Polyols given good press
28 April 2011 – The EFSA’s favourable opinion in respect of certain sugar substitutes and their associated maintenance of tooth mineralisation is a further endorsement of Roquette’s whole range of polyols. Roquette believes this opinion is also a new opportunity for its Nutriose soluble fibre.
The fourth batch of EFSA evaluations regarding health claims under Article 13.1, called ‘general function’ health claims, has just been published. Of all the submissions only 20% were given positive opinions, maltitol, xylitol, sorbitol, and mannitol polyols were all included.
According to Didier Videau, market development director, nutrition business unit, Roquette, “polyols are genuine tools for decay prevention that have been key to the development and success of sugar free chewing gums. Today, EFSA’s latest opinion reinforces one of our strategic areas of development: nutrition & health, as it does the scientific work we dedicate to it.”
Last November, Roquette was already delighted with EFSA’s favourable opinions regarding the dental health claim relating to no added sugars chewing gums. Moreover, the fact that the dental health benefits are independent of the type of polyol used corroborates the results of recent Roquette studies.
Roquette also regards the EFSA’s latest opinion as an opportunity for its Nutriose soluble fibre. The latter is used, among others, to replace sugars, and possesses precisely the characteristics mentioned by EFSA. Indeed, Nutriose is recognised as ‘toothfriendly’ by the University of Zurich, and moreover triggers a low glycaemic response compared to the glucose reference standard. In addition, Nutriose is particularly well tolerated and is considered as a food ingredient. Like all soluble fibres, its caloric value is 2kcal/g.
