By Donna Berry, Contributing Editor
With Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, reporting that approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of U.S. children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are obese, many blame the food industry for making too many calorically dense, nutrient-void “junk" foods readily available. Even “real" food and beverage options are not always the best choice when it comes to balancing the seesaw of calorie intake and output, as most of today’s youth continue to prefer chicken nuggets, mac-and-cheese and soda pop to broiled fish, steamed rice and fat-free white milk. As a result, product designers are trying to reduce the calorie content of kids’ favorite foods and beverages, as well as develop new low-calorie options, in order to help the next generation of adults slim down and reduce their risk of developing chronic diet-related diseases.
“The epidemic of obesity among children and adolescents is now widely regarded as one of the most important public health problems in the United States," according to Jill Reedy and Susan Krebs-Smith, both of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, and authors of an article that appeared in the October 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (110(10):1,477-1,484). “Most experts agree that the solution will involve changes in both diet and physical activity, in order to affect energy balance. For diet, this means a reduction in energy from current consumption levels."
Mary Lynne Shafer, manager, beverage strategy and business development, Corn Products International, West Chester, IL, says: “Balance is the key for kids’ caloric consumption. Kids need calories, but the balance is choosing the right calories that will nourish their growth."
Reedy and Krebs-Smith found that the top sources of energy for kids and adolescents were grain desserts, pizza and soda, with nearly 40% of total calories consumed by this demographic in the form of empty calories from solid fat and from added sugars. Product reformulation alone is not sufficient, according to the authors. The flow of such empty calories into the food supply must be reduced.
Hence, as Eric Reamer, associate industry manager, beverage and confectionery, Danisco USA Inc., New Century, KS, explains, “The most common calorie-reduction strategies for foods and beverages targeted to kids are full or partial replacement of sugar, fat or both."
How sweet it is
A child’s affinity toward sweet foods begins at birth with their mom’s milk, which has a slightly sweet profile that a baby becomes fond of very quickly. Finding comfort in sweet foods often remains for many throughout their adult life. The good news is that modern food science allows for the source of sweetness to be modified.
“Sugar can often be replaced with high-intensity sweeteners, which typically contribute zero calories," says Reamer. “In many cases, this allows formulators to target specific calorie-reduction goals while maintaining sensory acceptance. This strategy is especially effective in beverages, where the volume removed when replacing sugar can be added back as water and possibly a small amount of hydrocolloid to provide texture.
“It is more difficult in food formulations, where the bulk typically must be replaced with another ingredient, which also likely contributes calories," Reamer continues. “For example, adding back bulk with maltodextrin or dextrose may lead to a product with reduced sugar but approximately the same amount of calories as a full-sugar version." This is exemplified in many of the original sweet treats for diabetics, where product packaging included phrases such as: “Sugar free. Not a low-calorie food."
“In order to get a net-calorie reduction, reduced-calorie ingredients must be used instead," Reamer says. “This is often found in carbohydrates defined as sugar alcohols and fiber."
One common bulking agent is the all-natural sugar alcohol erythritol, which is manufactured by the fermentation of corn. Because of its chemical structure, it is not fully metabolized, resulting in negligible caloric contributions (about 0.2 calories per gram) to most applications. However, erythritol is about 60% less sweet than table sugar while having a bulk density similar to sugar in crystalline or powder form. Because of the lower sweetness level, it pairs well with high-intensity sweeteners to deliver a well-rounded flavor profile with sugar mouthfeel and functionality.
Another common source of solids is polydextrose, which is obtained from thermal polymerization of glucose. Polydextrose is classified as a digestion-resistant oligosaccharide, contributing a mere one calorie per gram. It is used to provide body and texture to reduced-calorie, no-added-sugar and sugar-free foods. Its relative sweetness to sugar is practically zero, thus it is usually used in combination with high-intensity sweeteners and together they can replace all or part of the caloric sweetener in a product formulation.
