Sweet Memories: A Condensed History of Sweetness

People have sweetened food since before recorded history began. The first sweetener was almost certainly honey, one of the only sweetener products provided by nature in a ready-to-use form. Sugar was first produced from sugar cane, developed from wild varieties in the East Indies, and came to the West as an expensive import. Sugar beet was know to the ancient Egyptians and the Romans, among others, but it was not until 1747 that a German chemist discovered how to extract crystals from the root -  making possible the commercial production of sugar from a crop that could be grown in temperate climates.

With sugar no longer a luxury food but an inexpensive commodity, health problems associated with its over-consumption became apparent in the 19th century. Food scientists began the long search for a substitute which would taste as sweet, but would not contribute to obesity or tooth decay.

Saccharin, a coal tar derivative 300 to 500 times as sweet cane sugar, was discovered in 1879 and is still widely manufactured and used today. Cyclamates, a group of synthetic sweeteners derived from cyclohexylamine or cyclamic acid, were discovered in 1937. Aspartame, another chemically derived sweetener 150-200 times as sweet as sucrose, was discovered in 1965.

Apart from some problems with their taste profile – they have never been able to match sugar completely – these 'intense' sweeteners cannot replace the functional properties of sugar. In many foods sugar adds bulk and texture, acts as a preservative, contributes to mouthfeel, and helps to achieve the desired texture and consistency.

Polyol sweeteners, based on starch derivatives, were developed in the 1930's to mimic these functional properties. They do not have the extreme sweetness of many low-calorie sweeteners but can be used to thicken and texturise, and are often blended with intense sweeteners for perfect results. However, some polyol sweeteners can cause digestive intolerance if consumed in large quantities.

Sorbitol – volume-wise, today's most important polyol bulk sweetener - has been used as a sweetener for diabetics since the early 1930s. The real breakthrough came with the first sugar-free confectionery products launched in the late 1970s. Those products focus on health aspects, such as reduced calorie content, tooth-friendliness, no addition of sugar, and are not specifically designed to be suitable for diabetics.

Cerestar started the Erythritol development process in the early eighties. Eridex is Cerestar's brand for Erythritol.

Eridex is a new/novel and unique bulk sweetener with a calorie value very close to zero and approximately 70% as sweet as sucrose, its small molecular size means that it is easily absorbed in the gut and does not cause digestive problems under its anticipated conditions of use.

A fermentation process using natural raw materials derived from corn was developed by Cerestar, first on laboratory scale, then on a pilot industrial scale. Commercial production of purified, high quality erythritol – initially for the Japanese market - started in 1993.