Sweetener blends boost beverages - Hoechst Food Ingredients' Sunett Multi-Sweetener Concept

Prepared Foods, Oct, 1996 by Nancy McCue

The consumption of light foods and beverages has become a way of life for many Americans.

Diet soft drinks are the most popular low-calorie product, according to a Calorie Control Council survey. The survey also found that, on average, low-calorie food and beverage consumers regularly enjoy at least four different types of low-calorie products.

However, taste still reigns as king in the acceptability of low-calorie/ lowfat foods.

In an effort to improve the taste of low-calorie foods, Hoechst Food Ingredients, Somerset, N.J., has developed the Sunett[R] Multi-Sweetener Concept. It involves the blending of Sunett brand sweetener (acesulfame K) with other high-intensity sweeteners, such as aspartame or nutritive sweeteners, such as sucrose, fructose, and HFCS.

BENEFITS OF BLENDING

Taste synergism, both qualitative and quantitative, is one of the key benefits of blending. Qualitative synergism results in improved sweetness and overall taste profile. "Sunett brand sweetener has a quick onset of sweetness with no lingering sweetness, and aspartame has a slightly delayed onset with lingering sweetness. A blend of Sunett and aspartame takes advantage of the best of both and results in a sweetness profile more like sucrose," says Lisa Hanger, technical manager, Hoechst Food Ingredients.

"Quantitative synergy results when combining this sweetener and aspartame, and the result is higher sweetness than expected. This results in reduced sweetener usage and thus cost savings," says Rudi van Mol, marketing manager for Hoechst Food Ingredients.

Alone, acesulfame K and aspartame are approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. Blended in equal proportions, however, their sweetness intensity is 350 times sweeter than sugar, resulting in an approximately 45% increase in sweetness intensity.

Another benefit is quantity. Blends of Sunett are said to taste sweeter than the single sweetener ingredients, resulting in less overall sweetener use. A sweetener reduction of anywhere from 15% to 45% is possible, depending on the application, says van Mol. For example, a sweetener system of 520 ppm of a single sweetener (e.g., aspartame) can be replaced with 160 ppm of acesulfame K and aspartame, and a 40% sweetener reduction can be realized.

Stability is another key benefit of bending. Sunett is stable under heating conditions of beverages and during storage across a broad range. When combined with a sweetener partner that is less stable, acesulfame K can help increase the shelf life of beverages. A 50:50 blend ratio of acesulfame K and aspartame results in more than a six-month shelf life, as compared to a shelf life of 2-3 months when using the less stable sweetener alone (aspartame, for example).

"This is a viable option for producers of fruit beverages and sports drinks -- products that stay on the shelf for at least six months," says van Mol. For beverages (carbonated, cola and still), blends containing 40-50% Sunett are recommended as starting points; the remaining sweetener partner in the blend is aspartame.

The ingredient is approved in more than 80 countries. In the U.S., a petition is under review by the FDA for the ingredient's usage in liquid beverages. The company hopes for approval by the end of this year.