On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1252

structure(aldehydegroup)thatinitiatesthe
browningreactionswitheachotherandwith
aminoacids,sotheyhavethesometimes
usefulpropertyofbeingresistantto
discolorationandflavorchangeswhenheated
tomakeconfections.
Intensive Sweeteners Though most of the
intensive sweeteners that we consume today
were synthesized in industrial laboratories, a
numberofthemoccurinnatureandhavebeen
enjoyed for centuries. Glycyrrhizin or
glycyrrhizic acid, a compound found in
licorice root, is 50–100 times sweeter than
sucrose, and is the reason that licorice was
firstmadeintoasweetbyextractingtheroot
in hot water, then boiling down the extract.
The sweetness of the extract builds slowly in
the mouth and lingers. And the leaves of a
South American plant commonly known as
stevia,Stevia rebaudiana, have been used for
centuriesinitshomelandtosweetenmatétea.


Itsactiveingredient,stevioside,isavailablein
a purified powdered form. Neither it nor the
planthasbeenapprovedbytheU.S.FDAasa
food additive, so they’re sold as dietary
supplements.
Intensivesweetenersoftenhavesome
flavorqualitiesthatmakethemimperfect
replacementsfortablesugar.Forexample,

saccharinhasametallicaftertasteandcan
seembitter;steviosidehasawoodyaftertaste.Manyareslowerthantablesugarto
triggerthesensationofsweetness,andtheir
tastepersistslongerafterswallowing.The
relativesweetnessofthesesweeteners
actuallygoesdownastheirindividual
concentrationgoesup,whilecombiningthem
producesasynergisticeffect.So
manufacturersoftenusetwoormoreto
minimizetheiroddqualitiesandmaximize
theirtasteintensity.
Aspartame,asyntheticcombinationoftwo
aminoacids,isthemostwidelyused