Polydextrose

[NulloModo]

Hiya,

I just figured I would share the news of a new product out that I have gotten really excited about: Polydextrose. The stuff is 10% as sweet as sugar, but bulks out near the same, and has all of the textural/cooking properties of sugar. It will melt down/carmelize, it will retain moisture in baked goods and add to that chewy mouthfeel. The best part is that it is about 90% dietary fiber, has no negative digestive side-effects (it actually supposedly aids in intestinal function), and has only 1 or 2 grams of carbs per cup.

For anyone out there looking to make very high quality low-carb baked goods, ones that taste exactly like the real thing but aren't loaded with sugar, this stuff is a godsend. I figured some of y'all who run bakeries/pastry shops, etc, might be interested in playing around with it if you make, or are planning on making, and LC baked goods as specialty items.

[ahr]

So is Splenda Granular (not Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking) a mixture of Splenda powder and polydextrose? If not, then why not?

[JSkilling]

Where did you get yours?

[Patrick S]

Splenda granular is maltodextrin and sucralose. Maltodextrin is made from corn starch, and I think its only function is as a "bulking agent." I think it is added just so that sweetness per unit volume is the equivalent to sugar.

[ladyyoung98]

personally i have no problems with splenda and baking but i do have to wonder the polydextrose.....i use spledna in just about all my baking when it is something for our own home as both my finace and myself are diabetic...so i have to wonder about that aspect of the polydextrose...is this something that a diabetic can use without running the risk of higher blood sugar levels from consuming it in something?

Edited January 14, 2005 by ladyyoung98 (log)

[Patrick S]

Yes, polydextrose does not have the same effect on blood glucose that sugar has, and in that respect is like splenda.

EDIT: Adding link to Jie et al, 200, a research article that appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This article studied the effect of polydextrose consumption in 120 volunteers, and basically shows that polydextrose is treated like fiber by the body -- and that it has basically no effect on blood glucose.

Edited January 14, 2005 by Patrick S (log)

[scott123]

So is Splenda Granular (not Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking) a mixture of Splenda powder and polydextrose?  If not, then why not?

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Like Patrick said, granular splenda is a mixture of splenda powder (sucralose) and maltodextrin.

As to why it isn't polydextrose... that's a very good question. I'm guessing that maltodextrin is probably cheaper.

From a perspective of glycemic index, polydextrose (close to 0) and maltodextrin are night and day. I would sincerely hope that maltodextrin, having a GI of 137, isn't being utilized as way of spiking blood sugar/creating cravings in order to sell more product.

Edited January 14, 2005 by scott123 (log)

[scott123]

Where did you get yours?

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So far, one of the only retail sources I've been able to come up with for polydextrose is Honeyville Grain.

This is definitely not something you find at your local supermarket. You'll find a boatload of products that contain polydextrose, but not pure polydextrose itself.

[scott123]

Btw, I'll second Nullo's glowing assessment of polydextrose. The stuff is amazing. Although similar results can be achieved by using sugar alcohols, polydextrose is cheaper, has a lower glycemic value, less carbs and less digestive issues. Not to mention all the beneficial fiber.

Even when combined with the necessary high intensity sweetener to match sugar, it's still cheaper than any sugar alcohol out there.

[NulloModo]

Yes, Polydextrose combined with liquid Splenda is far and away a better option than Granular splenda.

While Sucralose, the stuff that makes Splenda sweet, is calorie and carb free, the Maltodextrin the granular stuff is suspended in is most certainly not. Not only does it top out at over 20 sugar-carbs per cup of granular Splenda (which is bad for diabetics as well) the stuff dissapears when water hits it, doesn't retain moisture, and won't help your jams be jammy, your brownies gooey, nor your ice-cream rich and creamy and scoopable. Polydextrose, on the other hand, can do all of these things, and does it with virtually no blood sugar impact.

[Matsu]

Btw, I'll second Nullo's glowing assessment of polydextrose.  The stuff is amazing.  Although similar results can be achieved by using sugar alcohols, polydextrose is cheaper, has a lower glycemic value, less carbs and less digestive issues. Not to mention all the beneficial fiber.

Even when combined with the necessary high intensity sweetener to match sugar, it's still cheaper than any sugar alcohol out there.

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I've been getting requests to make some sugar free items for our bakery, but the 'digestive issues' is a big issue so this product sounds great. What high intensity sweetener are you using? Combined with the Polydextose, can the item be labeled sugarfree?

[NulloModo]

I've been getting requests to make some sugar free items for our bakery, but the 'digestive issues' is a big issue so this product sounds great. What high intensity sweetener are you using?  Combined with the Polydextose, can the item be labeled sugarfree?

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If you need to avoid any possibly digestive issues, most Sugar Alcohols are nixed. However, Erythritol has a unique place amongst sugar alcohols as being digested completely differently, and will not/can not induce a laxative effect.

As far as other sweeteners to you: blend multiple sweeteners to gain a much more real-sugar taste. Erythritol, Splenda (use liquid splenda if you can get it, it is cheaper in the long run, and has no carby/sugary bulkers), and Ace-K are apparently a good combo, Stevia is also quite good, and can be found in liquid form as well.

[Sebastian]

Polydextrose is what's known as a 'fiber like' material. Technically, it's not recognized as a fiber under currentl FDA methodologies (it tests to roughly 50-90% fiber); however it belongs to a class of materials that physiologically behaves like a fiber. that is, even though it's technically a carbohydrate (all fibers are), your body treats it more like a plant fiber than it does a sugar.

Polydextrose (PDX) is made from dextrose. Think of it as a chain, each link being made of dextrose. The longer those links are, the more 'fiberous' it behaves. Since the ends of that chain aren't linked to anything, those ends behave much as traditional sugars do - they'll take place in mailliard rxns, increase your blood sugar, etc. From a diabetic standpoint, many do use PDX. Bear in mind that not all PDX is created equal - there are essentially 3 grades, differing mainly in residual sugar content and chain length, ranging from 0.5% residual sugars to 10%. Danisco/Cultor is the main domestic producer of them.

Another similiar ingredient you may wish to consider is inulin. Inulin is essentially a chain (oligomer) of fructose. It's the same concept as PDX, only the links in the chains are made of fructose, not dextrose. Some refer to it as oligo-fructose (literally, chains of fructose). The same is true of differing grades of inulin as it was for PDX. I personally use inulin over PDX as it's proven to be less hygroscopic in my applications.

Both of these are very low in sweetness, but excellent bulkers. You'll likely find them very useful to work with when using erythritol. Erythritol has a very negative heat of solution (means it tastes cold when you eat it). PDX and inuln have positive heats of solution (warm up) when you eat them. When used in tandem with erythritol, they allow you to achieve the sugar like characteristics associated with a crystal (erythritol), but tone down the undesireables (usually the coldness). you're likely to still need a high intensity sweetener to boost the sweetness.

Note: while erythritol is great from a digestive tolerance standpoint (your kidneys handle 95% of it - you pee it out), because inulin and PDX are fiberous in nature, your body will treat them as such. You're not going to be presented with 'urgent' digestive issues, but there certainly will be a regularity aspect when consumed regularly.

It should also be noted that many of the 'natural' high intensity sweeteners aren't approved for use in foods in the US (stevia, thaumatin (tallen), etc). They are allowed for use in dietary suppliments, however, and tallen is allowed for use as a flavor modifier, but not as a sweetener. yeah yeah, regulatory mumbo jumbo, i know 8-)

[Sebastian]

one other note i forgot to mention - in order to be labelled sugar free, your total sugars content must be less than or equal to 0.5g of sugar / serving size (RACC as defined by the FDA). Note that sugar is not just sucrose, but all sugars (lactose, sucrose, etc).

[scott123]

I've been getting requests to make some sugar free items for our bakery, but the 'digestive issues' is a big issue so this product sounds great. What high intensity sweetener are you using?  Combined with the Polydextose, can the item be labeled sugarfree?

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Nullo hit the hammer on the head with his answer to your high intensity sweetener question and Sebastian hit the ball out of park with the regulations on labeling :)

The only thing I'd add is that erythritol, because it crystallizes easily, can't be used in every application. For instance, I made a polyd/erythritol brownie yesterday that, when out of the oven, had a smooth, fudgey texture. After refrigeration, the E reverted back and now I have crunchy sugar-like granules. The brownies are still phenomenal, but had that crystallization occured in something more delicate, it would be a different story.

Also, the quality of stevia can vary tremendously from brand to brand. If you do go the stevia route, get a good brand (talk to Nullo).

And lastly, ace k (acesulfame potassium) has a phenomenal synergy with splenda, but it's pretty nasty on it's own. Definitely use the Ace K, but keep it to a minimum (less than 5% of the sweetening mix).

I can't stress enough the importance of using multiple sweeteners. It's the only way of recreating a carbon copy of the taste of sugar and it cuts your sweetener use to a fraction due to the synergy. It's the best of both worlds - you save money and you get the best flavor.

[scott123]

Sebastion, thanks for the very informative post.

I was aware of erythritol's cooling effect but I wasn't aware of polydextrose's 'heating' effect. Fascinating.

I am well aware of PDX's hygroscopicity. I've been working with a friend to try to develop a PDX meringue cookie that's crispy. So far the results aren't looking good. I'm guessing that a PDX solution probably attracts a similar amount of water that corn syrup does. I think a crispy corn syrup meringue would be equally difficult.

Are you familiar with levoglucosan? The PDX I buy is from 0-4% levoglucosan. When I do a search, a ton of links come up, but nothing points me in a direction as to how this classifies as a carb/the extent to which it digests/metabolizes in the body.

[Boris_A]

I can't stress enough the importance of using multiple sweeteners.

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As a general remark: I remember Italian gelato recipes (in a book aimed at professionals) using multiple kind of sugars (some less sweet than saccharose). Sugar content is essential to attain consistency in a gelato, and mutliple sweeteeners can give the freedom degrees (sp?) to get the right mix of sweetness/consitency.

[Sebastian]

levoglucosan doesn't ring a bell to me..are you buying your pdx straight from the mfr, or is it being repackaged? If repackaged, perhaps they're trying to communicate that it's got a max level of 4% sugars (which is in line with cultor's litesse II, btw). I may even have some recipies at work that incorporate pdx into cookies with crunch, i'll try to remember to look them up.

Erythritol has a pretty low soluability, as someone mentioned. It seems to work ok up to about 7-10%, then you're going to get reversion back into it's crystalline state..

[Shalmanese]

Could this be the solution to the "savoury sorbet" question asked in another thread? PD without any additional sweeteners should reproduce the same texture as sorbet with only 1/10th the sweetness right?

Has anybody tried experimenting with using savoury ingredients and PD in areas which were traditionally sweet because the chemical nature of the sugar was essential (fudge, candy, caramels etc.)

[JSkilling]

Got a sample on the way to me now! Any recipe tips or places where you are seeing this used?

[scott123]

Josette, I can point you towards a few really top notch low carb recipes that use polyd.

Are you interested in polyd from a perspective of calorie reduction, carb reduction, increasing fiber, eating sugar free or something else?

[JSkilling]

Josette, I can point you towards a few really top notch low carb recipes that use polyd.

Are you interested in polyd from a perspective of calorie reduction, carb reduction, increasing fiber, eating sugar free or something else?

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Calorie reduction. Thanks.

[K8memphis]

...Stevia is also quite good, and can be found in liquid form as well.

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...It should also be noted that many of the 'natural' high intensity sweeteners aren't approved for use in foods in the US (stevia, thaumatin (tallen), etc)... 

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...Also, the quality of stevia can vary tremendously from brand to brand.  If you do go the stevia route, get a good brand (talk to Nullo)...

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I tried stevia and I apparently got some bad stuff - it was horrible!!! And let me hasten to say that I have not ventured out into any kind of sugar-free baking. This thread however is very eye-opening.

Nullo, is there a good brand of stevia???

Thanks

[Sebastian]

Due to the basic nature of stevia, it's going to have a strong, non-sweet flavor associated with it. Many people think of it as anise like. It's just the nature of the beast..

[K8memphis]

Due to the basic nature of stevia, it's going to have a strong, non-sweet flavor associated with it.  Many people think of it as anise like.  It's just the nature of the beast..

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I love anise. I mean I've had better tasting nasty medicine, y'know??