There can be a lot of misinterpretation and confusion when reading product labels with statements like, less sugar, lower in sugar or no sugar, once termed sugar free.
Confusing indeed. Let’s take a closer look at sugars and sweeteners in natural and artificial forms to better understand what you are about to consume.
Sugar, the generic term for sweet tasting carbohydrates that I’ve written about and believe to still be important to understand.
Commonly seen terms:
- Sugar free = less than 0.5 g of sugar per serving
- Reduced sugar or less sugar = at least 25% less sugar per serving compared to standard serving size of traditional
- No added sugar or without added sugar = no sugars or sugar containing ingredient
- Low sugar = not defined or allowed as a claim on a food label
Understanding Sugar Derivatives:
Sucrose = cane and beet sugar
Maltose = formed from the germination of grains
Lactose = naturally occurring in milk
Fructose = fruit sugar
Other sweeteners listed on labels:
- Maltodextrin = made from corn, rice, potato starch or wheat
- Erythritol, Xylitol, Sorbitol, Mannitol = sugar alcohol
- Aspartame = artificially produced chemicals
- Sucralose = sugar substitute and artificial made from chlorinated sugar
Sucrose is made up of simple sugars glucose and fructose. Sucrose is a disaccharide and must be broken down before your body can use it. Enzymes in your mouth partially break down sucrose into glucose and fructose. However, the majority of sugar digestion happens in the small intestine
Glucose can be metabolized by almost every cell in your body. The stomach and small intestines absorb the glucose and then release it into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, glucose can be used immediately for energy or stored in our bodies, to be used later. However, our bodies need insulin in order to use or store glucose for energy.
Fructose is metabolized almost entirely by the liver. Like glucose, fructose is absorbed directly into your bloodstream from the small intestine. It raises blood sugar levels more gradually than glucose and does not appear to immediately impact insulin levels
Commonly seen names of sugars:
- Refined or white
- Corn sweetener
- Corn syrup
- Invert
- Turbinado or raw
- Brown
- Honey
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Molasses
Defined as chemicals used to sweeten foods and beverages that provide virtually zero calories.
The following artificial sweeteners are allowed for use in the United States and/or European Union
- Aspartame. Sold under the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, or Sugar Twin, aspartame is 200 times sweeter than table sugar.
- Acesulfame Potassium. Also known as acesulfame K, it’s 200 times sweeter than table sugar. It’s suited for cooking and baking and sold under the brand names Sunnet or Sweet One.
- Advantame. This sweetener is 20,000 times sweeter than table sugar and suited for cooking and baking.
- Aspartame-Acesulfame Salt. Sold under the brand name Twinsweet, it’s 350 times sweeter than table sugar.
- Cyclamate. Cyclamate, which is 50 times sweeter than table sugar, was used for cooking and baking. However, it has been banned in the United States since 1970.
- Neotame. Sold under the brand name Newtame, this sweetener is 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar and suited for cooking and baking.
- Neohesperidin. It’s 340 times sweeter than table sugar and suited for cooking, baking, and mixing with acidic foods. Note that it is not approved for use in the United States.
- Sacchari. Sold under the brand names Sweet’N Low, Sweet Twin, or Necta Sweet, saccharin is 700 times sweeter than table sugar.
- Sucralose. Sucralose, which is 600 times sweeter table sugar, is suited for cooking, baking, and mixing with acidic foods. It’s sold under the brand name Splenda.
Defined as a category of sweet carbohydrates found naturally or processed from other sugars. Widely used as a sweetener.
Commonly seen names:
- Xylitol is a naturally occurring alcohol found in most plant material, including many fruits and vegetables. It is extracted from birch wood to make medicine.
- Erythritol is produced industrially beginning with enzymatic hydrolysis of the starch from corn to generate glucose. Glucose is then fermented with yeast or another fungus to produce erythritol.
- Sorbitol also may be synthesized through a catalytic hydrogenation of d-glucose to form d-sorbitol. This reaction has a 100% yield of d-sorbitol when d-glucose is reacted with hydrogen in water at 120 degrees Celsius, under 150001.5 Torr, for 1 hour.
- Maltitol is a disaccharide produced by hydrogenation of maltose obtained from starch. Maltitol syrup, a hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, is created by hydrogenating corn syrup, a mixture of carbohydrates produced from the hydrolysis of starch.
What’s the importance of cane sugar in ice cream?
It can offer sweetness, however and more importantly it contributes to body, texture and freeze point. The body and richness of a super premium ice cream is attributed to the amount of butterfat and type of sugar.
It’s possible to replace cane with a sugar alcohol such as Stevia, however the body texture can be affected, but keeping with a high milk fat like 14% can contribute to making a creamy product.
Brands making ice cream claims and using “other” sugars have become very popular, however the trade-off can be in the weight of the container and texture/mouth feel of the products.
Being a fan of high quality and real ice cream that’s thick, rich, creamy and bursting with flavor, I have difficulty reasoning why someone will invest on a fluffed-up product that needs more than 5 ingredients to make, with names that sometimes enter the gray area of legal label classification.
I recognize the importance of products made for individuals that are vegan life style, lactose intolerant or diabetic, but question brands that market their product with questionable messages.
These products are made to target individuals looking to consume large portions and presumably without guilt. The message that it’s ok to eat the whole container in a single setting without consequence, I believe is irresponsible.
Other than the three categories mentioned, I suggest for the calorie counters, choose a high quality product that indeed comes with a high calorie count per serving, but only consume half or one quarter of the calculated serving listed on the nutrition panel.
Eat the whole container without guilt, to me is a sad commentary on the brand and manufacturer, designed with focus on consumption, rather than the merits of the product itself.
If calorie counting is a sole issue, then consider choosing a high quality product that lists 4 – 5 readable ingredients and enjoy one or two spoonfuls. You may indeed find that enjoyment can be achieved without the thought of guilt.
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