Natural sweetness enhancer

TODAY’S trend is to minimise the number of ingredients in manufactured food and keep it all natural. To achieve this goal, manufacturers are developing products with high intensity sweeteners such as stevia, but are sometimes held back because HIS can bring an undesirable bitter and metallic aftertaste to the product.

To overcome this issue, Naturex has developed Talin?, a natural flavour enhancer and taste modifier. Talin, based on thaumatin – extracted from the katemfe fruit (Thaumatococcus daniellii) from West Africa – when combined with stevia (extract blends or Reb A) results in a cleaner, sweeter taste with little or no aftertaste.

Two independent studies were conducted using trained sensory panels to define the effect thaumatin has on the taste profile of Reb A and stevia extract (SG95) blends. Samples were assessed using Time Intensity and Quantitative Descriptive Analysis. Samples of 97% Purity Reb A and SG95 were analysed using model beverage systems at pH3 and pH4. Inclusion levels of 400ppm Reb A and 475ppm SG95 were deemed approximately equisweet and the effect of low ppm doses of thaumatin observed.

The time intensity study assessed solutions twice, firstly for sweetness and secondly for bitterness using the same scale. 'Bitterness' was defined as the characteristic dark liquorice and bitter notes or, more simply, the taste that was neither sweet nor acid. The QDA identified nine different discriminating attributes: initial sweetness, inmouth bitterness, in-mouth acidity, artificial flavour, liquorice, bitter aftertaste, sweetness aftertaste, acidic aftertaste, and drying / astringency.

The results demonstrate that the addition of between 0.5 and 1ppm thaumatin to 400ppm Reb A and between 1 and 2ppm for stevia blends considerably changes the bitterness perception and taste profile. The total perceived sweetness is also slightly increased and with increasing pH, as the sweetness perception of stevia reduces, the increase is more marked. These effects can be seen clearly from the following graphs and illustrate how the two techniques complement each other and deliver a more complete picture of the profile together.

Thaumatin is approved as a sweetener in the European Union (E957) and United States (FEMA GRAS 3732). It isKids Running Shoes