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בחורה בגופיה לבנה עם ידיים מושטות קדימה וביניהן באוויר הרבה קוביות סוכר לבן

In our experience, the known sweeteners can be divided into several groups.

(a) Natural sweeteners - tasty, healthy, but not recommended for those who want to avoid sugar.

(b) Chemical sweeteners that are considered tasty but not recommended.

(c) Polyols that are considered healthy and recommended by the professionals, but with harsh aftertastes.

(d) Maltitol which is found in countless cheap, tasty products but not recommended due to the high amount of carbs.

(e) Super sweeteners (stevia and monk fruit) are 300 times sweeter than sugar, limited in use and with strong aftertastes.

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Connon Sweetening Solutions

Sugar substitutes can be classified into several categories:

  • "Bad" sugars - sugar substitutes that are natural and taste good.  These sweeteners usually contain sugar so are actually "bad" products.  In this group you can find honey, maple syrup, date honey, date sugar, glucose, dextrose, fructose, sucrose (table sugar), cane sugar, agave syrup, brown sugar, lactose, maltose, corn syrup, molasses, coconut sugar and more.

  • Polyols are naturally -occurring sugar alcohols found in some fruits and vegetables and can be produced artificially.  They can be divided into several groups:

    • "Bad" substitutes with a high glycemic index (GI) and a taste similar to sugar: mannitol, industrial maltitol.  Only moderate consumption is allowed.

    • "Good" substitutes with low GI: erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol, pure maltitol. Most have an aftertaste or cooling effects.  Low to moderate consumption is allowed, their sweetness is high and accordingly their ‘side flavors’ are very noticeable.

    • "Good" substitutes with low GI, good taste but which are less sweet than sugar and require a combination with additional sweeteners: isomalt, lactitol, tagatose.

  • "Chemical" substitutes (do not exist in nature and are produced in laboratories) - usually taste good and are at least as sweet as sugar: Saccharin, Cyclamate, Aspartame, Alitame, Sucralose, Acesulfame-K, Neotame.  These sweeteners have a low caloric value and a low glycemic index (GI) because they are not absorbed into the blood or other tissues. However, the big question is whether they are safe to use.   There are various opposing opinions in the literature.   We decided to skip this option, since we did not want there to be any question as to the health safety of our products.

  • High-intensity sweeteners, such as the extract of the stevia plant (stevia rebaudiana) as well as the luohan guo plant (Siraitia grosvenorii / monkfruit).  Both do not cause an increase in blood sugar or insulin, but are not recommended for use in large amounts. Both have strong side flavors.

 

Conclusions

There are a lot of opinions and much research on the subject. It is clear to everyone that sugars, even if from natural sources, are unhealthy. But as for the substitutes - opinions are multiple and there is much controversy. From reading many studies, we at Ornat have drawn the following conclusions:

  • Even if the sweetener is safe and healthy, it is advisable not to consume too much of it.

  • There are "good" sweeteners, with no side effects but with reduced sweetness.

  • There are "good" sweeteners with high sweetness but with side flavors even if there are those who claim them to be delicious.

  • "Good" sweeteners, without side effects and reduced sweetness, and mainly used with reduced sugar products.

  • There are "good" sweeteners with high sweetness but with aftertastes even if some claim they are tasty.

  • It is better to reduce sweetness.  We are addicted to excessive sweetness and it is better to reduce the sweetness.

 

​Bibliography

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