Next generation sugar for functional drinks

New study defines physiological benefits of slow release carbohydrate WITH fatigue and lack of energy ranking in the top two health concerns among consumers worldwide, the beverage market has seen a significant rise in sports and energy drink beverages. Demand for water-based flavoured drinks, including "sport," "energy," or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks is similarly on the rise in the Middle East, where the need for rehydration is even more essential. Requirements for the isomaltulose, Palatinose, are similarly on the rise, noted Beneo-Orafti at the recent Gulfood in Dubai, as it is the only low glycaemic carbohydrate on the market. Isomaltulose provides the same amount of the energy as sucrose, but is digested more slowly, leading to lower and slower increases in blood glucose when compared to sucrose. It thus provides prolonged energy in the form of glucose - essential for body and brain. Its sugar-like taste overcomes the artificial taste usually associated with energy drinks. Palatinose is adisaccharide carbohydrate derived from sucrose. It differs from sugar in its linkage between the glucose and the fructose units (α-1,6 instead of α-1,2 glucosidic in sucrose). Earlier enzyme kinetic studies have shown that the linkage in this isomaltulose is much more slowly digested by the enzymes of the small intestine than the linkage in readily available sugars like sucrose or maltose. Physiological benefits In new research in a recent online version of British Journal of Nutrition¹, Beneo's Palatinose disaccharide carbohydrate has also been shown to offer distinct physiological benefits, following a detailed series of human studies. Researcher s led by Ines Holub sought to expand scientific knowledge of physiological characteristics of the slow intestinal release isomaltulose by a set of three human intervention trials to investigate the following: ● Whether Palatinose would be fully digestible and available from foods and drinks in humans ● Whether the slow release of the isomaltulose led to complete digestion and absorption and how this would be reflected in its blood glucose response ● What the acceptance and tolerance of Palatinose consumption would be over a longer period of time in the human metabolism, in comparison with sucrose. Acompletely avail able carbohydrate To assess the digestibility, investigations in a human ileostomy study were carried out at the University of Würzburg, Germany. This is the first study on the digestion and absorption of the disaccharide carbohydrate in humans and confirms data from earlier in vitro and animal studies that it is a completely available carbohydrate. It confirmed that Palatinose is indeed essentially fully digested and absorbed from the small intestine, irrespective of its consumption with food or beverages. The study concludes that digestibility and absorption of 50g of the isomaltulose in two different food applications was essentially complete. "Apparent digestibility of 50 g [isomaltulose] from two different meals was 95.5 and 98.8 %; apparent absorption was 93.6 and 96.1 %, respectively," Holub et al. write. Prolonged blood glucos e delivery 'Rosbacher Drive' (Germany) a carbonated mineral water drink flavoured with grape, pomegranate juice and Palatinose aims to improve reaction and concentration The second study was carried out to find out whether the slow yet complete digestion and absorption of isomaltulose would be reflected in its blood glucose response. For this purpose, a three-hour blood glucose response test was done in healthy adults at the PROFIL Institute in Neuss, Germany. This showed a significantly lower blood glucose and insulin response for Palatinose in comparison to sucrose andjordan Release Dates