Beneo gets approval for Palatinose isomaltulose in Argentina
Anke Sentko, VP of regulatory affairs & nutrition communication at Beneo, welcomed the announcement. “We are very pleased that CONAL has approved the use of Palatinose in Argentina. As a partial, or full substitute for other carbohydrates in food and drink products, Palatinose is better than the traditional, refined starches and sugars, which lead to high blood sugar responses, thus an improved physiological profile can be achieved with Palatinose,” she said.
“It can deliver many benefits to consumers, including a lower blood glucose response, which is useful in counteracting the development of diet-related problems like obesity and diabetes by healthier eating.
“We look forward to helping Argentinian food and drink manufacturers make the most of consumer trends for weight management, supporting a low glycemic diet and an active lifestyle where sustained energy delivery is helpful and dental health is enhanced using Palatinose.”
Approval
The approval was published on February 7, 2018 in the Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina N°33.808. This publication leads to the inclusion of isomaltulose in the Argentinian Codex Alimentarius, Section XXII Miscellaneous, article 1417, said the company in a press release.
The quality parameters laid down in Article 1417 cover those of Palatinose (isomaltulose) manufactured by Beneo and reflect those of the isomaltulose monograph in the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), as well as other international legislation for isomaltulose. Palatinose will be labelled on-pack in Argentina as “isomaltulosa.”
Monica Montani, Area Sales Manager South America for Beneo, told FoodNavigator-LATAM that the company expects to see finished products on store shelves with Palatinose within a year or two.
The approval in Argentina follows previous approvals in other LATAM countries, including Brazil, Colombia, and Costa Rica, added Montani.
The ingredient
Palatinose (generic name isomaltulose) is a disaccharide carbohydrate produced via enzymatic rearrangement from sucrose. Beneo, which holds the patent for the sweetener, says that Palatinose’s ability to provide energy of 4 kcal per gram in a more steady and sustained way gives it an advantage over other carbohydrates.
This benefit is said to be due to Palatinose’s “unique glucose-fructose binding”, which causes energy to be released more gradually, resulting in lower blood sugar peaks.
In addition, Palatinose is non-cariogenic sugar, making it kind to teeth. It already carries a range of FDA and EU health claims: ‘Palatinose is low glycemic yet fully digestible and thus provides glucose in a balanced and sustained way’, Palatinose is tooth-friendly “…contributes to the maintenance of tooth mineralization” (EU health claim) and it “does not promote tooth decay” (FDA health claim).
Science
The physiological benefits of isomaltulose have been assessed in over 30 published human intervention studies, according to Beneo, with over 30 additional blood glucose response trials supporting the ingredient’s steady and sustained blood glucose supply.
In the U.S., Palatinose received a letter of no objection from the FDA for its GRAS status in 2006, and can be found in a number of products, particularly in the sports nutrition category, including RTD (isotonic) sports drinks, instant powder drinks, energy gels, energy chews, chewable tablets, supplements, energy and protein bars, and more.
