Sweeteners in General - Sweeteners: Nutritional Aspects, Applications, and Production Technology - page 5

A variety of molasses are made with fruit: carob molasses is made from the pulp of the Carob
tree's fruit.
From leaves . In a few species of plants, the leaves are sweet and can be used as sweeteners.

• Stevia spp. can be used whole or dried and powdered to sweeten food or drink (Kinghorn 2002).

• Jiaogulan ( Gynostemma pentaphyllum ) has sweet leaves, although not as sweet as Stevia .

By animals :

• True honey, which is made by honey bees ( Apis spp.) from gathered nectar.

• Sugarbag, the honey of stingless bees, which is more liquid than the honey from honey bees (Menzel

and D'Aluisio 1998).

Artiicial sweeteners, or sugar substitutes, are food additives that impart a sweet lavor but no
nutritional value. Commonly used in sugar-free and reduced-calorie foods, artiicial sugar substi-
tutes vary in taste, level of sweetness, and stability when heated. For many diabetics and prediabet-
ics, artiicial sugars play an important role in blood sugar control and weight management.

1.4 aDDeD SWeeteNerS

Over the past 20 years or so, Americans have developed quite the sweet tooth, with an annual
consumption of sugar at about 100 lbs per person. During these same years, many more Americans—
particularly children—have become overweight and obese. Added caloric sweeteners may be one
of the major reasons.

1.5 SUCrOSe aND FrUCtOSe

Sucrose, or table sugar, has been the most common food sweetener. In the late 1960s, a new
method was introduced that converts glucose in corn syrup to fructose. High-fructose corn syrup is
as sweet as sucrose but less expensive, so soft-drink manufacturers switched over to using it in the
mid-1980s. Now it has surpassed sucrose as the main added sweetener in the American diet.
Fructose once seemed like one of nutrition's good guys—it has a very low glycemic index. The
glycemic index is a way of measuring how much of an effect a food or drink has on blood sugar
levels; low glycemic index foods are generally better for consumers.
However, fructose, at least in large quantities, may have some serious drawbacks. Fructose is
metabolized almost exclusively in the liver. It is more likely to result in the creation of fats, which
increase the risk for heart disease. Moreover, recent work has shown that fructose may have an
inluence on the appetite hormones. High levels of fructose may blunt sensations of fullness and
could lead to overeating.

1.6 FrUIt-JUICe CONCeNtrateS: JUSt eMptY CaLOrIeS

Fruit juices such as apple or white grape juice in concentrated form are widely used sweeteners.
They are used to replace fats in low-fat products because they retain water and provide bulk, which
improve the appearance and “mouth feel” of the food.
Although they may seem healthier and more natural than high-fructose corn syrup, fruit-juice
concentrates also have high levels of fructose. Fruit-juice concentrates are another way that empty
calories get into our diets.