A novel and sensitive method for simultaneous determination of 6 low-calorie bulk sweeteners by HPLC-ELSD

A novel and sensitive method for the simultaneous analysis of six low-calorie bulk sweeteners (D-allulose, D-tagatose, D-mannitol, mycose, palatinose, and erythritol) without derivatisation was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD). Chromatographic separations were carried out on a Zorbax Original NH2 (5 μm particle size, 250 mm×4.60 mm id, 70 Å) column with flow rate gradient elution with acetonitrile: water (80:20, v/v). Drift tube temperature was set at 50 ℃, the nebuliser carrier gas flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, and nitrogen pressure was regulated to 276 kPa with gain:3. The regression equation showed good linearity (R2 = 0.9985-0.9998) for all six low-calorie bulk sweeteners in the tested range (0.060-0.60 mg·mL-1). The limits of detection (LOD) for the six low-calorie bulk sweeteners ranged from 0.02 to 0.06 mg·mL-1. The proposed HPLC-ELSD method was validated for the quantification of the low-calorie bulk sweeteners in 14 types of foods, and the results were satisfactory. In addition, the results showed that the number of sweeteners in each food product varied. The presence of multiple low-calorie bulk sweeteners in certain foods is interesting. This method is successful in monitoring low-calorie bulk sweeteners in food.

Low-calorie bulk sweeteners: Recent advances in physical benefits, applications, and bioproduction

At present, with the continuous improvement of living standards, people are paying increasing attention to dietary nutrition and health. Low sugar and low energy consumption have become important dietary trends. In terms of sugar control, more and more countries have implemented sugar taxes in recent years. Hence, as the substitute for sugar, low-calorie sweeteners have been widely used in beverage, bakery, and confectionary industries. In general, low-calorie sweeteners consist of high-intensity and low-calorie bulk sweeteners (some rare sugars and sugar alcohols). In this review, recent advances and challenges in low-calorie bulk sweeteners are explored. Bioproduction of low-calorie bulk sweeteners has become the focus of many researches, because it has the potential to replace the current industrial scale production through chemical synthesis. A comprehensive summary of the physicochemical properties, physiological functions, applications, bioproduction, and regulation of typical low-calorie bulk sweeteners, such as D-allulose, D-tagatose, D-mannitol, sorbitol, and erythritol, is provided.

Low calorie cocoa-based products: a short review

Globally, cocoa is considered an extensively consumed flavor across the food and beverage industry. However, the majority of cocoa products have a large amount of sugar and fat content. Therefore, manufacturers of cocoa-based products are focusing on the commercialization of healthier and innovative cocoa products that contain sugar and fat. High-quality and low-calorie cocoa products can be developed using the right ingredients which can replace fat and sugar without negative impact on the product characteristics. For sugar replacement nutritive sweeteners or sugar alcohols, non-nutritive sweeteners or high potency sweeteners and low digestibility carbohydrates are generally used. For fat substitution cocoa butter equivalents, cocoa butter replacers, cocoa butter substitutes along with vegetable fat and oil replacers are used. This review discusses the effect of sugar and fat substitution on the textural and rheological properties, sensory acceptance, and calorific value of the end cocoa-based products.

Optimization of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) blended Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis M.) based low-calorie beverage functionally enriched with aonla juice (Phyllanthus emblica L.)

The shift in food consumption pattern to accommodate an array of bioactive compounds in foods with minimum calorie intake has resulted in the development of many novel beverages in the last decade. In the present study, optimization of apricot (AP; 0-50%) blended Aloe vera (AV; 50-100%) based low-calorie beverage functionally enriched with aonla juice (AJ; 3,5,7,10%) using steviol glycoside (SG; 0-100%) was performed. The preliminary screening suggested that 40% addition of AP (AV-AP; 60:40) had an acceptable taste. While, for functional enrichment of squash, incorporation of 7% AJ with 40ºB TSS was optimized based on color, consistency, taste, and overall acceptability scores. The developed squash had higher ascorbic acid (26.83 mg/100 g), total phenols (68.77 mg/100 g), antioxidant potential (36.50%) and antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (18.00 mm). The aloin content was recorded 0.9 ppm, well within the maximum permissible limits. Additionally, replacement of sucrose with stevioside up to 50 per cent resulted in equi-sweetness level without characteristic bitter aftertaste and a significant reduction in energy value from 142 kcal/100 g to 85.26 kcal/100 g. The developed beverage recorded a high amount of functional compounds with reduced energy values. The beverage can be a recommendation for general consumption for health- conscious people to cover their functional food desires.

Prevalence and nutrient composition of menu offerings targeted to customers with dietary restrictions at US fast casual and full-service restaurants

OBJECTIVE

To examine the prevalence and nutrient composition of menu offerings targeted to customers with dietary restrictions at US fast casual and full-service chain restaurants.

DESIGN

We used 2018 data from MenuStat, a database of nutrient information for menu items at large US chain restaurants. Five alternative diets were examined: gluten-free, low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, low-fat and vegetarian. Diet offerings were identified by searching MenuStat item descriptions and reviewing online menus. For each diet, we reported counts and proportions. We used bootstrapped multilevel models to examine differences in predicted mean kilojoules, saturated fat, Na and sugars between diet and non-diet menu items.

SETTING

Forty-five US fast casual and full-service chain restaurants in 2018 (including 6419 items in initial analytic sample across small plates, salads and main dishes).

PARTICIPANTS

None.

RESULTS

The most prevalent diets were gluten-free (n 631, 9·8 % of menu items), low-calorie (n 306, 4·8 %) and vegetarian (n 230, 3·6 %). Compared with non-diet counterparts, low-calorie main dishes had significantly lower levels of all nutrients examined and vegetarian main dishes had significantly lower levels of all nutrients except saturated fat. Gluten-free small plates had significantly fewer kilojoules, grams of saturated fat and milligrams of Na compared with non-diet small plates.

CONCLUSIONS

A small proportion of fast casual and full-service restaurant menus are targeted towards customers with dietary restrictions. Compared with non-diet items, those classified as gluten-free, low-calorie or vegetarian generally have healthier nutrient profiles, but overall nutrient values are still too high for most menu items, regardless of dietary label.

[Effect of intensive nutritional intervention in patients refractory to weight loss]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of an intensive nutritional intervention on the body weight and waist circumference in adults refractory to weight loss, by applying a personalised low-calorie Mediterranean diet.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A prospective study was conducted for 6 months on 100 participants with an age range between 55 and 75 years, a BMI ≥ 27 and < 40 kg/my, and fulfilled 3 or more criteria of metabolic syndrome. The intervention consisted of prescribing a low-calorie Mediterranean diet, exercise recommendations, and motivational talks. Anthropometric variables were recorded 11a month during the entire intervention. An analysis was made of the results using the Chi-squared and Student-t tests. The Odds Ratio of the variables associated with weight loss and their 95% confidence intervals was calculated using a non-conditional logistic regression.

RESULTS

After the "rescue" intervention, the patients lost an average of 2.9% of the body weight and 2.1% of waist circumference, the target of the loss ≥ 3% of the weight and 26% of the sample the target of reduction ≥ 3% of waist circumference being achieved 38% of the sample. No statistically significant differences were observed in weight and waist circumference loss in any of the variables analysed.

CONCLUSIONS

Intensive intervention, based on a low-calorie Mediterranean diet, with recommendations of physical activity and motivational talks, achieved a moderate weight loss in patients refractory to treatments for obesity.