Why Sugar is Added to Food꞉ Food Science 101

Key Points Notes

Abstract  Reduce discretionary calorie intake

Why is labelling useful? - Added sugars related to discretionary calories

 Help consumers to choose foods rich in nutrients

 Strategy to help reduce obesity rate in the U.S.

Introduction  In the United States, the obesity problem is serious.

- Causes꞉ poor diet and lack of physical activity

o 34.9% or 78.6 million of adults, 17% of youth (in 2008).

The estimated annual medical cost $147 billion

 Overconsuming added sugars →obesity and other diseases

- Added sugars replace nutrient-dense foods and causes an

increase in calories.

 FDA mandated the addition of sugar to nutrition facts labels to

improve eating habits.

Carbohydrates, Sugars,  Sucrose, table sugar -> Most common

Added sugars and  Sucrose-> plant photosynthesis, sugar cane extraction.
Sweeteners  Carbohydrate-> H, O, C
Sugars and  Classification-> monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, and
Carbohydrates polysaccharides

 Carbohydrate basic units->monosaccharides (glucose,

galactose, maltose, fructose)
 Oligosaccharides, 2 to 10 monosaccharides. Sucrose (glucose,
fructose), lactose (galactose, glucose), maltose (two glucose)
 Polysaccharides, starch (storage of energy for plants), glycogen
(storage of energy in animals), cellulose (materials and
structural components of plants)

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The role and metabolism  When eating carbohydrates, it breaks down into glucose after
of carbohydrates digestion, which is essential for central nervous system function.
 Natural sugar, artificial sugar Same body response with
structural matching (same calories provided 4kcal per gram)
Sweeteners  Nutrition sweeteners, 4 kcal provided, sucrose, other simple
carbohydrates, liquid sugars, honey, syrup, fruit juice
concentrate
 Non-nutritive sweeteners, calorie-provided x or excretion,
stebioside, acesulfam K, aspartame, sucralose or saccharine
Sugar alcohols  No need to synthesize insulin for digestion, noncariogenic
material
 Laxative in case of excessive intake
FDA definition of added  sugars that are either added during the processing of food, or
sugars are packaged as such, and include sugars (free
monosaccharides and disaccharides), syrups, naturally occurring
sugars that are isolated from a whole food and concentrated so
that sugar is the primary component (such as fruit juice
concentrates), and other caloric sweeteners
 Except sugar alcohol
Functional Properties of  Animals evolve to prefer sweetness (2.12g sugar per ounce of
Sugar breast milk)
Sweetness, flavour  Improving the taste of food, increasing intake, and
enhancement and supplementing nutrients.
sugar balance  Chocolate milk (calcium, potassium, vitamins)
 geriatric chemical loss
 Balancing the flavour and strengthening the aroma.
 Peach flavour enhancement, vegetable, and meat flavour
enhancement, fruit-based flavour balance, low fat ice cream,
cocoa
Colour and flavour  Caramelization occurs when sugar is heated above melting point
formation in the absence of protein and sugar is degraded. Dark brown,
caramel flavour and aroma.
 The Maillard reaction is another form of nonenzymatic browning,
which is the result of a reaction between an amino acid and
sugar. (Factors꞉ reactant types and concentrations,
temperature, reaction time, pH, and water activity)

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 Bulk and texture  Sugar essential in baked goods- does not provide sweetness

How does sugar only

contribute to

1. bulk of food  Bulk (volume/weight)

products?  Incorporates air in baked goods -light dough

Air incorporation  ↑spread of cookie dough

 Texture

2. texture of food?  Acts as tenderizer

Tenderizer - e. g no overdevelopment of gluten

Ability to attract  Attracts water molecules

water mols. - e. g ice cream making - ↓crystallization,

Increase boiling pt. of smaller crystals=smoother texture

solutions  Alters boiling point of solutions

- e. g Candy making – perfect consistency required -

Bulking agent, affects texture of candy (soft/hard)

mouthfeel,
diminishes
Fermentation  microorganisms oxidise carbs for energy

 Sugar= food source

Types of  Lactic acid bacteria fermentation – increases shelf-life

fermentation  Dairy products – bacteria (microorganism) + lactose

(sugar/food source)

Used to꞉  Yeast fermentation -baked goods

Increase shelf-life  Use glucose/sucrose – gas produced – makes dough rise

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 Change flavour and  Fermentation impacts flavour and texture

texture

Preservation  Hygroscopic properties- sugar can absorb water from

surroundings

Sugar can꞉  Increases shelf-life

Increase shelf-life  No water= no reaction (dehydrates microorg.)

Maintain moisture in - e. g jams, preserves

baked goods  Humectant – baked products- not dried out

Prevent discolouration  Colour preservation

 No air contact=no browning

- e. g freezing fruits

Pharmaceuticals  ensures that patients take their medicine – palatability

 Adequate substance for pharma use- low toxicity, high purity

 Excipient- vehicle for delivery of active substances in the body

- e. g glucose tablets for diabetics

Palatability, excipient,
hypoglycaemia
Challenges of labelling  no chemical differences between added and natural sugars

added sugars  All made up of C, H, O.

Cannot be differentiated

FDA’s food labelling  Looks at chemical definitions of nutrients

approach and  Food products with 12 subsamples must be analysed

regulations

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 Added sugars’  No chemical differences= no analytical methods available

uniqueness and  No analytical methods= problems in labelling

related challenges  Can lead to inaccurate labelling/ harder implementation

across food industry

No universal definition  Multiple definitions for ‘added sugars’ -

e. g FDA uses ‘added sugars’ and WHO uses ‘free sugars’ – Both are

different

- Create problems for companies using international suppliers –

inaccurate labelling of added sugar concentration in foods

No added sugar claim +  “No added sugar” claim

 X ‘sugars’ added during processing/packaging
fruit juice concentrates
 X sugar substitutes
Qualifications for using
 X use of food containing added sugars
the “no added sugar”
- e. g jams, fruit juice concentrates
claim
 ‘Sugar’ (in this case) refers to all free mono and disaccharides +

food containing added sugars

 Fruit juice concentrates

 Cheaper than fruit juice

The problem with fruit
- Reduced water content= reduced weight= lower
juice concentrates
transportation costs
Can reconstituted juices

be labelled “no added

 Concentrates disqualified for no added sugar claim whereas

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 sugar” or not? single strength fruit juice is qualified

 Reconstituted- use concentrates to produce single strength

 Inconsistencies in claim and definition of sugar- challenges for

food manufacturers- in terms of labelling

Single strength

Functionality of added  Functions of sugar X sweetening

sugars o E. g flavour enhancer

Should sugars used for o Fermentation -acts as temporary leavening agent

purposes other than  Bulk sweeteners →why were they not discussed in FDA’s

sweetening be proposal? Have different physiological standpoint, do not

labelled as “added promote tooth decay, have lower glycemic values than sugar

sugars”?  Sugar- diverse functionalities → should all of them be labelled

as added sugars?

 Causes confusion→ manufacturer have to interpret → not

accurate

 Conclusion- FDA needs to specify functionality

Some sweeteners are  syrups, honey, molasses – included in FDA’s definition as “added

not 100% sugars sugars”

 not 100% sugar/ mixture of sugar, water, nutrients, substances.

 “added sugars” definition should be clarified specifically

Complexity of chemical  calculation difficulties with added sugars (products with

fermentation, caramelization, Maillard reaction)
reactions
 reactions above → metabolize or transform sugars → sugars꞉ no
reactions change sugar longer detected
 FDA – do not have adequate data → acknowledge complications

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 composition of food and requested more information from manufacturers
amount of added sugars consumed - depend on cultures
(ingredients type, fermentation system type, variation in make-up,
proof times, temperature)

 more study needed to understand complexities (added sugars

loss during fermentation)
 →standard equation – not exist ▷ each unique formula exist →
manufacturers꞉ have to search each formula → time-consuming
process
 manufacturers just state added sugars without a reduction from
Declared values- not
reaction→ resulting overstatement of added sugars amount
accurate

Ingredient supplier  Lack of analytical method for added sugars → cause challenges

complications for FDA and food manufacturers

 food manufacturers need information from ingredient suppliers-

to determine the finished product added sugar values

 challenging for manufacturers that use hundreds of more

ingredients

 small supplier – do not have current databases

 some suppliers – not want to share information

→ reason꞉ proprietary (potential risk of information

getting in the hands of competitors)

 suppliers → different interpretations – result in variety of

declared values (added sugar)

 make agreement (manufacturers, suppliers) → time-consuming

process

Fruit-flavoured soy-  ingredients꞉ soymilk, cane sugar, blueberries, pectin, calcium

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 based yogurt carbonate, etc

Several interpretations  → considered or not as added sugars depending on FDA

of what is considered

as sugar

Issues with Replacing  Non-nutritive sweeteners = high-intensity sweeteners (sweeter

Added Sugars than sucrose)
Synergistic relationship  used in small amounts, not completely metabolized ⇒ low
of non-nutritive calories
sweeteners and  low usage ▷ need something else to replace sugar ⇒ bulking
bulking agents agents (bulking sweeteners)
 bulking agents
 X → appealing X to consumer
 can provide sweetness - but, major function is providing bulk
 ⇒ significant – finding bulking agents (work synergistically with
non-nutritive sweeteners)
Other functional Lack of bulk, need to be addressed replacing sugar
considerations ● Taste, non-nutritive sweeteners- bitter, metallic, and licorice

aftertaste
→ blend various non-nutritive sweeteners to mask off-flavour

→ using flavour technology

● Fat- replacers can be used in replacing sugar
→ fat- replacer꞉ maltodextrins, polydextrose

→ fat or sugar replacer꞉ cellulose, guar gum, gelatin, and

carrageenan

└ using for the same reason as bulking agents

└ careful- affect flavour and viscosity
● Another consideration – participating in chemical reactions

e. g Maillard reaction
● All sweetness is lost – participate in the reaction
└ select right non-nutritive sweetener and a bulking agent

● Non-nutritive sweetener – participating in caramelization (x)

● Replacing sugar – a trial and error process

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 └ each formula is unique (e. g cookies)

Calorie reduction not Replacing added sugar – to reduce the calories
achieved → sometimes, insignificant
◌ sugar replacement provide energy

-isomaltulose → 4kal/g
-maltodextrins, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates → 3kal/g
-fat calories differentiated by amount of fat

● multiple guidelines
→ fat, sugar – difficult to achieve proper level, not result in the

calorie reduction as intended

Other concerns Main hurdle꞉ manufacturers face with consumer movement

→ food label increase

→ negative perception of synthetical things and chemical

modification

└ consumer want to know what the ingredient is and where it is

coming from (e. g naturally occurring nutritive sweeteners
honey)

●Salt is increased with replaced sugar contents.

→ but related to cardiovascular diseases

The effectiveness of  Non-nutritive sweeteners- similar sweetness level to added

non-nutritive sugars
sweeteners - X calories
 However, lack evidence that these sweeteners help in weight
loss/ maintenance
 + bulking agent – highly effective added sugars replacement
Effectiveness in labelling  IFIC survey→ Consumers understanding of FDA’s “added

added sugars sugars” proposal

Is it useful or not?  Results→ 19% of consumers- no understanding of what is

Consumer confusion considered added sugars

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  Conclusion→ Useful term for consumers –“total sugars”

→ Education important in understanding added sugars

Food sources of added  Categories꞉

sugars - Beverages꞉ 47%

- Dairy and grains꞉ 4% and 8%

- Snacks and sweets꞉ 31%

 These not consumed for nutritional value but for pleasure

Link to public health  No daily recommended value (DRV) for added sugars

concerns - Why? Lack of scientific evidence e. g ↓sugar intake=

↓obesity

 More research should be carried out- food and sugars + link

with health issues

 Obesity- focusing on added sugars – not complete solution –

other factors must be assessed

Etiology

Cost of implementation  Additional costs

- Partnership – manufacturer + supplier- clear definition of

what is considered added sugar

- Record-keeping for added sugars – no analytical methods -

increase taxes on food

- More research – better understanding of added sugars

 Costs will affect consumers

Summary

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General Vocabulary Specific Vocabulary

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