a healthy diet. You’re unaware, however, that there is in fact a solution to your dilemma. There is a way to consume healthier, diet foods without sacrificing sweetness.

Why Do We Need Sugar Substitutes?

The concern about added sugars in food products is constantly on the rise, with consumers trying to manage their goals of weight loss, regulating blood sugar levels, maintaining oral health, and reducing the risk of diabetes and other chronic illnesses.?

Sugar substitutes are either low in calories or contain none. Thus they are helpful when incorporated into low-calorie diets and do not significantly increase blood sugar levels. Moreover, they do not undergo fermentation like cane sugar does, meaning that they do not lead to tooth decay and oral cavities.

While the safety additives have historically been heavily questioned, they have in fact been extensively researched and found to pose no particular harm. Because it usually does not take large amounts of them to sweeten a product, therefore there is generally little risk in consuming them as long as overconsumption is avoided.

What to Look For When Choosing a Sugar Alternative?

For many, health benefits are likely the top priority, whether it’s looking for a substitute with minimal calories or a heart-healthy option that has a low impact on blood sugar levels. Another prominent factor to consider is taste profile. The sweetener must have a similar taste effect as sugar without any obvious or unpleasant aftertaste. Lastly, temperature stability, sustainability, and whether a natural or artificial option is preferred, are also fair game when choosing. The list could go on, depending on the producer’s and consumer’s goals and values.

Now, let’s take a look at some common sugar substitutes used in the food industry. They can be either naturally sourced or artificially synthesized.

?Artificial Additives

These additives are chemically synthesized and are oftentimes made by reacting various amino acids together, and can be either low-calorie or zero-calorie. They are extremely potent, so only a small amount is needed to sweeten the product at hand. Therefore even those of them that do contain some calories have such a minuscule amount that they hardly contribute to the food’s calorie count.

One example of a low-calorie artificial substitute is aspartame. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is used in yogurt, frozen desserts, pudding, and soft drinks. It cannot be used in baked goods, however, because it loses its sweet taste when heated.

Acesulfame K, on the other hand, is able to retain its sweetness at high temperatures, so it is used in baked goods, as well as candy, frozen desserts, and soft drinks. Additionally, it contributes absolutely zero calories.

Lastly, saccharin is a low-calorie additive that is 200-700 times sweeter than sugar and can be used in baking. However, it may have an aftertaste that can be eliminated by combining it with another sugar substitute, but doing so may be inconvenient or increase production costs.

While these artificial substitutes can be effective, they can still cause hesitations in the general public, especially those who prefer to see natural sources in their foods’ ingredient lists. Moreover, these additives contain E numbers, which also tend to have a negative reputation on food labels.?

Natural Substitutes

Some of the most common natural sugar replacements come in the form of sugar alcohols. These are carbohydrates that naturally occur in certain fruits and vegetables. Industrially, they must be synthesized with yeast and other microbes before being used as a food additive. Some examples of sugar alcohols include xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol.

These sugar alternatives provide about one-half to one-third fewer calories than regular sugar and do not cause sudden increases in blood sugar. They can also enhance the texture of foods, retaining moisture and preventing browning caused by heating.

However, unlike artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols are not as potent, so many of them are not as sweet as sugar. For example, sorbitol has only 50 percent of sugar’s relative sweetness, so twice as much must be used for it to deliver the same amount of sweetness to a food product. For consumers, this could pose a risk of overconsumption if too much is consumed at once. For food technologists, this can pose inconveniences in production as it could raise production costs for the larger amount of additive needed or require the need to combine sugar alcohols with intense sweeteners or even sugar itself.

Stevia - Pros & Cons

To address the issues caused by sugar alcohols, food technologists have turned their attention to stevia, another type of natural sugar alternative derived from the Stevia Rebaudiana A. leaf extract. It contains zero calories and is 200-400 times sweeter than sugar. Due to its thermal resistance, it can be used in the production of various hot products, such as baked goods and hot drinks. Stevia is also a sustainable sweetener option, as it has a lower environmental impact compared to sugarcane, contributing to more sustainable agricultural practices.

Many versions of stevia are distributed worldwide, each with its strengths and shortcomings. One of the most common consistency issues with most stevia additives is that they exhibit hints of bitterness and have an unpleasant, licorice-like, aftertaste, possibly leaving customers wishing the product simply contained cane sugar instead. Moreover, some stevia additive variants have an inconsistent sweetness that fluctuates throughout its shelf life. No one likes a product that doesn’t taste the same ten days after purchase. Lastly, some stevia sweeteners are not versatile enough and may not perform well in demanding applications or where deep calorie reductions are needed. This can limit the product development options available to food technologists.

Steviose by Almendra

Fortunately, Almendra, a specialist developer of stevia extracts and flavor modulators, has perfected a stevia extract called Steviose that addresses all of these issues. The premium version of their Steviose, known as Steviose 100, is derived from the highest-purity stevia extract available.

Steviose 100 embodies an unmatched purity and clean sweetness with no bitter flavor or aftertaste. Additionally, unlike other stevia varieties, Steviose has exceptional versatility in a wide range of applications, meeting the demands of deep calorie reductions and the requirements of demanding applications.

Moreover, Almendra provides cost-effective solutions for every budget need. While Almendra’s highlight is the premium Steviose 100, it also provides less specified grades of stevia suitable for various budgets. This flexibility allows for an optimized balance between quality and cost-efficiency. As a highly versatile additive, it can be used in beverages, dairy products, baked goods, confections such as chocolates and candy, jams and jellies, sauces and dressings, cereals and granola, snacks, frozen desserts, ready-to-drink beverages, and more.

Lastly, Steviose has attained the highest levels of certification and compliance. Because it is derived from natural stevia leaves, Steviose is non-GMO, Kosher, and Halal-certified. It also adheres to JECFA specifications for stevia sweeteners, guaranteeing the highest standard of quality.

Paving the Way for a Sugar-Free Future

With the ever-increasing need for low-sugar and sugar-free products, we are all privileged to have so many sweetener alternatives available to us. Amongst the myriad of selections available, stevia still holds its place in the minds of many as the top contender of sugar alternatives, and Almendra continues to boost its effectiveness further by making the most of its versatile, clean, and all-natural goodness. Here’s to a healthy, sustainably sweet future!

Reach out to us today to find out how Halim Biotech’s Steviose by Almendra can help you create the next best sugar-free delight!

References:

Family Doctor. Sugar Substitutes. https://familydoctor.org/sugar-substitutes/.

Grembecka, M. Sugar Alcohols as Sugar Substitutes in Food Industry. In Sweeteners, Reference Series in Phytochemistry; Merillon, J. M., Ramawat, K., Eds.; Springer: Cham, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26478-3_23-1.

Klees, L.; Borkowska, A. Nutrition 100 Nutritional Applications for a Healthy Lifestyle; Unizin: Penn State University, 2023.

Mayo Clinic. Artificial Sweeteners and Other Sugar Substitutes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936.

Yale New Haven Health. Sugar Alcohol. https://www.ynhh.org/services/nutrition/sugar-alcohol.