Food Regulations & Safety of Food Ingredients with special emphasis on sweeteners

1. Food Regulations & Safety of Food Ingredients with special emphasis on sweeteners Prof. Jagadish S. Pai Executive Director Protein Foods & Nutrition Development Association of India

2. Safety of Food Ingredients • Biological Safety • Chemical Safety • Physical Safety

3. Chemical Safety of Sweeteners • Toxicity LD50 Aspartame 5g/kg in rat NaCN (6.4mg), CaCl2 (1g), NaCl (3g), Vit C (1.9g), Sugar (29.7g) • Allergy • Physiological Effect effect on blood sugar

4. Nutritive Sweeteners • Sugars sucrose glucose fructose HFCS • Sugar Alcohols or Polyols sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, isomalt

5. High Intensity Low Calorie Sweeteners • Saccharin • Cyclamate • Aspartame • Acesulfame K • Sucralose • Stevia

6. Safety of Sugars • Sugars, including glucose, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, lactose, and maltose, are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) as per US FDA • Inst of Medicine (2002) recommends calories from carbohydrates 45-65% of total. Very high intakes of sugars associated with lower micronutrient intakes. Max. sugar intake recommended 25% • WHO & FAO (2003) recommended free sugars not more than 10% of total calories stating epidemiologic, economic, social impacts besides scientific reasons • Anderson 1997: Except in dental caries, sugars are not cause of chronic or acute diseases, confirmed by Mardis 2001 • Carbohydrate Technical Committee ILSI NA (2002) No health concerns with direct association with sugar • Am. Diet. Asso. 2004: All foods can fit into healthful diets, even those high in added sugars

7. Obesity & Sugars • Increase in body weight & fat content due to excess of energy intake over expenditure. Sugars are ingredients in favourite foods, may result overconsumption • Studies show inverse relation of sugar intake & body weight & BMI • High sucrose diets not incompatible with weight loss • Sucrose contributes to satiety • Hypothesis that low GI carbohydrates aid fat loss promoting satiety, higher metabolic rate & fat oxidation • Overweight & obese children & adults have insulin resistance. Whether it causes obesity is inconclusive • Calories in liquid different from calories in solid in satiety, proposing that increased intake of HFCS sweetened beverages responsible for obesity. Harvard School of Public Health researchers found positive association between sugar-sweetened beverages & obesity but acknowledged multifactorial nature of obesity & results did not establish causality • National Health & Nutrition Examination survey found no statistical association between consumption of sugar sweetened beverages and BMI. • No difference in satiety found among sucrose, HFCS, glucose/fructose 50/50

8. Obesity

9. GI, GL & Diabetes • Slowly absorbed high-fibre foods may have metabolic benefits in diabetes & in preventing CVD risk • GI measures the rise in blood sugar upon consumption of carbohydrates • GL indicates glucose response produced by total carbohydrate intake in a food considering quality (GI) as well as quantity • Studies produced inconsistent results hence more information needed to establish reliable GI • Study showed that hi GI/GL diets were not associated with probability of having insulin resistance • Am Diabetes Asso : not sufficient, consistent info to conclude that low-GL diets reduce risk of diabetes although may have other benefits • Am Diet Asso: present research does not support claim that lo GI diet causes significant wt loss or help control appetite • Studies have not established that total sugar intake is associated with development of type II diabetes although possibility of hi GI/GL

10. Diabetes

11. Sugar Alcohols or Polyols

12. Sugar Alcohols • They are incompletely absorbed and metabolised in body so fewer calories • Most polyols less sweet than sugar so require in bulk quantity for same sweetness • Although they occur naturally in many fruits & vegetables, commercially produced from sucrose, glucose & starch by hydrogenation • They are partially absorbed and most are converted to energy using mechanism requiring little insulin & do not raise blood glucose much • Since incompletely absorbed they may cause laxative effect if consumed in large quantities (ADA advises >50g sorbitol or >20g mannitol per day may cause diarrhea) • Erythritol may be more completely absorbed and may be excreted as such through urine so v little calories and less laxative effect • Bacteria in mouth cannot grow on polyols they do not cause tooth decay • Some polyols are GRAS in US but when used and claimed, have to be declared on nutrition information separately under carbohydrates

13. Food Regulations • PFA Act & Rules since 1954 • FSSA 2006 is slowly taking over and shortly will replace PFA • Food Authority has been appointed and various scientific committee & panels are also appointed recently • Science based regulations using risk analysis for allowing various ingredients and additives

14. PFA Rules • Every package of food containing permitted artificial sweetener shall carry following i. This ------ (name of food) contains ---------- (name of artificial sweetener) ii. Not recommended for children iii. (a) Quantity of sugar added -------- gm/100gm (b) No sugar added in the product iv. Not for phenylketoneurics (if Aspartame is added) • In addition to above declaration, following declaration should also be written on packages CONTAINS ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER AND FOR CALORIE CONSCIOUS

15. Table top Sweetener • Packages of artificial sweeteners marketed as table-top sweeteners must carry following label Contains ----------- (name of artificial sweetener) Not recommended for children

16. Permitted Levels of Artificial Sweeteners • Saccharin: carbonated water 100 ppm to chocolates & Indian traditional sweets 500ppm to sugar based/sugar-free confectionery & chewing gum/bubble gum 3000ppm • Aspartame: carbonated water 700 ppm, biscuit, bread, cakes 2000 ppm, Indian sweets 200 ppm, jams jellies 1000 ppm, sugar based/free confectionery 10000, ice cream 1000 ppm, flavoured milk 600 ppm, RTE cereal 1000 ppm, still beverages 600 ppm • Acesulfame K: carbonated water 300 ppm, biscuits, cakes etc. 1000 ppm, Indian sweets 500 ppm, sugar based/free confectionery 3500 ppm, still beverages 300 ppm • Sucralose: carbonated water 300 ppm, biscuits, cakes 750 ppm, Indian sweets 750 ppm, still beverages 300 ppm, jams jellies 450 ppm, ice lollies/candies 800 ppm • Neotame: carbonated water & soft drink conc. 33 ppm • Mixture of Aspartame & Acesulfame K allowed in carbonated water, soft drink conc., & synthetic syrup for dispenser

17. Sugar Alcohols (Polyols) • Following polyols have been permitted Sorbitol Mannitol Xylitol Isomalt Lactitol Maltitol Label declaration necessary: Polyols may have laxative effect

18. Polyols permitted in different foods Sorbitol is permitted in jams, jellies, fruit cheese, fruit marmalades 3% max

19. New Regulation GSR 664 The nutritional information or nutritional facts per 100 gm or 100ml or per serving of the product shall be given on the label containing the following:- (A) energy value in kcal; (B) the amounts of protein, carbohydrate (specify quantity of sugar) and fat in gram (g); (C) the amount of any other nutrient for which a nutrition or health claim is made:

20. Thank You