The Benefits And Role of Sugar Alcohols in Low-calorie Beverages
Sugar alcohol additives have received much attention in the food industry mainly as sugar substitutes in various beverages, and other products. Following the shift towards low-calorie products such as sugar-free drinks, milk powder, yogurt, fruit juices and ice cream, sugar alcohols are gradually becoming part of many people’s diets. Their properties include heat stability, acid stability, low heat of solution, and reduced tendency to catalyze Maillard reactions making sugar alcohols a preferred ingredient in the preparation and processing of low-calorie foods.
What Is Sugar Alcohol?
The subgroup of sweeteners, sugar alcohol is a type of sugar, wherein hydroxyl groups replace the aldehyde groups or ketone. Also called alcohol sugar they also fall under the polyols that are a type of carbohydrate. They are found in nature in fruits and vegetables but are largely consumed in low-calorie beverages and low-sugar or sugar-free foods. But at the same time, it does not exclude the fact that they contain no calories. Thus, although both, sugar alcohol as an ingredient of foods and beverages, and sugar alcohol used as a sweetener, does contain calories, they are the calories that do not have high glycemic index. By this, any food product with them is categorized as having no sugar.
Some commonly used sugar alcohols include mannitol sweetener, sorbitol, maltitol, Xylitol, and Erythritol. Some popular sugar alcohol examples and their usage are given below: – Foods and other consumer products such as beverages, deserts, toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, etc.
Advantages of Sugar Alcohols in Beverage Applications
Sugar alcohols offer varied advantages in beverage applications including the following:
Xylitol sugar alcohol drinks have mint flavoring and help in the inhibition of fatty acid biosynthesis in tissues where it has been consumed for an extended period according to investigations. This ability is used in foreign nations as an efficient incentive for addressing obesity and weight loss.
Among all the edible sugar alcohols, xylitol has been shown to possess the highest physiological activity and these studies have shown major advantages in the prevention of dental caries. Besides this, it also provides benefits where it does not raise the blood glucose level and can be used as a nutrient and flavoring agent for diabetic people.
In its action, xylitol behaves similarly to oligosaccharides, and the positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is defined by the fact that it allows the desired types of microorganisms, such as bifidobacteria, to dominate. It also aids in raising the performance of the immune system. Besides, the intake of foods with sugar alcohol xylitol can contribute to the reduction of the focus of sale in the respiratory epithelial layer mucus which is useful in the absence of bacterial infections in the respiratory system. Xylitol can easily be transformed into a new series of healthy products that can effectively be used to prevent respiratory infections in infants, old people, and people of weak physiques. Besides, it can also be used in manufacturing sugar-free health drinks as it formulates the nutritional value for enhancing the power and energy of the patient suffering from diseases like diabetes.
A close relative to sorbitol, Maltiol as a sugar alcohol possesses remarkable features such as anti-caries and non-glycemic properties while features such as emulsifying/ thickening abilities are fat-comparable. This makes it quite popular in industries that deal with prepared food. It also has the documented ability to increase the absorption of calcium, which acts as a major therapeutic and preventative for different bone ailments arising from low calcium levels in the elderly and children.
Further reading： Is Maltodextrin Sugar?
Erythritol is a novel sugar alcohol sweetener that is natural in the form of a new sweetener and bulking agent. This distinctive, additive is rapidly soluble, non-hygroscopic, provides zero calories, and leaves a refreshing taste. Additionally, it has anti-caries effect, low glycemic index, and high tolerability, as well as the property of non-sensitivity to processing.
Erythritol is in great demand in zero-sugar food tea beverages and drinks that contain high-intensity sweeteners because it successfully masks the aftertaste of other components.
The Advantages of Functional Sugar Alcohols in Beverage
Functional sugar alcohols offer considerable benefits commonly including anti-caries, low-calorie value, improved intestinal fitness, non-glycemic properties, and liver defense. When included together with the nutritional characteristics of various beverages, they can offer great functional compatibility.
Functional sugar alcohols also allow for the regulation of processing stability, acid, and heat stability, which allows for the functionality of the final product at the stages of production of beverages.
When added in appropriate amounts, functional sugar alcohol is healthy and further boosts the healthy characteristics of the products, without impacting the flavor of the beverage. It also helps in maintaining high processing stability in such cases.
Foods with sugar alcohol and all types of foods are safe to consume for diabetic persons as well as those persons who are health conscious.
These additives include xylitol, maltitol, and erythritol, three very different products, which however have similar functionalities. Hence, the three can be harmonized based on the general requirement of each food item used. It can be stated that they can be applied as individual agents or in cooperation with high-intensity sweeteners to achieve the desired result.
Application of Sugar Alcohols in Beverages
Application of Sugar Alcohols in Protein Beverages
Protein beverages include dairy-based beverages and plant protein beverages- Flavored protein beverages are also included in protein beverages. Among them soda and soy milk substitute sucrose with xylitol and maltitol respectively, making them more appropriate for diabetics and those in a weight-conscious society. The products that use this are, for instance, Yili, Mengniu, and so on.
Maltitol is very important in formulated dairy drinks for retaining the flavor of the fermented milk besides providing flow-characterizing taste attributes, nutritional value, less energy value, and satisfactory solubility and stability in water. Regarding this feature, maltitol is applied in partially or fully replacing sucrose within the formulation of sugar-free fermented dairy beverages.
In low calorific sugar alcohol drinks such as oat milk maltitol offers itself well in its quality of giving smooth texture, less fats, dietary fiber, stability, and proteins. In addition, the phenomena of ‘three excesses’ symptoms can be relieved in diabetes mellitus, promoting weight loss and fat loss, as well as the gut microbiota. It also enhances the movement of your gut, defends you against the likelihood of constipation, as well as reduces your chances of developing colon cancer which makes it perfect for treating people with high lipid profile, diabetes, and obesity.
Application of Sugar Alcohols in Tea Beverages
Japan is the most advanced market in the new and modern tea beverages product sector and is very adaptable to consumers’ needs and demands. This has also led to higher consumption of functional sugar-free tea drinks. The major players involved in the production of such beverages for instance Suntory and Kirin have done a good job in formulating erythritol-containing sugar-free tea drinks hence reducing the bitterness of tea drinks.
The new products available are Lipton sugar-free green tea, low sugar Tieguanyin tea, oolong team, and jasmine tea by Nestle.
Application of Sugar Alcohols in Powdered Beverages
Powdered beverages include any product that is a sugar or sugar-free fruit or plant juice or other material and other food compounds in powder, block, or granules that have to be dissolved in water before being consumed.
The consumption of powdered beverages has steadily risen, as has the quality of products, range of choices, containers, and uses. As the market evolves, these beverages increase at a 10% annual average, while there are tendencies towards predetermining characteristics of natural-tasting drinks, nutrition, and return to nature, nutritional content, functional health advantages, variety, and greener components.
Applications of Sugar Alcohols in Other Beverages
Sugar alcohol in food is very common, however, in beverages that are considered to have a functional benefit, such as energy drinks, their use is still limited, with tremendous potential for application. With the rise in demand for health-promoting or other functionally important beverages, a leading example of which is Red Bull which has grown massively as a leading energy drink, the scope for use of sugar alcohols is at an all-time high.
Conclusion
There is evidence that sugar alcohols are being used more in the formulation of sugar-free foods and beverages because they are more beneficial. They help to make the foods and beverages fit for consumption by those who care about their health, those who want to lose some weight are on a diet, or have diabetes. With the trend of application of sugar alcohols in various types of foods and beverages, food and beverage manufacturers should find good quality sugar alcohol additives.
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