Baking & Snack - February 2009 - 82

SUGAR SUBSTITUTES

or other added starches. "This affects the height and
spread (of cookies)," Ms. Turner observed. "This function is based on the interaction between the sweetener
and the starch."
Volume, rise and density are also affected. "And changes in these features can impact packaging and consumer
acceptance," Mr. Helstad said.
Appearance - crust color, browning, crumb density
and texture - can also be affected. For example, he explained, textural features like softness, chewiness and
crispiness are influenced by sucrose's crystallinity and
solubility and must be adjusted when it is replaced. "Is
the bite crisp or chewy?" he asked. "Is the surface appearance glossy, frosted or matte? Does the final product need
to have a 'grained' or 'ungrained' texture? These properties of sucrose help determine a final product's texture
and bite. Sucrose solubility and crystal size can impact
the viscosity of a batter, which will impact batter density
and final product density."
Crust color improves the look of cake and cookie
tops, and any nutritive sweetener that is also a reducing
sugar accomplishes this result through the Maillard reaction. "Fructose, for example, will add color to crusts,"
Ms. Turner said.
And then there is the matter of sweetness. Corn syrups
provide a broad array of nutritive alternatives to sugar.
In combination with neutral-flavored bulking agents
such as polydextrose or soluble corn fiber, high-intensity
sweeteners can substitute for sugar's sweetness, if formulators take into account dough and batter pH and baking
temperatures. "Sweetness also influences flavors and may
mask bitter off-notes," Mr. Helstad added.
CHOICE OF INGREDIENTS. "Sucrose has four basic
functionalities - sweetener, bulking agent, texturizer
and as a source of crust color - and its replacements reflect these," Ms. Turner said. For example, Tate & Lyle not
only manufacturers sweetener syrups but also Promitor
soluble corn fiber and Stalite polydextrose, which have
bulking functions yet low caloric values. The supplier
also produces Splenda non-nutritive sweetener, which is
600 times sweeter than sucrose but with no calories, and
Crystar crystalline fructose, which because it is sweeter
than sucrose can be blended with sugar to retain overall
sweetness but yield lower sugar content overall.
"One of Promitor soluble corn fiber's benefits is that it
is so easy to use," Ms. Turner said. "It has almost the same
consistency as corn syrup. Most replacements are 1:1 in
commercial applications. It is very low in sweetness and
flavor, so the formulator would have to add Splenda to
restore the sweetness."
Bulking agents include polydextrose, which also acts
as a prebiotic. "Caloric reduction occurs because Litesse
polydextrose has an energy value of 1 Cal per g, compared
with fat at 9 Cal per g and sugar at 4 Cal per g," said Peter
BAKING & SNACK / February 2009

ᮡ Because the polyol lacitol is not hygroscopic, it can be used to maintain
the crispness of baked foods such as these vanilla biscuits.
DANISCO

Thomson, application manager, bakery & cereals, sweeteners division, Danisco (UK) Ltd., Redhill, UK. "Litesse is
only partially fermented by intestinal micro-organisms,
producing volatile fatty acids that are absorbed and used
by the body." The prebiotic qualities of this polydextrose
are considered beneficial in many countries, he noted.
Sugar alcohols, also called polyols, are produced by
the catalytic hydrogenation of various saccharides.
For example, lactitol is produced from lactose and
xylitol from xylose. Polyols' properties such as viscosity in solution and their effect on boiling and freezing
points of water depend upon their saccharide source
and molecular weight.
Many polyols are found in nature but are expensive
to extract. Their hydrogenated form makes them difficult to digest and absorb, thus lowering their caloric
content. They lower the glycemic index of foods, making them suitable for diabetics. "In Europe, (polyols)
have all been assigned a value of 2.4 Cal per g, and in
the US, lactitol is 2 Cal per g and xylitol 2.4 Cal per g,"
Mr. Thomson stated.
For example, lactitol has a sweetness of approximately
40% that of sucrose, requiring use of a high-intensity
sweetener to replace sugar's sweetening power, but
products made with lactitol generally have similar eating characteristics to those made with sucrose. It is not
hygroscopic, so it can be used to maintain the crispness
of baked foods such as cookies.
Maltitol is one of the most widely used sugar replacers, according to Carl Jaundoo, PhD, senior applications
specialist, Roquette America, Inc., Keokuk, IA. It acts as
a bulk sugar replacer. "Among the key considerations are
the balance of solids, sweetness and physical attributes
such as granulation," he continued. "Sugar replacers such
as maltitol are available in different granulations and can
be used to replace baker's sugar and powdered sugar in
icings and creme fillings."

Baking & Snack - February 2009

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