Monday, April 27, 2009

Sweeteners

Sweeteners
Lactose
Lactose the sugar component of mammalian milks is less sweet and less water-soluble than sucrose.

While babies and young children generally are able to metabolize this sugar some are unable to do so.

The ability to metabolize the sugar appears to decrease with age. When a person is unable to metabolize lactose, the ingestion of milk may cause intestinal discomfort, cramps and diarrhea.

The major source of lactose is whey, a cheese by-product.

Because lactose is not sweet as sucrose, larger amounts can be used in those foods in which the texture benefits from a high solids content.

Maltose
Maltose or malt sugar is produced during the malting process in brewing (enzyme conversion of starch).

It is converted to alcohol by the action of yeast through an intermediate conversion to dextrose.

This sugar is much less sweet than sucrose, and it is used mainly in the manufactured to baked and infants foods.

Saccharin
Saccharin, the imide of o-benzosulfonic acid, is used as a sodium or calcium salt. It is about 300 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar).

It may leave a bitter after taste and its safety has been questioned as a result of some animal feeding tests.

As an intense sweetener it is useful for diabetes and it reduces the incidence of dental caries.

Cyclamate
In many cases it was used together with saccharin. Cyclamate is not as sweet as saccharin by weight, but it is about 30 times sweeter than sucrose. Like saccharin, it has been used as sodium or calcium salt.
Sweeteners

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