Beneo highlights sugar alternatives surrounding World Oral Health Day
pic: Beneo
Ingredients specialist Beneo has highlighted its series of sugar-alternatives for the confectionery sector as the globe marks World Oral Health Day, writes Neill Barston.
As the business noted, tooth decay is believed to impact around 3.5 billion people worldwide, and a recent survey showed that some European countries are more ‘tooth-conscious’ than others – with Norway top of the list, Germany ranking 3rd and the UK 12th.
According to Beneo, while we often associate sweet consumption with children, older people increasingly use hard candies to alleviate mouth dryness brought on by certain medications and other long-term health problems.
As part of life-long good oral hygiene, opting for sugar-free or -reduced products prolongs the time for regeneration, as well as remineralisation (self-repairing effect) on the teeth.
For producers looking to create solutions that support oral health, Beneo toothfriendly ingredients, including sugar replacer Isomalt and alternative sugar Palatinose, offer manufacturers possibilities for creating chocolates, chewie candies and more that do not promote tooth decay, while not compromising on taste.
Also, both ingredients have an EU health claim for being toothfriendly and ‘contributing to tooth mineralisation’, as well as an FDA health claim for ‘not promoting tooth decay’.
The Beneo Institute is an organisation which brings together its expertise from Nutrition Science and Legislation teams. It acts as an advisory body for customers and partners reaching from ingredient approval, physiological effects and nutritional composition to communication, education, and labelling.
As the business noted, the institute works on topics related to the microbiome and prebiotics, digestive health and well-being, blood sugar management and the achievement of lower glycaemic diets, cognition and mental health, as well as bone health. It also addresses nutrition related questions regarding protein and fibre intake requirements, sugar reduction and more.
