Sweeteners, whether classified as natural or artificial, have long been prized for their mouth-pleasing ‘sugar’ taste, but they have many other functions in cooking and baking.

Natural sweeteners exist in many forms, and can be found widely in nature, particularly in fruit products. Purified natural sweeteners are usually derived from sugar cane, sugar beet or corn syrup.

Artificial sweeteners provide a ‘sugar’ taste and have been produced as low-calorie sugar substitutes that may assist in weight management, prevention of dental decay and control of blood glucose for diabetics.

Natural Sweeteners

The simplest forms of natural sweetener are the monosaccharides, usually consisting of five carbon rings (such as fructose) or a six-carbon ring (such as glucose).

Disaccharides, like sucrose, consist of two monosaccharides, for example, fructose and glucose.

Sweeteners derived from corn syrup are extracted from long starch molecules. Powdered glucose is manufactured by the complete hydrolysis of the linkages between the carbon rings. When the degree of hydrolysis is not as complete, a Maltodextrin is produced.

ADM Clintose ™ Dextrose Monohydrate

Dextrose, also known as glucose, has about half the sweetness of sucrose and is readily absorbed by the body. With a low molecular weight, dextrose is also used to reduce water activity and therefore slow the rate of microbial growth, particularly in meat products such as hams.

Given its rapid absorption into the body, dextrose is also commonly used in sports beverages, particularly for instant energy release.

HWL offers the ADM Clintose Dextrose monohydrate in a coarse powder form.

ADM Cornsweet ® Crystalline Fructose

Crystalline Fructose is referred to as the sweetest of all nutritive sugars; it provides an excellent sweetness and flavour profile with no aftertaste.

The intense sweetness of ADM Cornsweet ® Crystalline Fructose allows food technologists to formulate products with reduced sweetness, particularly when used in combination with other sweeteners such as sucrose.

Trials in the HWL test kitchen have found that a combination of fructose and sucrose in fruit preparations give better flavour enhancement, especially with berry products. We have also found that Cornsweet ® Crystalline Fructose, when used at around 1%, can reduce the aftertaste associated with artificial sweeteners.

Cornsweet ® Crystalline Fructose has been found to have a very low glycaemic index and is very useful in products designed for consumers who need to control their blood sugar.

Cornsweet ® Crystalline Fructose can also be used in endurance sports beverages where the high level of sweetness, combined with low glycaemic index, allows for the development of appealing products that deliver the required nutrients and minerals.

Click for more about Cornsweet ® Crystalline Fructose

Clintose® Maltodextrins

Maltodextrins are extremely good bulking agents, often used in instant beverages, sports drinks, dairy products and a host of other applications.

Depending on the degree of hydrolysis, ADM Clintose® Maltodextrins have a bland to slightly sweet flavour. They are produced using new ion exchange technology that removes trace elements and impurities from the Maltodextrin. As a result Clintose® Maltodextrins have excellent clarity, stability and solubility.

HWL offers the full range of ADM Clintose® Maltodextrins, and have found the Clintose CR10 product to be good for a range of applications.

Click for more about Clintose® Maltodextrins

Herbasweet and Herbarom

Herbasweet and Herbarom are natural sweeteners made from de-juiced apples; they have the characteristic sugar profile found in apples.

Herbasweet contains minimal sucrose and has a very high level of fructose and Sorbitol, which are generally recognised as diabetic sweeteners. With increased focus on Glycemic Index, these products can be used to reduce the GI of a final food product. They also have the advantage of being made from apples, low acidity and good colour, with a label-friendly listing.

Herbarom has a similar sugar profile to Herbasweet with the added natural fruit acids, minerals and secondary plant substances of apples, such as polyphenols.

Click for more about Herbasweet and Herbarom

ADM Honi-Bake Dry Honey Powder

ADM Honi-Bake Dry Honey Powder is available in several powdered forms, ranging from a pure honey powder to a free-flowing honey and Maltodextrin combination. HWL holds a NZ Ministry of Agriculture import permit for these products and is able to import the ADM honey powder range.

ADM Dri-Mol® Molasses Powder

Molasses has traditionally been used for its unique colour and flavour. The availability of the Dri-Mol® range makes for easier handling of molasses, especially in powder mixes.

ADM Sweet’n’Neat Nut and Snack coatings

The Sweet’n’Neat range of coating blends contains a combination of honey, sugar, salt and hydrocolloids for coating dry-roasted nuts and seeds.

More about the ADM range of dry sweeteners (ADM)

Artificial sweeteners.

Acesulfame K

Acesulfame potassium is also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number (additive code) E950. It was discovered accidentally in 1967 by German chemist, Karl Claus at Hoechst AG.

Acesulfame K is 180-200 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), as sweet as aspartame, about half as sweet as saccharin, and has one-quarter the sweetness of sucralose. Like saccharin, it has a slightly bitter aftertaste, especially at high concentrations. Acesulfame K is often blended with aspartame or other sweeteners. These blends are reputed to give a more sugar-like taste where each sweetener masks the other's aftertaste, and to exhibit a synergistic effect wherein the blend is sweeter than its components.

Acesulfame K is stable under heat, even under moderately acidic or basic conditions, allowing it to be used in baking, or in products that require a long shelf life. It is commonly used in products such as diet beverages and desserts.

Sucralose

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener known under the E Number (additive code) E955.

Sucralose is approximately 600 times sweeter than sucrose, four times sweeter than aspartame, and twice as sweet as saccharin.

Sucralose is generally more stable than aspartame in most food products.

Due to its high sweetness intensity, sucralose is often used in conjunction with other ingredients such as bulking agents.

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