In 1963, the American scholar O. O. Hlowitz used citrus peels as raw materials to make the extremely sweet sweetener dihydrochalcone, and after several decades of research, people have discovered a variety of dihydrochalcone glycoconjugates, such as naringin dihydrochalcone, neomethylhesperidin dihydrochalcone and so on.

According to the National Standard for the Use of Food Additives for Food Safety (GB 2760), neomethylhesperidin dihydrochalcone has been allowed to be used as a food flavor; as a sweet substance in the Catalogue of China’s Feed Additives Species (2013), neomethylhesperidin dihydrochalcone belongs to the flavonoid derivatives (Vitamin P class), and its various properties make it have a broader application prospect. .

In the international arena, it is listed in the Generally Recognized as Safe Substances (GRAS) by the Food Additives and Extracts Manufacturers Association of the United States (FEMA), and is also listed in the eighth edition of the Food Chemical Substances Codex (US-FCC8); it is listed in the European Union’s “List of Food Flavor Enhancement Agents”, and in the European Pharmacopoeia; and it is approved by the National Food Authority of Australia as a “flavoring substance”; in Japan, it is treated as a “flavoring substance”; and in Japan, it is treated as a “flavor enhancer”. Approved as “Flavoring Substance” by National Food Administration of Australia; used as “Flavoring Agent” in Japan.

Characteristics

1.1 High sweetness and low calorie content

High sweetness (1,500 to 1,800 times sweeter than sucrose), refreshing taste, long-lasting aftertaste, excellent shielding of the bitter taste, the glycosidic base of neomethyl hesperidin dihydrochalcone is hydrolyzed in the body, and the glycosidic base is not involved in the metabolism, so its caloric value is very small (8.36J/g), and can be used as a low-energy sweetener for food.

1.2 Slow sweetness, long time

The sweetness comes slowly, the aftertaste lasts for a long time (57s), the sweetness is refreshing and pleasant, and the time for the sweetness to reach the maximum value is longer than that of saccharin (42s) and sucrose (24s).

1.3 Good stability, non-toxicity, fast metabolizing speed

Whether used in acidic, alkaline environment its properties are very stable, is currently known as the most stable and safe sweetener, increasing the application of the broad spectrum.

1.4 It has flavoring properties such as sweetening, aroma, taste and masking bitter taste.

1.5 Physiological activities such as antioxidant, cholesterol reduction and hypoglycemia.

Applications

2.1 Food sweetener / sweetness enhancer

Used in combination with sucralose, polyalcohol sweeteners, saccharin, etc., it has strong synergistic effect, which can increase the sweetness, reduce the amount of sweeteners, lower the cost, and at the same time, the sweetness is more pure. It is widely used in juice drinks, milk, fruit wines, desserts, baked goods, candies, chewing gums, flavored sauces, low-energy beverages, sauces, vinegar, betel nuts, cold fruits and so on.

An applicator added neo-methyl hesperidin dihydrochalcone to carbonated beverages can improve the product’s defects such as sourness, astringency and bad aftertaste. In Belgium, NHDC was added to sugar-free chewing gum and lemon tea, in Spain, NHDC was added to soft drinks, and in Switzerland, NHDC was added to a variety of sugar-free and low-energy foods and ingredients.

2.2 Sweeteners for functional foods/health products

NHDC does not undergo calorie conversion in the body, it is a low-calorie-value sweetener, and has physiological activities such as lowering sugar, lowering cholesterol and antioxidant. It is especially suitable for use as a sugar substitute in functional foods, health products, dietary supplements and other health foods.

2.3 Raw material for drugs and cosmetics

The physiological function of NHDC determines that it can be used to manufacture raw materials of drugs for lowering blood lipids and blood sugar, liver-protecting agents and gastric drugs.

2.4 Flavoring agent (bitter taste masking agent) and flavor modifier

NHDC can act on bitter receptors when it is lower than the sweetness threshold, thus raising the threshold of bitter taste, and the effect of bitterness is obviously better than that of general sweeteners. Adding NHDC to soymilk with walnuts can reduce the “walnut” aftertaste; it can mask the vinegar flavor and pungent odor in tomato sauce; compounding with stevia can overcome the after-bitterness of stevia, and compounding with AK sugar can inhibit its metallic taste.

The European version of Viagra and pediatric ibuprofen suspension used NHDC to mask the bitter taste of the drug. NHDC as a flavor enhancer and aspartame mixed with the mixture obtained from the treatment can be applied to chewing gum, not only sweet taste, but also can play a role in prolonging and maintaining the flavor. Added to margarine, can increase the flavor and smell of butter; added in fruit products, can enhance the fruit flavor.

2.5 Food flavors and fragrances

The aroma of NHDC is similar to maltol and ethyl maltol, and can produce obvious synergistic effect with maltol and ethyl maltol, an applicator introduced to add NHDC can make the original aroma of the food to be reconciled, improved and enhanced, so as to improve the flavor, texture and taste of food.

Schrader et al. mixed NHDC with oily aromatic compounds, stabilizers, and preservatives to prepare liquid spice and flavoring compositions, which have aroma-enhancing effects on target foods.

2.6 Use in feed

As a sweetener added to the feed can make the feed taste super sweet, can increase the appetite of piglets, significantly promote their growth and reduce feed consumption per kg of weight gain, new methyl hesperidin dihydrochalcone and other sweeteners when used in combination, especially with saccharin, can produce excellent synergistic effect.

Daly et al. found that NHDC has a prebiotic-like effect, NHDC added to piglet feed, with the increase of lactic acid concentration in the intestinal lumen, the piglet cecum entrance of lactobacillus also occurred a significant increase in the impact of symbiotic intestinal flora, regulating its body immunity, reduce intestinal diseases.

Adding this kind of compound sweetener product to animal diets can greatly improve the flavor and palatability of feeds, mask and improve the undesirable bitter and astringent taste of certain ingredients in diets (such as certain protein raw materials, vitamins, metal ions and some pharmaceutical ingredients, etc.), so as to enhance the appetite of young animals and promote their growth.

ZongMinLing and others introduced the new methyl hesperidin dihydrochalcone and polysaccharides (astragalus polysaccharides, acanthopanax polysaccharides, licorice polysaccharides) used in conjunction with the composition of the feed additives can be used to replace or reduce the antibiotics and growth-promoting hormones and other drug additives; to improve the performance of sows, so that sows shorten the farrowing process, postpartum recovery fast, feed intake is larger; consume the premix of piglets feed intake is large, the feed-meat ratio is low; consumption of the premix of chicken Low incidence of Newcastle Disease.