Digestive impact of using rare sugars in sucrose-containing and sucrose-free food systems

Food manufacturers are being tasked to reduce the added sugar content of products by Public Health England as the 2015 Scientific Advisory Committee for Nutrition (SACN) report linked sugar consumption to increased risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Rare but natural sugars have the potential to serve as functional sweeteners as they are safe, sweet and have a mild taste. Studies have shown that combining these rare sugars with sucrose or fructose in water or corn syrup have nutritional benefits, such as prevention of Type 2 Diabetes and improvement of lipid metabolism. However, the taste and liking within snacks, confections and beverages is unknown alongside the impact on glycaemia and associated endocrine status in humans. Thus the aim of the project is to investigate sensorial properties in sucrose-containing and sucrose-free model food systems and the impact of these model foods on postprandial metabolism - glycaemic response, insulin response, and post ingestive incretin response. This study will inform industry regarding the practical feasibility of reducing sugar content in foods and drinks.