BULKING AGENTS IN LOW-CALORIE FROZEN DAIRY DESSERTS

The use of intense sweeteners in the manufacture of low calorie frozen desserts has brought about the need to add bulking agents to replace the sugar omitted in such products. A bulking agent acts as a filler a nd reproduces the physical properties of sugar, but not its sweetness and caloric content. Careful attention must be paid to combining sweet eners (polyols) with bulking agents in order to regulate the freezing point of the mix, and to restrict the levels to those which do not imp art off-flavours or create gastrointestinal distress. Some modificatio ns in the freezing and serving conditions are needed with the addition of bulking agents. The new/modified bulking agents need to be approve d by the regulatory bodies to ensure their safety. There is a need to identify a low or non-caloric bulking agent with little or no laxative effect.