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Cargill welcomes EU-wide erythritol recognition

MECHELEN, BELGIUM - 15 February 2008 - Cargill’s polyol sweetener Zerose™ erythritol today achieves formal recognition as an officially approved sweetener and food additive in all 27 European Union Member States¹.

European Directive 2006/52/EC² 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.

Compared with other polyols, Zerose™ erythritol demonstrates many unique and valuable characteristics, principally the fact that it contributes virtually zero calories³ (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 tolerance⁴. Additionally, since it is not fermented in the oral cavity, it is toothfriendly and accredited as such by Toothfriendly International⁵.

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 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™ erythritol, thanks to this latest regulatory development.”

Zerose™ erythritol: just like sugar, but without the calories

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.

Zerose™ erythritol is a fermentation product

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.

Background to the legislation

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.

For more information on Zerose™ erythritol visit www.zerosesweetener.com

Footnotes

¹Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdoms.
²See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:204:0010:0022:EN:PDF
³“The Committee confirms the caloric value of erythritol to be less than 0.9 kJ/g (or less than 0.2 kcal/g) for daily intakes not exceeding 25 g/day.” Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food on Erythritol, European Commission Health & Consumer Protection Directorate-General, 5 March 2003. (See http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scf/out175_en.pdf)
⁴“Erythritol does have a laxative effect, but at higher doses than other polyols. The NOEL for the laxative effect of erythritol in humans is around 0.5 g/kg bw for a single dose.” Ibid
⁵See http://www.toothfriendly.ch

Editor’s Notes:

For further information on the implementation of Directive 2006/52/EC in EU Member States, and the application of EU Food Law to erythritol, please contact Yves le Bail-Collet, Director of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Europe at Cargill. Telephone +32 (0) 22 57 06 69.

Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 158,000 employees in 66 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com.

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