Part 3: Sugar Alternatives – Using Sugar Alternatives
This is Part 3 of a three-part series on sugar alternatives. Previous parts covered the following. This last part of the series focuses on other factors to consider when using sugar alternatives.
| PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • What sugar alternatives are out there? • What sugar alternatives are permitted in South Africa? |
• Labelling sugar alternatives • Claims relating to sugar and sugar alternatives |
• Other factors to consider when using sugar alternatives |
Impact on shelf life and food safety
Sugar plays a key role in controlling the water activity in a wide range of food products. Products with a high sugar content are less prone to microbial spoilage. The complete/partial replacement of sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners may affect shelf life and food safety.
Sugar alcohols and added sugars, on the other hand, have a similar effect to sugar on water activity; so their use in foodstuffs does not generally affect shelf life or food safety.
Impact on taste
In addition to imparting sweetness, non-nutritive sweeteners are described as eliciting slight bitter and/or metallic off-tastes. Sugar alcohols tend to have a more palatable taste profile compared to non-nutritive sweeteners. Hence, product developers tend to use a combination of sugar alcohols and non-nutritive sweeteners to achieve a better taste profile; or to use a combination of non-nutritive sweeteners and sugar for partial sugar replacement in a product.
Impact on cost
Non-nutritive sweeteners provide significantly more sweetness by mass relative to sucrose. Therefore, their use in foodstuffs may be economically motivated. For example, 5 g of non-nutritive sweetener is far sweeter than 5 g of sugar. Therefore, you can use less non-nutritive sweetener to impart the same sweetness. However, the price of specific non-nutritive sweeteners can differ.
Impact on food fraud vulnerability
Sugar alcohols are reportedly cheaper per kilogram than non-nutritive sweeteners; however, their sweetness intensity is significantly lower than that of non-nutritive sweeteners. The cost of using sugar alcohols in a product is significantly greater than the cost of using non-nutritive sweeteners, as larger quantities are required to achieve the desired sweetening effect.
Hence, it is unlikely that sugar alcohols will be replaced or substituted with non-nutritive sweeteners.
Stevia and sucralose are typically more expensive than other non-nutritive sweeteners. These sweeteners may therefore be vulnerable to dilution or substitution with cheaper non-nutritive sweeteners such as saccharin, for example.
For more information regarding food fraud vulnerabilities, or if you are interested in testing the authenticity of a sugar alternative, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Acceptable daily intake of sweeteners
Sweetener consumption levels are guided by ‘Acceptable Daily Intake’ values (ADI), which are defined by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). These values are an estimate of the amount of a food additive, expressed in relation to bodyweight, that can be ingested over a lifetime without appreciable health risk.
The ADI values for sweeteners are reassessed by regulatory authorities when new data becomes available, or as part of a cyclic review.
Consumer perception of associated safety concerns
A large body of evidence is required to support the safety of sweeteners, and this evidence is critically reviewed by regulatory authorities.
Over the years, numerous controversies have arisen regarding the safety of individual sweeteners. These safety concerns have all been dismissed for levels of human consumption, even by high-quantity-using consumers, following a re-evaluation of the data by regulatory authorities. However, it is also important to highlight that although dietary guidelines suggest reducing added sugar intake, it has been shown that while “replacing added sugars with low- and no-calorie sweeteners may reduce calorie intake in the short-term and aid in weight management, … questions remain about their effectiveness as a long-term weight-management strategy”.
For more information regarding the use of non-nutritive sweeteners, click here.
Innovation and regulations don’t always develop in parallel; but FACTS is here to assist you to navigate these murky waters and interpret the regulations. Contact us for regulatory assistance and training; testing for sweeteners and sugar alcohols; or if you want to know more about this topic.
To view the full reference list of this article, please contact us.
Other articles, resources and videos you may be interested in:
Part 1: Sugar Alternatives – Types & Permissibility
Part 2: Sugar Alternatives – Labelling & Claims
The sweet and murky waters of novel sugars and sweeteners
Sugar: sweet regulatory nothings
The Impending Sugar Tax: Sugar Under The Spotlight
Food Labelling Resources
Food Product Development