Nestlé found a way to reduce sugar content in chocolate by 40% without losing taste

Chemists from Nestlé announced an important discovery : they managed to find a new formula for chocolate mixture, in which the sugar content was reduced by 40%, but the taste buds on the tongue do not feel the loss of sweet taste.

Dark chocolate takes the 7th place in the list of the most significant products that have a positive effect on the brain. It contains a set of bioflavonoids, antioxidants, the hormone phenylethylamine, uplifting and enhancing clarity of mind. As a result, chocolate stimulates the brain and temporarily enhances a person’s cognitive abilities. The only problem is that manufacturers often add to the chocolate an excess amount of sucrose, known in everyday life as "sugar". The molecule of sucrose is quickly broken down in the digestive tract into glucose and fructose, 50% to 50%.

Glucose is extremely important for the life of the whole organism. For the brain, glucose is the only kind of "fuel." It is not just a source of energy for the functioning of neurons, but also a kind of weak "semi-nootropic". Glucose is instantly absorbed and carried by blood throughout the body.
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Unfortunately, with an excessive concentration of glucose and fructose in the body, a number of destructive processes occur, including transcriptome and epigenome reprogramming of gene networks in the brain . In particular, changes occur in the gene networks of the hypothalamus (the main metabolic center of the brain) and the hippocampus (it regulates learning and memory).

Perhaps it is due to gene changes that excessive sugar consumption increases the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Alzheimer's disease and many other diseases. Excessive glucose increases the concentration of cholesterol and glucose in the blood, changes the permeability of the artery walls, contributes to the rapid development of atherosclerosis, irritates the insular apparatus of the pancreas. Fructose is processed only in the liver and, if used excessively, can be deposited in the form of fat deposits in the liver (fatty hepatosis).

As a result, when sugar is added, chocolate is transformed from a useful and important product into a harmful one, which seriously disrupts the functioning of the brain. This is a big problem for modern society, because food manufacturers are used to adding huge amounts of glucose and fructose to almost all products, especially carbonated drinks and sweets. Not understanding the enormous harm of excess sugar for the body, people consume sugar in large quantities. For example, a liter of Tarhun carbonated drink contains 111 grams of sugar, a liter of grape juice - 163 grams, a liter of liqueur - 530 grams, a liter of sweet tea - up to 100 grams of sugar (if you add 3 teaspoons per 200 ml cup). But many people drink such drinks literally in liters, instead of water. In addition, the food industry plentifully adds sugar to breakfast cereals, fast food (chips, other snacks),

Reducing the amount of fructose and glucose consumed by humans is one of the main tasks of modern dietetics and health care in general, because excessive sugar consumption has already begun to threaten the health of some nations of the world, especially in developed countries. That is why the discovery of Nestlé is such a significant event.

Sweetness is usually associated with the presence of sugars, but the same sensation arises from glycerol, some protein substances, amino acids. One of the chemical carriers of the "sweet" are hydroxo groups in large organic molecules (sugars), as well as polyols - sorbitol and xylitol.

Nestlé scientists have found a way to structure sugar in a different way in the chocolate mixture, speeding up its dissolution and, accordingly, increasing the effect on taste buds. Thus, even a smaller amount of sugar affects the taste buds with the same strength, but causes much less damage to the body.

The company has already started to apply for a “fast-dissolving sugar” patent and intends to include it in the range of its products starting from 2018. Nestlé promises to tell you more about the invention next year.

The sweets manufacturer emphasizes that this research is part of a public promise to reduce the sugar content in foods and beverages. The company began implementing the plan in 2015, at the end of the year reducing the content of added sugar in food and beverages by 18,000 tons, that is, by 4.1%. Together with partners from the fast food industry, the company continues to work on formulas and dosages of a quick breakfast in order to reduce the amount of added sugar in one serving to 9 grams.

The initiative of Nestlé and other fast-food manufacturers is welcome. Before corporations operated by other methods. Some experts believe that food companies specifically tried to manipulate scientific research in their favor, including understating the role of sugar and exaggerating the role of fat in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Some of the corporations still continue behind the scenes intrigue. Most recently , Coca-Cola and the producers of sweets Butterfingers, Hershey and Skittles tried to influence nutritional research.

Producers of sugar and fast food are found to have an impact on the state dental research program. In general, the main goal was to hide from the public the fact that excessive sugar consumption is associated with an increased risk of not only caries, but also of many chronic diseases.

At the moment, Nestlé's KitKat chocolate bar contains 23.8 g of sugar, Yorkie milk chocolate - 26.9 g. With a decrease of 40%, the amount of sugar will decrease to 14.3 g and 16.1 g, respectively.

According to the recommendations on nutrition, a person should receive from the added sugar no more than 10% of all calories. In sugar, 387 kcal per 100 grams, which is 20−27 kcal per teaspoon of 5−7 grams. A liter of sweet carbonated drink per day is already a significant excess of the rate of added sugar, even without taking into account sugar, which is added to bread, a loaf and other food products. In principle, the added sugar can be completely abandoned in the diet, because the necessary carbohydrate rate is easily obtained from cereal, bread, fruits, vegetables and other normal foods. In this case, the health risk will be minimized.