The understanding of the erythritol industry starts from the source first. We were fortunate to contact the famous domestic sugar substitute producer - Yuxin Sugar Alcohol Co. LTD by email and interviewed and communicated with Ning Jun, the expert of Henan Yuxin Sugar Alcohol Ltd by Tencent Conference on July 21, 2022.
Henan Yuxin Sugar Alcohol Ltd has been established for nearly thirty years, focusing on the sugar alcohol industry. Yuxin's industrial chain has been gradually expanded and has now developed into a comprehensive production enterprise covering sugar alcohol products such as xylose, xylitol, erythritol, maltitol, L-arabinose, and compound sugar (alcohol).
In addition, Ning introduced us to the development of the company and the basic production line. Then, we introduced the general content of the subject to her, she also gave us some suggestions on the design and application of the subject. She mentioned that there are still many difficulties to overcome if the possibility of practical application is considered. First of all, the main site of probiotics in the human body is the colon, and getting the engineered probiotics to reach the colon is a key issue we need to consider.
Moreover, the choice of delivery method is important. The metabolism of erythritol in the human body is special in that about 90% of the ingested erythritol will be excreted through human urine, and only less than 10% will reach the colon site. Because of the small amount, whether it can meet the carbon source demand for probiotic colonization needs to be further explored. In addition, if genetically modified probiotics are moved to industrial production, the safety assessment must be filed with the National Center for Food Safety, and the safety performance of the strain is not questionable until it is approved.
In response to the questions she raised, we also gave feedback on the later design of the project.
After learning about the industrial production of erythritol, we wanted to learn more about the application of erythritol in beverage production. We were honored to contact Genki Forest (Beijing) Food Technology Group Ltd and visited Genki Forest's forest factory in Dujiangyan on August 22, 2022, and had a pleasant conversation with experts from Genki Forest Research Institute.
Founded in 2016, Genki Forest is a well-known innovative food and beverage enterprise with independent research and development and independent design in China, with the vision of "integrating global resources to create good products with love for global users ", and has won the title of national high-tech enterprise. It has many lines of products such as Genki Forest Sparkling Water. Now it has covered more than 30 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions, and exported to more than 40 countries and regions such as the United States, Japan, and Singapore.
Genki Forest Dujiangyan Forest Factory is located in Dujiangyan, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. With the concept of "intelligent technology and industrial tourism", it is the fifth self-built factory of Genki Forest, which was put into production this year.
We were warmly welcomed by Factory Director Liu and the doctors of Genki Forest Research Institute. Firstly, we took a tour of the Genki Forest beverage production line. We learned that the whole process can be completed in the production line, from the production of bottle embryos and blowing bottles, to the dosing, dissolving, blending, ultra-high temperature sterilization, and aseptic sealing of the drinks, and then to the boxing and transportation. The factory adopts the advanced aseptic carbonic acid cold filling process, which can achieve sterilization while retaining the flavor of the beverage to the greatest extent. At the same time, the carbonic acid in the beverage has an anti-bacterial effect, which can reduce or even eliminate the use of preservatives.
Then, we talked with the doctors from the Genki Forest Research Institute about industrial production and health issues related to erythritol.
What is the superiority of erythritol compared to other chemical synthetic sweeteners and other natural sugar substitutes?
In terms of health and industry, erythritol has these advantages.
1. erythritol is the only sugar alcohol sweetener that can be labeled as zero calories and has a lower GI value.
2. the human body has a high tolerance for erythritol. About 90% of the erythritol consumed is absorbed by the small intestine and excreted through the urinary system, and about 10% is involved in the physiological functions of the body, which has a higher safety level compared to other sugar substitutes. Therefore, there is almost no quantitative requirement for erythritol in all countries in terms of food safety. Diarrhea is a common side effect of sugar alcohol sweeteners, the essence of which is osmotic pressure. The higher concentration of erythritol in the intestine causes water to enter the intestine, so it has the effect of laxatives or even causes diarrhea. In addition, erythritol has positive effects of anti-caries and antioxidants by scavenging hydroxyl radicals in the body.
3. Erythritol is stable in the process of food and beverages and does not participate in the Murad reaction. It can also enrich the taste and add color to the products (especially tea drinks).
What is the superiority of erythritol compared to other chemical synthetic sweeteners and other natural sugar substitutes?
Except for the advantages mentioned before, we choose erythritol because its sweetness is similar to sucrose (about 70%) and it is easy to control the amount added. The high sweetener is unrealistically sweet and potentially harmful to health. As you can see by reading the ingredient list of our drinks, we also mix other natural high-power sweeteners (steviol glycosides, rosmarinic acid glycosides) or dietary fiber to increase the taste of our drinks during the development process.
Then, we asked the doctors about their suggestions for improving the SCU-China project "Long-term colonization of probiotic intestinal tract based on sugar-independent ecological niches".
First, we asked whether the concentration of erythritol in the colorectum is sufficient for bacterial colonization when we usually drink drinks sweetened with erythritol and whether other side effects need to be considered. The answer is that there is no limit to erythritol intake in theory, but the human tolerance of erythritol and the effect of the additive amount on the taste still need us to conduct experiments to verify. What’s more, they reminded us to pay attention to the relationship and conflict between erythritol as a carbon source and glucose, and notice the metabolism of erythritol by other bacteria.
Finally, we discussed together the problems that the subject could encounter in the commercialization process. The doctor's concluded that there is no precedent of an engineered probiotic health food going to market worldwide due to the more stringent review of health food products, and our engineered probiotic colonization platform is more suitable for development towards drugs. Meanwhile, in terms of product safety, we need to pay more attention to the metabolic toxicity and specificity of EryD. In terms of carbon source supply, synthesizing erythritol from the front end by biological methods might also be a more efficient idea. Given the questions they raised, we also gave feedback on the later project design.
SCU-China
What do you think is the current market situation of erythritol in China? What is the advantage of erythritol compared with other sugar substitutes (such as aspartame, sucralose, xylitol, etc.) in the market, and why is it so hot at present?
Ning
At present, sugar substitutes in the domestic market can be divided into two categories: sugar substitutes with filler sugar alcohols and high sweeteners. The filler sugar substitutes are less sweet, and the sweetness of the sweetest xylitol is close to that of sucrose, while the sweetness of erythritol is only 60-70% of sucrose. The other category is high sweeteners, the national standard 2760 (GB 2760 "Food Safety National Standard for the Use of Food Additives") contains about 20 types of high-frequency sweeteners, and their sweetness is about hundreds or thousands of times that of sucrose. The amount of erythritol used in food processing will be small, and compared with sugar alcohols it will be more cost-effective.
It is also important that since the appearance of xylitol, consumers have built up a high level of health awareness of sugar alcohols and the market foundation is very good. For erythritol, its unique advantage is that it is "zero calories", while calories of other sugar alcohols are about 10kJ/g.
SCU-China
Which downstream enterprises will purchase erythritol?
Ning
From the domestic market, the main application areas are still in beverages. Besides, there are confectionery, bakery, jam, and even toothpaste, mouthwash, toothpicks, etc. are being used. Except for infant products and products that are not allowed to be used according to national standards, all other products can be added, and there is no restriction on the amount to be added.
SCU-China
What do you think about the future development of erythritol?
Ning
The fever should not subside, but will tend to flatten out. As people's knowledge of sugar substitutes grows, when it comes to "diet", "low sugar", and "zero fat and zero calories" food, people will not always have a new feeling. At the same time, there will be more different categories of products, people will have more diverse choices, not just erythritol.