Analysis of soft drinks containing sugar and stevia
More and more beverages are sweetened with a combination of sugar and Stevia for reasons of healthy calorie reduction. Whether the soft drink contains sugar or sugar plus Stevia, Anton Paar instruments easily cope!
How much sugar is good for you?
Not only products like chocolate, ice cream, jams and cakes contain saccharose, commonly referred to as sugar, but also many convenience food products and beverages. Especially soft drinks represent a large source of "hidden" sugar. Many consumers prefer soft drinks with less sugar. It is not only the calorie intake linked to obesity, but also a health concern that causes consumers to decide on sugar-reduced drinks. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases. They also increase risks of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reduced the recommended daily intake to 25 grams of sugar which corresponds to approximately six teaspoons per day for adults and for children only half of this amount.
Why partially replace sugar?
The problem: A regular soft drink contains 8 to 10 grams of sugar in 100 mL, so an average size can of regular soft drink might already exceed the recommended maximum daily sugar intake.
The question: As the sweetening power of Stevia exceeds the sweetness of saccharose by far, the required amount of Stevia to achieve the same degree of sweetness in soft drinks is much lower, thus the calorie intake almost negligible. On top of that, sweeteners such as Stevia do not promote caries. So why not replace the entire sugar content in soft drinks with sweeteners?
The answer: It is the mouth feel and the taste that make consumers prefer sugar-sweetened beverages.
The solution: Beverages with a combination of sugar and sweetener mean less sugar while maintaining the full-bodied taste.
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