Technological developments in sugar-free confectionery products

Technological developments in sugar-free confectionery products

Outline Introduction Sugar substitutes Commonly used sugar substitutes in food Applications Reduced calorie bulk sweeteners Natural high potency sweeteners High potency artificial sweeteners

Introduction Sugar confectionery by definition includes products that contain one or another form of sugars Overconsumption of sugar confectionery may lead to obesity, dental caries and other metabolic diseases Therefore, a category of confectionery products developed which include products that are made without any sugar but resembles sugar confectionery products also referred to as sugar free sugar confectionery or sugar confectionery analogues The major objective: To meet the special dietary requirements of people with diabetes and those interested in cutting back on sugar

Sugar substitutes A food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste with little or no calories and no effect on blood sugar They must offer sweetness, flavour and mouthfeel of a sugar-sweetened counterpart, lacking any nasty aftertaste

Properties Sweetners Relative sweetness Melting Range ( C) Aqueous solubility %w/w @25 C Storage and processing stability Regulatory status Erythritol (polyol monosaccharide) 0.7 119-123 37 Very good Approved in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Korea, Russia, Israel, South Africa, Paraguay and Mexico Isomalt (polysaccharide) 0.4 145-150 25 Very good EU US Lactitol (polyol-disaccharide) 0.4 95-101 57 Very good EU US Maltitol (powder) (polyoldisaccharide) 0.9 144-152 60 Very good EU US Mannitol (polyol-monosaccharide) 0.5 165-169 20 Very good EU US Sorbitol (polyol monosaccharide) 0.6 93-99 70 Very good EU US Tagatose (monosaccharide) 0.9 133-137 56 Conversion to various compounds at acidic and alkaline phs. Decomposes more readily than sucrose at high temperatures Xylitol (polyol-monosaccharide) 0.95 92-95 64 Very good EU US Sucrose (disaccharide) 1.0 160-186 67 Hydrolyses at acidic and alkaline ph s. Caramelises at elevated temperatures Self affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) in Taiwan, the United States. Approved for use in Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Approved in Brazil and South Africa as a food ingredient. Approved as a Novel Food in the EU.

Acesulfame K 130-200 270 g/l @ 20 C >200 C (under decomposition) Aspartame 180-200 1% w/w @ 25 C Aspartame-acesulfame salt 350-400 2.75%w/w @ 21 C Cyclamate (sodium) 30-50 200 g/l @ 20 C Decomposition before melting Decomposition before melting 169-170 C Very good (under normal storage and processing conditions) Very good stability in dry conditions (< 8% moisture) Less stable in liquids, this is function of ph, temperature and time Good, as aspartame in solution Good. No significant losses expected in common applications EU US EU US EU: permitted as per amendment 2003/115/EC to the sweetener Directive. US: GRAS status EU and under review for reapproval in the USA Saccharin (sodium) 300-500 1200 g/l @ 20 C Sucralose 400-800 28.2 g/100 ml @20 C Neotame 7000-13000 1.3% w/w @ 25 C >300 C 125 C (when heated from 115 C at 5 C/min.) 80.9-83.4 C Excellent. Stable to all the conditions to which it may be exposed in food applications Very good. More stable than sucrose manifesting itself in its nonreactivity with other food components and its resistance to hydrolysis under extremes of acid and heat. Excellent stability in dry conditions. Less stable in liquids, this is a function of ph, temperature and time. EU EU, US, Australia, Japan and Russia US: FDA approved use of neotame as a general purpose sweetner in July 2002. Approved in Australia and New Zealand. Not approved in EU

Applications

Reduced-calorie bulk sweeteners Isomaltulose A disaccharide obtained commercially by the bacterial fermentation of sucrose also known by the trade name Palatinose It is fully digestible, thus does not show the purgative effect of polyols Widely used for the preparation of sugar-free chocolate Its excellent recrystallization property makes it suitable to be used for coated products, the stable crystals of isomaltulose provide a soft and smooth texture to the chewing gum mass It also finds extensive application in preparation of compressed tablets/lozenges

Continue Xylitol A sugar alcohol naturally found in many fruits and vegetables It is an ideal versatile sweetener providing cooling effect and health benefits It has been widely employed in chewy candy, hard-boiled candy, gum arabic pastilles, gelatin jellies, pectin jellies, starch jellies, toffees, caramels fondant, fudge, cast lozenges, compressed tablets and mini mints The formulation and flow diagram for the manufacture of sugar free chewing gum candy is given below

Example 1 Sugar Free Chewing Gum Candy Product Formulation Item Needed Gum Base 58.5 Xylitol (60%) 6.7 Xylitol powder 30.0 Glycerol 4.0 Peppermint oil 0.8 100

Gum Base Maltitol syrup (75% TS) Warming to about 50 C Putting into a kneader Addition of prewarmed (50 C) glycerol, peppermint xylitol solution and peppermint oil Addition of xylitol powder Boiling at 165 C (until the syrup gets reduced by about one-third) Cooling to about 105-110 C Addition of a mixture oil and menthol @ 0.8% by weight of candy composition Mixing to get a homogeneous mass FOR SUGAR FREE CHEWING GUM CANDY 550 g chewing gum composition 800 g candy composition Laminate at a rope temperature of 50 C Pass through a sizing unit Chewing gum candy unit (Horst, 1991)

Continue Sorbitol and Mannitol Only polyols that are found in substantial quantity in nature Both combines well the properties of bulking agent and a sweetener Mannitol-as a dusting agent in gum Maltitol syrups Among the first sugar-free constituent for the commercial application A class of hydrogenated starch hydrolysates or polyols or sugar alcohols Suitable choice for diabetics - low glycaemic response and reduced calorie Widely employed for the manufacturing of hard candy, aerated confectionery like marshmallow, caramels, sugar free panning, chewing gum, chocolate, sugar free jellies, sugar free chewy candies, reduced sugar wine gums etc

Example 2 Composition and Manufacture of Pectin Jellies using Maltitol Formulation Ingredient % Maltitol syrup (75 % maltitol dry weight) 75.8 Water 2.4 Pectin (high methoxy D100) 1.8 Citric acid 50 % solution 6.5 Flavour and colour Add accordingly

Mix 23 % of the maltitol syrup with water Heat to around 70 C Add pectin while stirring the mixture Heat slowly to boil for 2 min with stirring Immediately deposit in starch (Temperature of solution should be 90 C) Add colour/flavour and citric acid solution Cook to 109 C Add the remaining maltitol syrup slowly (to avoid rapid cooling) Demould jellies Sanded with crystalline maltitol powder (Zumbe, 2001)

Continue Lactitol A disaccharide composed of sorbitol and galactose, made by the catalytic hydrogenation of lactose in the presence of catalyst nickel Mild sweetness of lactitol render it to be used as a bulk sweetener to partner with other low calorie intense sweeteners Application in chocolate, chewing gum, marzipan, ice-cream, frozen desserts Erythritol A non-caloric bulk sweetener found naturally in variety of fruits and vegetables Isolated first from the algae Protococcus vulgari

Continue It is a 4-carbon sugar alcohol used in the formulation of non-caloric and noncariogenic chewing gum Due to its crystallization behavior, application is limited in gelatin gums and hard candies It is used in the manufacturing of sugar free fudge, fondant, lozenges and pastry products Formulation Composition by weight product (%) A) Branched maltodextrin 595.0 68.3 Erythritol 76.0 9.2 Water 264.0 - Composition finished (%) B) Vegetable fat 48.0 5.8 (Toffita/LodersCroklaan) Glycerol monostearate 4.0 0.5 C) Acesulfame K 0.7 0.1 Caramel flavor 7.0 0.8 Caramel colouring 5.3 0.6 Residual Water - 15.0 1000.0 100.0

Example 3 Preparation of Caramel Cook the mixture (A) + previously melted at 60 C mixture (B) (At 180 C, Brix=84.5, at atmospheric pressure) Add mixture C Cool Cut and wrap (Serpelloni, 2002)

Continue Isomalt A disaccharide of glucose and fructose linked by alpha (1-6) linkage wherein the fructose part is hydrogenated Available in various ranges on the basis of particle size distribution Hard candies made with ISOMALT ST are stable in terms of water absorption Chocolates containing ISOMALT LM do not show cooling effect In the manufacturing of low boiling chewy product ISOMALT ST is incorporated after boiling step to get a stable shape and improved chewing quality in the final product The tendency of isomalt to exist in crystalline form may lead to hardening of the chewing gum mass during storage, therefore, it can be applied for partial substitution Other applications : pan coated products, compressed tablets, nougat, fondant, marzipan, croquant

Example 4 Sugar-Free Toffee Formulation Ingredients % Isomalt (type M) 24.20 Maltitol syrup (75% dry solids) 51.30 Water 5.00 Gelatine 120 bloom (40%) 3.55 Vegetable fat (34-36) 5.80 Emulsifier 0.75 Citric acid (monohydrate) 0.75 Isomalt (extra fine type PF) 8.40 Flavour Add accordingly

Boil Isomalt, maltitol syrup and water at 132-136 C Add gelatine and stir to dissolve Add vegetable fat, emulsifier, citric acid, extra fine isomalt Stir at high speed for 2-3 min until homogenous Pull the cooled mass at 47-49 C for 5-10 min Cool the mass to 44-46 C Homogenize Add flavour and mix Cool it until optimal consistency has been reached (Zumbe, 2001)

Natural High-Potency Sweeteners Thaumatin It is a mixture of potently sweet proteins extracted from the plant Thaumatococcus danielli and is used in chewing gum as sweetness and flavour booster Stevia Stevioside, the major sweet glycoside of the plant Stevia rebaudiana is a diterpene and has a clear bitter taste and used in chewing gum and ice cream manufacture

High-Potency Artificial Sweeteners Sucralose It is obtained from sucrose by the selective replacement of three hydroxyl groups with three chlorine atoms It is used to replace sugar in products like cake, jams, Ice cream, chewing gum, boiled sweets and icings Saccharine It was the first non-caloric sweet tasting organic compound developed by the oxidation of o-methyl-benzenesulfonamide It is known to exhibit off tastes such as bitter, metallic, cooling or liquoricelike Non cariogenic and produces zero glycemic response. Its sweetening power is unaffected to heating. It has significant usage in frozen dessert and baked goods

Continue Aspartame A nutritive intense sweetener produced due to formation of a methyl ester link between the amino acids L-phenylalanine and L-aspartic acid It has a clean sweet taste and some flavour enhancing properties In high boiled candy and chocolate manufacture, aspartame should be added towards the end Encapsulated aspartame is used to extend the sweetness profile and give a longlasting flavour gum It carries a risk for people with genetic disorder phenylketonuria because of the phenylalanine component

Continue Neotame Derived from aspartame, reported to mask off-tastes allied with soy, vitamin and mineral fortification. The long lasting sweetness of free neotame in gums forbid its need for encapsulation Acesulfame K The K refers to potassium and is approved as a general purpose sweetener Sweetness of Acesulfame K is perceived rapidly but does not persist longer and the sweetness intensity decreases with increasing temperature It is used to round the sweetness in sugar free chocolate and marzipan as the fine crystals of acesulfame K can be blended easily into the gum mass

Example 5 Sugar-Free Chewy and Crunchy Candy Formulation Item Chewy Candy Needed Crunchy Candy Precook Candy Base 70-85 70-85 Mannitol 15-25a 75-85a Lycasin 75-85a 15-25a Water 3-6b 3-6b Colour Solution FD & C Colour 0-0.05 0-0.05 Water 0-0.2 0-0.2 Post cook Fat/Lecithin Hydrogenated coconut oil 3.5-4.5 3.5-4.5 Lecithin 0-0.1 0-0.1 Glycerol Monostearate (Distilled) 0-0.5 0-0.5

Flavour Acid 1-3 1-3 Mallic acid 0-4 0-4 Citric acid 0-4 0-4 Sodium citrate dihydrate (granular) Gelatin solution 0-0.5 0-0.5 Gelatin 250 bloom - - Water 0-3 - Fondant 3.5-4.5 Mannitol 1-4 1-4 Lycasin 0-1.5 0-1.5 Water 0.2-0.6 0.2-0.6 Total 100 100

Preparation of candy base Candy base ingredients + color solution Cook to about 135 C in a kettle (about 137 C for crunchy formulations) 20" vacuum is pulled on the cooked mixture Transfer it to another mixing bowl Add fat, lecithin, glycerol monostearate, and pre-soaked gelatin Mix it for about ten minutes Add the acid blend with an additional five minutes of mixing Cool to about 45-50 C Add the flavor with mixing for about five minutes Preparation of fondant Intense mixing the fondant polyols with water Pulling entire mass to a desired consistency (Chewy candy-10 min Crunchy candy- 4min) Allow to stand at about 34-36 C for at least eight hours (Shetty, 2012)

Suggested readings Edwards, W.P. (2000) The Science of Sugar Confectionary. The Royal Society of Chemistry, Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0WF, UK. Kearsley, M.W. (2012) Sweeteners and Sugar Alternatives in Food Technology. Edited by: O Donnell, K. and Kearsley, M.W. Wiley-Blackwell, UK. Zumbe, A., Lee, A. and Storey, D. (2001) Polyols in confectionery: the route to sugar-free, reduced sugar and reduced calorie confectionery. British Journal Of Nutrition-85, pp. S31-S45. Shetty, A., Hirt, J.W., Euan, D., Jani, B., Enomoto, K., Levenson, D., May, J., Robinson, M.K., Schitz, K., Elejalde, C.C. and O Neill, S.A., (2012) Sugar free mannitol confectionery and method of making same. European Patent EP 2462813 A1.