The present invention relates to a sweetener composition for food use, particularly for bakery and ice cream products.

The use of sugar in pastry and ice cream preparations is a custom which is now discouraged by all the most authoritative medical-nutritional sources due to its harmful effect on our health from many points of view.

However, sugar has some chemical-physical characteristics which are indispensable for the success of many confectionery products. For this reason, sugar substitutes have been developed, such as stevia, maltitol and chemical sweeteners such as cyclamates, aspartame, saccharin and the like.

However, known sweetener products used to replace sugar have many disadvantages. These include the chemical-physical behavior of the "substitute" substances, which during baking or freezing penalize the quality, flavor and often the success of the final product; the "aftertaste" that is perceived by the end user, compromising the organoleptic aspect of the product; the attention to the mere caloric aspect, without often taking into account the glycemic response given by the "substitute".

The aim of the present invention is to provide a sweetener composition, particularly suitable for pastry and ice cream preparations, capable of overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of the background art.

In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide a sweetener composition that exhibits a thermostable behavior at low and high temperatures, which makes it suitable for food preparations for pastry and ice cream.

Another object of the sweetener composition according to the invention is to preserve the organoleptic properties of the food product, thus avoiding the onset of aftertastes that are unpleasant to the palate.

This aim and these and other objects are achieved by the sweetener composition for food use according to claim 1. The preferred ways of carrying out the invention are described in the remaining claims.

Compared to known sweetener compositions, the one according to the present invention offers the advantage of excellent thermostability, as well as a taste that is practically identical to saccharose, such as to make it particularly suitable and effective in the preparation of pastry and ice cream products. In particular, the composition according to the invention offers the important advantage in the production of bakery products of not having variations in taste and consistency, contributing also to the extension of shelf life in pastry preparations (making it particularly suitable also for the preparation of wafers and other crispy products), and the advantage of lowering the freezing point, giving particular softness and spreadability to ice cream products.

A further advantage offered by the composition according to the invention is represented by its taste, which is very close to that of sugar and devoid of aftertaste.

The composition according to the invention also has the advantage of exhibiting a low caloric intake, a low glycemic impact of all its components, a beneficial effect on the intestinal microbiota (now proven to be a fundamental element for the well-being of the body but compromised by the use of traditional chemical sweetener products), as well as the advantage of being composed entirely of substances present in nature.

This aim and these and other objects, advantages and characteristics are apparent from the following description of some preferred methods for providing the composition according to the invention, given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example.

The composition according to the invention is characterized in that it consists of a powdered mixture of trehalose and erythritol.

Trehalose is a disaccharide with chemical formula C12H22O11 having a la- l'a glycosidic bond by condensation between two glucose molecules. It is part of the family of carbohydrates or glucides. Erythritol is a sweetener of natural origin (it is found in grapes, pears, melons) belonging to the category of polyalcohols.

It is indicated on the label with the code E968 or listed in full in view of its good nutritional reputation.

Its sweetening power is equal to 60%-70% with respect to saccharose. Practically without calories.

The inventor has now found that the combination of trehalose and erythritol, particularly in a mixture of 50% to 60% by weight of trehalose and 40% to 50% by weight of erythritol for leavened baked products, and in a mixture of 80% to 85% by weight of trehalose and 15% to 20% by weight of erythritol for ice creams and sorbets, surprisingly offers an improved thermostability with respect to the individual components taken separately, which make their mixture particularly suitable for ice cream and pastry preparations, moreover in the complete absence of any aftertaste, capable of altering the organoleptic qualities of the food to be sweetened.

Hereinafter, some examples of sweetener compositions according to the invention are shown in which the percentages are given by weight.

EXAMPLE 1 - Sweetener composition for leavened baked products

Trehalose 60%

Erythritol 40%

EXAMPLE 2 - Sweetener composition for ice creams and sorbets

Trehalose 85%

Erythritol 15%

The compositions of the previous examples have been compared, with regard to their thermostable and organoleptic behavior, with the individual constituents trehalose and erythritol.

In particular, for bakery products the thermostability of the compositions according to the invention has been evaluated with reference, in the production of bakery products, to the preservation of the structural integrity and homogeneity of the dough of the product and to the slowing of the retrogradation of starches which contributes to the extension of shelf life as well as to the absence of aftertaste.

For ice creams and sorbets, the thermal stability of the composition according the invention was evaluated with regard to the spreadability of the ice cream (i.e., the preservation of a greater "softness" and viscosity) and the lowering of the freezing point with an increase in resistance to melting (which improve the texture of the product).

Finally, the organoleptic qualities of the confectionery and ice cream product were evaluated by submitting them to a test in which ten people took part and expressed their level of satisfaction. Four different preparations, i.e., cheesecake, brioche, apple pie and ice cream were chosen in the test.

The quantities of the composition according to the invention that were used in the tests are equivalent to those of sugar, normally used for these preparations.

CHEESECAKE

- WITH TREHALOSE ONLY: FOR 7 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT WAS NOT VERY SWEET. FOR THE REMAINING 3 IT WAS ACCEPTABLE

- WITH ERYTHRITOL ONLY: FOR ALL 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT HAD AN AFTERTASTE

- WITH A MIXTURE OF 60% TREHALOSE AND 40% ERYTHRITOL (EXAMPLE 1) THE PRODUCT WAS PRACTICALLY PERFECT

BRIOCHE

- WITH TREHALOSE ONLY: FOR 8 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT WAS NOT VERY SWEET. FOR THE OTHER 2 IT WAS ACCEPTABLE

- WITH ERYTHRITOL ONLY: FOR ALL 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT WAS TOO SWEET AND HAD AN AFTERTASTE

- WITH A MIXTURE OF 60% TREHALOSE AND 40% ERYTHRITOL (EXAMPLE 1) THE PRODUCT WAS PRACTICALLY PERFECT.

APPLE PIE

- WITH TREHALOSE ONLY: FOR 6 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT WAS NOT VERY SWEET, FOR THE REMAINING 4 IT WAS ACCEPTABLE

- WITH ERYTHRITOL ONLY: FOR ALL 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT IS TOO SWEET AND HAS A PUNGENT TASTE

- WITH A MIXTURE OF 60% TREHALOSE AND 40% ERYTHRITOL (EXAMPLE 1): FOR ALL 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT WAS PRACTICALLY PERFECT

ICE CREAM

- WITH TREHALOSE ONLY: FOR 5 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT WAS NOT VERY SWEET, FOR THE REMAINING 5 IT WAS ACCEPTABLE

- WITH ERYTHRITOL ONLY: FOR ALL 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT HAD A “PUNGENT” TASTE

- WITH A MIXTURE OF 85% TREHALOSE AND 15% ERYTHRITOL (EXAMPLE 2): FOR ALL 10 PEOPLE THE PRODUCT IS PRACTICALLY PERFECT The table above shows that the composition according to the invention allows the dough to maintain structural integrity and unaltered taste up to 200°C. This result is not achieved instead by the components taken separately, since with erythritol the structure as well as the taste tend to change at 170°C, while trehalose alone allows a higher baking temperature to the detriment of the sweet taste.

In the case of ice creams, it is also noted that the simultaneous presence of trehalose and erythritol brings the freezing point below the temperature at which there is formation of ice, which is harmful for the spreadability and viscosity of the product.

In order to also give the compositions according to the invention a beneficial effect on the intestinal microbiota, and completely eliminate any possible aftertaste, inulin, having formula CenHion+zOsn+i is further added to the mixture of trehalose and erythritol described above.

Inulin is a nutritional factor with a very low caloric intake because it is resistant to the digestive action (of human beings) and therefore impossible to absorb.

Although it is a fructose-based polymer, it belongs to the category of unavailable glucides, since the digestive enzymes released by the salivary glands and pancreas, as well as those present on the mucosa of the small intestine, are unable to break the (P-l,2-glycosidic) chemical bonds that bind the fructose monomers.

In the compositions according to the invention that contain inulin, 50% to 60% by weight of trehalose, 35% to 40% by weight of erythritol and 2% to 5% by weight of inulin are present for leavened baked products.

In the case of ice cream preparations, the composition according to the invention comprises 80% to 85% by weight of trehalose, 8% to 10% by weight of erythritol and 5% to 7% by weight of inulin.

Due to the presence of inulin, the compositions according to the invention improve the perception of sweet taste and texture especially in ice cream, offering a strong prebiotic function that allows to balance the action of erythritol on the intestinal flora.

Hereinafter, some examples of sweetener compositions according to the invention are shown in which the percentages are given by weight. EXAMPLE 3 - Sweetener composition for leavened baked products

Trehalose 55%

Erythritol 40%

Inulin 5%

EXAMPLE 4 - Sweetener composition for ice creams and sorbets Trehalose 85%

Erythritol 10%

Inulin 5%

It is possible to make modifications to the invention, as described and given in the examples, in order to provide variations that however are within the scope of the claims that follow. Thus, for example, besides the base components mentioned above, there may be also additional substances, such as sucralose, maltitol, xylitol and sorbitol.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102020000029399, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated by reference.