Baking & Snack - October 2008 - 63

SWEETENERS

beverage manufacturers may use a small amount of
neotame to replace large quantities of other sweeteners,
thus reducing costs, Mr. Petray said.
"Recently, neotame has been used as a blend with other sugars in baked foods such as the new 100-Cal Hostess
snack cakes and in the new sugar/neotame blend Domino Pure D'Lite," he said. "Using sugar substitutions and
blends has helped companies like these to reduce their
production costs and calorie counts while maintaining
the same taste."
Use of neotame worldwide is growing at a 5-year
annual rate of more than 50%, according to NutraSweet.
The high-intensity sweetener may be used not only in
baked foods but also in beverages, dairy products, frozen
desserts and gum.
ADDING FIBER. Other sweeteners offer the benefit of fiber content. Danisco, New Century, KS, promotes Litesse
polydextrose as a low-calorie, sugar-free, low-glycemic
specialty carbohydrate that is a prebiotic fiber because it is
not digested in the upper gastrointestinal tract and is only
partially fermented in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
Tate & Lyle, Decatur, IL, while known for its highintensity sweetener Splenda sucralose, invested in polydextrose in September. The company plans to create a
new polydextrose production line at its Koog plant in
The Netherlands. "Polydextrose is low calorie with versatile bulking properties to maintain taste and texture when
full-calorie carbohydrates are removed from a food," Tate
& Lyle said. "It has a high fiber content, giving manufacturers opportunity to add fiber functionality to 'no added
sugar' and 'reduced calorie' food and drinks."
"The fact that we will be building a new production line
in Europe demonstrates our determination to not only
maintain and improve our current position in the fiber
market but to also intensify our focus on health and wellness solutions," said Caroline Sanders, marketing director,
Food & Industrial Ingredients Europe for Tate & Lyle.
Blueberries and raisins are other sweeteners that contain fiber. Besides fructose, blueberries contribute fiber,
vitamins and antioxidants, according to the US Highbush Blueberry Council, Folsom, CA. One cup, or 3.6 g,
of blueberries contains 14% of the Daily Value of fiber.
"Manufacturers have discovered that using blueberries
and blueberry formats to provide sweetness offers the
dual advantage of sweetening and enriching the product
naturally plus the ability to tout the nutritional benefits
of their products, thanks to the inclusion of natural blueberries," the council said. "With consumers reading labels
before they buy a product, blueberries in the ingredient
statement say 'wholesome' and 'natural' in a way that
consumers understand."
Dried blueberries are an option in granola and trail
mixes, according to the council, while frozen and individually quick frozen berries may be added into mixes. They
BAKING & SNACK / October 2008

ᮡ Raisins help retain moisture in baked foods, which slows staling.
CALIFORNIA RAISIN MARKETING BOARD

may add effects like blue swirls and patterns. Blueberry
concentrate may sweeten and color granola bars, bagels
and cookies. Other potential applications for blueberries
include pie fillings, pastry fillings, croissants, puff pastry,
strudel, toaster pastries and filled donuts.
Raisins are another sweetener option. They may be
substituted for a portion of the sugars in breads, granola
bars and snacks, according to the California Raisin Marketing Board, Fresno, CA. "In addition to being an excellent source of simple carbohydrates that are rapidly and
easily transformed into energy, California raisins are a
source of reducing sugars, precursors of the Maillard reaction, which occurs during the browning of sugars," the
board said. "California raisins provide energy in sports
and confectionery bars and can serve as a browning agent
and flavor potentiator."
The natural sugars and fibers in raisins help retain
moisture in baked foods, which provides humectancy
and serves to slow staling and maintain product freshness, according to the raisin board. Both raisin paste and
raisin juice concentrate provide sweetness to products.
Raisin paste may provide natural brown color in breads
and contribute to texture and flavor. "The addition of
raisin paste to bakery products decreases the need for
other sweetening agents, making it an ideal ingredient
for all-natural products with a reduced, refined sugar
content," the board said.
Whether using naturally derived sources, blending
polyols and high-intensity sweeteners or capitalizing on the
fiber addition fruit provides, sweetener options abound. Ⅲ

Baking & Snack - October 2008

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