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Isomalt: Why Sugar-free Candies are Often Not Calorie-free

What is Isomalt? Where is the sugar substitute found and why is it considered “sugar-free” even though it has calories?

When it comes to sweets, many people turn to a sugar-free alternative – it’s better for the teeth and supposedly calorie-free. Unfortunately, this is often not true: Isomalt, for example, is a common sugar substitute in sugar-free foods – and it is actually sugar-free, but by no means low in calories.

What is Isomalt?

Isomalt is a sugar substitute (more precisely: a sugar substitute) and has the E number E953. In nature, the sugar alternative occurs, for example, in sugar beets. Isomalt is odorless, white and crystalline. The sugar substitute is also available in liquid form.

Isomalt for the food industry is produced from normal beet sugar in two processing steps:

In the first step, isomaltulose is extracted from the beet sugar with the help of enzymes.
In the next step, isomalt is obtained by hydrolysis – the splitting of chemical compounds by water.

What foods contain isomalt?

Isomalt is used in the production of many sugar-free and low-sugar foods: candies, baked goods, mustard, sauces, jams and desserts. Since isomalt only slightly affects blood sugar and insulin levels, it is particularly suitable for diabetics and is contained in many diabetic foods. It is used in corn flakes for its technical properties to improve the crunch.

In addition, isomalt is used in pharmacy and in animal feed production. And in technical applications, Isomalt is used as a stabilizer (e.g. in the production of PVC), plasticizer, adhesive or binder.

Identification: How do I recognize isomalt?

The Food Information Regulation of 2014 regulates the labeling of isomalt: sweeteners and sugar alcohols – to which isomalt belongs – are summarized under the term “sweeteners”.

Foodstuffs containing sweeteners must be labeled “with sweetener(s)”. In addition, the sweetener must also be included in the list of ingredients. For isomalt, for example, this could look like this: “sweetener isomalt” or “sweetener E 953”.

Why is isomalt “sugar-free” and still has calories?

Isomalt has almost the same sweetening power as normal sugar and can be processed in a similar way. However, anyone who assumes that “sugar-free” foods – which contain isomalt – are also calorie-free is wrong. Although isomalt has only half as many calories as sugar, it is still two calories per gram. So if you’re watching your calorie intake, don’t be misled by the “sugar-free” description.

However, isomalt has a lower glycemic index (GI) than regular sugar. The GI indicates how a carbohydrate-containing food affects blood sugar levels. A score below 50 is considered low. An index of two to a maximum of nine was found for isomalt in various studies. This means that, in contrast to normal household sugar (GI = 68), isomalt is more suitable for diabetics and people who want to lose weight.

Isomalt: tooth-friendly sugar substitute

Compared to normal sugar, isomalt is also significantly better for the teeth: It forms very little acid because it is not metabolized by the microorganisms in the mouth due to its stability. Isomalt has only a very low potential to trigger caries and is considered to be tooth-friendly.

Alternatives to isomalt

Isomalt has clear advantages: it is tooth-friendly, has a low glycemic index and only half the calories of regular beet sugar. However, don’t let the term “sugar-free” fool you: Many sugar-free foods are not also calorie-free. And the sugar substitute has another disadvantage: in large quantities, isomalt can have a laxative effect.

A calorie-free sugar alternative is erythritol. It is made by fermenting grape sugar. Like isomalt, it has only a minor effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. However, this sugar alternative is truly zero-calorie.

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Food

The 5 Best Mexican Candies

Mexican Candies : Everyone knows that Mexican candy is delicious. It is also varied and comes in so many forms and types that you should always be able to find one that you or your kids love. But with so many to choose from, how do you know which to go for first? In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the best Mexican candies that you absolutely have to try. All of the following should be in your list of Mexican candies to eat.

Vero Mango

This is a chili-covered mango treat that will leave your mouth watering every time, and it’s got to be one of the absolute favorites of any Mexican candy out there. It usually comes in the form of lollipops, and it might be just about the most famous Mexican candy there is. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really need to do so as soon as possible.

Lucas Muecas

This, again, comes in lollipop form, although the flavor of lucas muecas is quite different to anything else, and certainly to the vero mango above. Here you have chamoy-flavored lollipops that you are able to lick and dip into chamoy powder, and you might be amazed at just how delicious they can be. To get some of your own, check out Chilitoloco for the best example of this kind of Mexican candy and more.

Paleta Payaso

This is a marshmallow lollipop resembling a clown, and you can probably already appreciate why it’s such a popular item with the kids. It has a covering of beautiful chocolate and on top of that is some sour gummies, and it’s really a huge must-have if you are trying to expand your palette of Mexican candies.

Limon 7

If you have never heard of Limon 7, it’s a fantastic candy that is likely to blow your head off. It’s flavored in a mouthwatering combination of salt and lemon, which comes in powder form, and it is one of the sourest things that you are ever likely to try. You’ll find that these are incredibly moreish, so give them a go today and see what you think. Many people find the flavor pretty much perfect at first bite.

Indy Dedos

Best Mexican Candies

This spicy and sour combination Mexican candy has a full-on tamarind taste at the center to draw you in, but it also has spicy and salty elements to the flavor too. Some believe that it offers pretty much the perfect balance of flavors for a candy, and it’s no surprise that this remains one of the most popular Mexican candies out there. It’s definitely worth trying out for yourself.

As you can see, there are a lot of options available when you are keen to try out Mexican candy. Any of these that you might not have tried yet, you should really give them a go. You might be surprised at how delicious they are, and you’ll certainly be going back for more before you know it.

 

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Cooking Tips

It’s Easy to Make Your Own Sweets

It’s pretty easy to make your own sweets, you just have to pay attention to a few things. You can find out what these are here. You know exactly what’s in the candy you make yourself. Making your own sweets can also be fun for the whole family, where the little ones are then rewarded with candy when the work is done.

Basic substance

The basic substance for all sweets is sugar, commercially available granulated sugar works well. If you choose 250 grams, then you should add 80 grams of water and then bring the whole thing to a boil in a saucepan while stirring constantly. It is best to use a stainless steel pot so that nothing can come off the pot. The candy base is ready when the water has boiled away and the sugar syrup has thickened. The sugar will bubble a lot as it cooks and gets extremely hot, so be careful not to splash and don’t touch the sugar with your hands.

You can color this with food coloring if you want. Silicone molds are good for portioning the candy mass. You can also use a spoon to spread small portions onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After cooling for a few hours, sugar candies are formed that are still sticky. It is now advisable to roll the sweets in flour, then they lose their stickiness and it is then easier to fill them up. Another option is to sprinkle the candies with powdered sugar.

Variation of fruit candies

For the production of fruit candies, simply add approx. 80 ml of fruit juice, for example, cherry juice, to the candy base from above. The sweets are then already colored red and absorb the cherry aroma well. In order to get a more intensive fruit aroma, you can also add, for example, 3 drops of lemon aroma and approx. 80 ml of juice, for example, orange juice, to the sugar mass, boil it up as usual, and you get citrus fruit candies.

Variation cough drops

This variant of making cough drops yourself is nicely explained in the YouTube video www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoItDpxlydY. Cough drops help as an effective remedy for coughing.
Here half a cup of sugar is used, add:

  • a good handful of fresh sage leaves, alternatively 2 tablespoons of dried sage, finely ground
  • 1 tablespoon of honey, preferably organic
  • 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • optional icing sugar for dusting

Here it is recommended to first prepare the sugar mass, then remove the pan from the heat and then add the other ingredients. Then make the sweets out of it, sprinkle with icing sugar, or roll in flour to take the stickiness out.

Variation caramel candies

Caramel candies are a tasty variation. You can find a good recipe on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtpNY2by-nU.


In addition to 250 grams of sugar, you need:

  • 100ml of water
  • 2 teaspoons of honey
  • 50 ml cream
  • 1 tablespoon of butter

The sugar, the water, and the honey are then first placed in a stainless steel pot, and the candy base mass is made from this again under high heat and constant stirring. Finally, add the butter and cream to the still-boiling mass. Then the mass has to cool down for approx. 15 minutes, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes to prevent layer formation. Candies can then be formed from the mass. After cooling, which takes 4 to 5 hours, the delicious caramel candies are ready.

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