Artificial Sweeteners for Nutrition

The Four Functions of Artificial Sweetener for Nutrituion Purposes

• Improve the function of intestinal flora

Bifidobacterium (lactobacillus bifidus) is a bacteria isolated from the feces of healthy breastfed infants for the first time by Dr. Tissier of the Pasteur Institute in France in 1899. After more than 30 years of research, researchers mainly in Japan and other European countries have gradually discovered the beneficial effects of bifidobacteria on the human body, and it has become a functional food for measuring the health of the body and evaluating the improvement of gastrointestinal flora. One of the signs. Functional sugars can proliferate bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and inhibit or not proliferate Clostridium perfringens. It is Escherichia coli or Enterococcus, and Bacteroides does not proliferate or the proliferation amplitude is lower than that of bifidobacteria or lactobacilli. Therefore, it has a certain function of regulating the gastrointestinal flora. Eating foods with added functional sugars can increase the number of bifidobacteria in the intestine by hundreds of times after taking functional sugars. Bifidobacteria can not only inhibit the reproduction of pathogens, but also reduce or even completely eliminate spoilage bacteria such as Clostridium. Spoilage bacteria will produce ammonia, amine, hydrogen sulfide, indole, phenol and other harmful substances when dividing amino acids, which is one of the many reasons that cause harm to human health. Functional sugars can effectively promote the reproduction of bifidobacteria. Not only do bifidobacteria produce no harmful substances, but also organic acids such as acetic acid and lactic acid produced after their metabolism can lower the pH of the intestines and increase the activity of endogenous lysozyme. Inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria or spoilage bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Clostridium. In addition, bifidobacteria can also produce vitamin b1, vitamin b2, vitamin b6, folic acid and other vitamin substances, which play a role in maintaining human health.

• Moisturize the bowel

Commonly used substances with laxative effects are nutrition dietary fiber, sugar alcohol, and probiotics. Nutrition dietary fiber cannot be absorbed by the human body but can be partially decomposed and fermented by the intestinal flora to produce organic acids, lower the intestinal pH value, and stimulate the peristalsis of the intestinal mucosa. Food residues formed by undigested nutrition dietary fiber can change stool properties, stimulate colon movement, and promote defecation. In addition, water-soluble dietary fiber can be utilized by bacteria and can retain moisture in feces. Functional sugar cannot be digested and absorbed in the human body. It is a low molecular weight water-soluble dietary fiber, so it can be used to thin the stool and relieve constipation. Its physiological function is entirely attributed to its unique fermentation characteristics (proliferation characteristics of bifidobacteria). The feature of functional sugar over dietary fiber is that its daily demand is small, and it will not cause diarrhea within the recommended amount. It has a certain degree of sweetness, good sweetness characteristics, is easily soluble in water, does not increase the viscosity of the product, has stable physical properties, and is easy to add to processed foods and beverages.

• Enhance immunity

The results of a large number of animal experiments show that bifidobacteria multiply in the intestines and can play an anti-cancer effect. This anti-cancer effect is attributed to the cells, cell wall components and extracellular secretions of bifidobacteria that enhance the body's immunity. For example, sterile mice that are fed with a single factor of colonizing bifidobacteria have a longer life span than untreated sterile mice. Functional sugar has the function of regulating bowel movements. It can inhibit intestinal spoilage bacteria, and the spoilage products are significantly reduced and discharged in time, thus reducing the occurrence of colorectal cancer.

• Promote the absorption of minerals

Studies have shown that functional sugars have the ability to retain mineral elements such as ca, mg, fe, and zn. Functional sugars cannot be decomposed by digestive enzymes. After reaching the large intestine, the functional sugars are fermented by bifidobacteria to release mineral ions. As we all know, the latter half of the digestive tract, such as the cecum and colon, are important places where mineral elements are absorbed. In addition, the short-chain fatty acids produced by functional sugars fermented by bifidobacteria reduce the intestinal ph value. In an acidic environment, the dissolution rate of many minerals increases, which facilitates absorption. Since short-chain fatty acids can stimulate the growth of colonic membrane cells, it improves the absorption capacity of minerals. For example, the nutrition in dietary fiber can help our absorption of minerals and as well as the nutrition of maltitol syrup nutrition.