Smith, Alison
(2024)
Glycaemic and sensory impacts of using rare sugars in reformulated sucrose-containing foods.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
Non-communicable diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease present a large and growing global health burden. These conditions share common risk factors, and the primary recommended action to reduce risk is dietary and lifestyle change, including reducing intake of energy and free sugars.
Rare sugars are “monosaccharides and their derivatives that hardly exist in nature”. They have the potential to be useful tools in the reformulation of sweet foods to reduce their sucrose and energy content, as they have similar sweetness and functional properties to sucrose and are lower in calories. There is increasing evidence that they could have additional health benefits in reducing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, there have been few studies into the sensory properties of reformulated foods containing rare sugars. Understanding of the mechanisms by which rare sugars may exert their beneficial effects is limited, and their effectiveness when used in reformulated products is unknown.
This project aimed to study the sensory qualities and metabolic effects of rare sugars when used as part of a reformulated sweet crème product containing fat and sucrose. We carried out detailed investigations of the sensory properties of sweet crème products containing rare sugars. We then carried out a clinical study in healthy participants to investigate the effect of reformulated products containing rare sugars on plasma glucose, insulin and gut hormones, subjective hunger and appetite sensations and subsequent food intake. We also conducted in vitro studies in a rat hepatoma cell line (McA-RH7777) to investigate the mechanisms by which rare sugars may reduce the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Our sensory study found that products containing inclusions of 12.2 to 33.3% allulose, tagatose or arabinose (in addition to 33.3% sucrose) were not significantly different in perceived sweetness from products containing similar amounts of sucrose. The textural and taste attributes of products in which 50% of the sucrose had been replaced with rare sugars were not significantly different from a full-sucrose product.
In our double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover clinical study, products in which 40% of the sucrose had been replaced with rare sugars were found to elicit lower plasma glucose and insulin responses, and to stimulate the release of GLP-1 and reduce GIP release compared to the full-sucrose product. The products containing rare sugars were no less satiating, and did not increase the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms, compared to full sucrose products.
When McA-RH7777 cells were exposed to rare sugars in a lipogenic environment, we observed no reduction in lipid accumulation, suggesting that the in vivo effects of rare sugars to reduce hepatic steatosis are mediated by systemic changes rather than a direct effect on hepatocytes.
The findings from this thesis suggest that the rare sugars tagatose and arabinose are suitable candidates for the replacement of sucrose in sweet products, and may confer health benefits not only by reducing the intake of energy and sugars, but also by reducing the insulin response, stimulating the release of GLP-1 and inhibiting GIP release.
| Item Type: |
Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
(PhD)
|
| Supervisors: |
Jethwa, Preeti
Avery, Amanda
Yang, Qian
Ford, Rebecca |
| Keywords: |
Rare sugars; Sensory evaluation; Metabolic effects; Sucrose replacement |
| Subjects: |
T Technology > TX Home economics |
| Faculties/Schools: |
UK Campuses > Faculty of Science > School of Biosciences |
| Item ID: |
79499 |
| Depositing User: |
Smith, Alison
|
| Date Deposited: |
13 Dec 2024 04:40 |
| Last Modified: |
20 Dec 2024 08:34 |
| URI: |
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/79499 |
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