Artificial sweeteners are constituents applied as substitutes for natural sugar (sucrose), and sweetening agents are any substances added to manufactured or processed food products for reasons of sweetening them. Both can be added to beverages and certain food products to enhance their flavour.
Sweetening agents can be natural or artificial. Artificial sweeteners include:
- Aspartame
- Isomalt
- Mannitol
- Xylitol
- Erythritol
- Sorbitol
They come in various forms and are applied to different foods. Some are only required in very minute amounts for them to add the sweet flavour. This is especially for sweeteners added to food products such as juices. Examples such as;
Cyclamase are 30 times sweeter than sucrose, Saccharin-300 times sweeter than sucrose, Alitame-2000 times sweeter.
These agents are known depending on where they were manufactured.
- Pastries
- Cakes
- Salad dressing
- Canned fruit
- Yoghurt
- Cereals
- Condiments
- Desserts
All these food products may contain added sugars not only for flavour but also for preservation reasons. What you want to do is eat sugars or products with added sugars sparingly. Used as substitutes for sugar sweetening agents –
Natural-occurring sweeteners include:
- Glycyrrhizin
- Date sugar
- Honey
- Sorghum syrup
- Agave nectar
- Molasses
- Brown rice syrup
- Maple syrup
- Jaggery
Caramelization – is the process of non-enzymatic browning that occurs after sugar is heated at high temperatures. Confectionery, for instance relies on the process of caramelization to occur. Although other products such as butter, milk etc. can be added for better product quality.At different temperatures of heating sugars , different products including caramels , candies etc are produced.
The most utilized sweetener is sucrose. Certain sugar contain low calories, also known as polyols and are utilize in sugar free gum and candies i.e. mannitol. Others such as sorbitol and stevia are used by persons with diabetes.
Aim to restrict your sugar intake especially the artificial sweeteners because as noted some are required in very minute amounts for them to taste so consuming such in high amounts can pose undesirable health outcomes. Sugar and sweetened products should be consumed sparingly because they also disrupt your dental health. Too much sugary snacks and foods can cause you to have dental caries.
Some juice vendors may add such sugars to certain fresh juices to enhance their flavour. Even though fresh juices are good for you, be aware of their sugar content because while you may be consuming a healthy drink, if it has too much added sugars then the effects become counteractive. Possibly, opt for fresh juices and beverages with limited sugar amounts or better yet those without added sugars because fruits contain natural sugars such as fructose and glucose. Also, sugars contain calories hence consuming them could lead to weight gain.