Welcome to the blog for Colgate University's interdisciplinary course on food. This is the place to keep up with what students in the course are experiencing in their work at Common Thread Community Farm and through their everyday encounters with food.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Reformulating Sugar

As many of us know, sugar is found in almost every food we purchase in the grocery store. It has been linked to heart disease, obesity, and many other health related illnesses. In a society where sugar is so prevalent, how can consumers avoid the ingredient or at least reduce the in take significantly?

Researchers at Nestle, an international food giant, found a way to restructure sugar at the molecular level. Molecular engineering at its finest, the new sugar molecule will be a spherical structure. Now, sugar only forms crystals in a box like structure. The article compares the current model to a shoe box that is made of sugar. The inside is also filled with sugar. This new type of sugar however, will have a sugar exterior but a hollow inside so less sugar actually enters your body. This is remarkable considering the effect it can have on consumer diets.

The company claims that the addition of this new sugar will reduce the sugar content in its products by 40% by using this new type of sugar. Although the technology exists for it, the new sugar products are not set to hit the market until 2018. Companies have been attempting to find a way to reduce the amount of sugar in their products in accordance with changing American diets, without compromising taste. The new development is seen as a holy grail discovery in terms of sugar reduction.

Nestle has previously found ways to reduce fat and salt in its products, developing new processes that require less of the ingredients. The company is attempting to constantly reduce various unhealthy ingredients in its food while providing the same taste. If consumers will buy it, Nestle will make it!

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/business/nestle-reformulates-sugar-so-it-can-use-less.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FFood&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=collection&_r=0

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