Erythritol achieves EU-wide recognition

Directive 2006/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amends previous Directives 95/2/EC and 94/35/EC to permit the use of erythritol in the same food applications as the other currently permitted polyols.

15/02/08 Erythritol has achieved formal recognition as an officially approved sweetener and food additive in all 27 European Union Member States.

European Directive 2006/52/EC obliges EU Member States to enact by today's date the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to achieve national recognition of Zerose erythritol – a versatile alternative to sugar – as an ingredient that is permitted for use to quantum satis levels in numerous food applications. As a result, the EU food industry can exercise as from today its right to use erythritol.

Directive 2006/52/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amends previous Directives 95/2/EC (on food additives other than colours and sweeteners) and 94/35/EC (on sweeteners for use in foodstuffs) to permit the use of erythritol in the same food applications as the other currently permitted polyols.
 
Directive 2006/52/EC was passed to recognise numerous technical developments that had taken place in the years following the original 1994 and 1995 Directives. Such developments included the positive findings of an in-depth study on erythritol published by The Scientific Committee on Food in March 2003. Citing that study, Directive 2006/52/EC observes that: "Erythritol has many technological non-sweetening properties that are important in a wide range of foods, from confectionery to dairy products. These include functions such as flavour enhancer, carrier, humectant, stabiliser, thickener, bulking agent and sequestrant."
 
Erythritol has also been approved (and is successfully marketed by Cargill) in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. As from today, 27 EU countries now join the list.

According to Cargill, compared with other polyols, their Zerose erythritol demonstrates many unique and valuable characteristics, principally the fact that it contributes virtually zero calories (pending the conclusion of the regulatory discussion within the EU institutions that began in January) to final food formulations, and has been shown to display a higher digestive tolerance. Additionally, since it is not fermented in the oral cavity, it is toothfriendly and accredited as such by Toothfriendly International.
 
Since erythritol does not raise blood glucose or insulin levels, it serves as a useful sugar alternative for the growing number of people with diabetic and pre-diabetic conditions.
 
Cargill says it has played a key role in pushing forward regulatory approval for erythritol, marshalling more than a decade of experience in its use and manufacture. Since the 1980s, Cargill has built an international /database of manufacturing, food safety and application evidence to support the use of Zerose erythritol as a new non-caloric bulk sweetener and food ingredient, with unique properties compared to other polyols and sweeteners. Today, Zerose erythritol forms a key part of the Cargill Food Ingredients and Systems portfolio, which offers the broadest range of sweetness options on the market for the EMEA regions.
 
Cargill Health & Nutrition EMEA Head of Marketing, Henry Hussell, says: "Today's consumers have very high expectations of the food they eat, both in terms of healthy ingredients and great taste. Food manufacturers now have a new opportunity to meet those expectations with Zerose(tm) erythritol, thanks to this latest regulatory development."
 
With a sweetness intensity 60-70% that of sucrose, Zerose erythritol can be used on its own (or in combination with higher intensity sweeteners) as a bulk sweetener in a wide range of low-calorie indulgence foods, including bakery items, dairy-based desserts and, in particular, confectionery items.
 
Here Zerose erythritol is already gaining favour as a key ingredient in chewing gum (aided by its pleasant cooling effect on dissolution), and in chocolate, where it can be combined synergistically with Cargill Maltidex maltitol to create authentic-tasting products that are capable of achieving a valuable 'reduced calorie' nutritional claim.
 
Plus, thanks to its high stability and low hygroscopicity, Zerose erythritol can help to produce foods with an extended shelf life.
 
Erythritol is a substance that naturally occurs at low levels in many fruits, and at higher levels in fermented foods such as soy sauce, cheese, wine and beer.
 
Cargill's manufacturing process is derived in the same way that lactic acid bacteria convert milk into cheese or yoghurt, employing a commonly-found micro-organism to ferment sugar into Zerose erythritol. After fermentation, erythritol is filtered, crystallized and dried to produce a highly pure and sweet tasting powder.