Not so sticky solutions from Cerestar

French starch and derivatives producer, now under the aegis of agribusiness giant Cargill, has launched a new sweetener that 'could help manufacturers of sugar-free sweets to revolutionise packaging solutions, '​ claims the company this week.

Michel Gonze at Cerestars Application Centre Food and Pharma said: "Traditionally, sugar-free hard sweets have had to be wrapped immediately to prevent them from absorbing moisture from the air. With the sweeteners that have been used in the past, loose confectionery quickly becomes sticky, congealing together and unattractive to the consumer.​

C*Isomaltidex neatly avoids this problem with very low hygroscopicity (water absorption) to keep its original glass qualities. "​

Available in two forms, C* Isomatidex 16500 a pure crystalline isomalt suitable for hard sweets, and C*Isomaltidex16510 an extension of Cerestar's​ maltitol syrup, the product is the latest addition to Cerestar's range of polyols - non-cariogenic sweeteners derived from starches.

It aims to build on benefits already seen in polyols such as maltitol, which offers a sugar-like taste with only 2.4 kcals/g but is prone to stickiness - and isomalt, which avoids stickiness but presents workability issues in the manufacturing process.

Gonze added: "C*Isomaltidex is ideal for manufacturers of hard sweetswho have to store their confectionery in hot and humid environments. If any part of the manufacturing, storage, delivery, sales or consumption process takes part in a warm country, then C*Isomatidex canpreventing confectionery from spoiling without having to wrap them."​