ID 1167 -
Słodziki
PL: Słodziki
EN: Intense sweeteners
Pdf:
1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika
The food constituents that are the subject of the health claims are “table top sweeteners and foods beverages containing intense sweeteners”, “foods in general, in particular confectionery, soft beverages, water-ice, chocolate-type products, table-top sweeteners and certain foods for a particular nutritional use”, “foods in general, particularly sugar-free chewing gum, candies, chocolate-type products and other confectionery; soft beverages and sports beverages, flavored water and table top sweeteners”, “aspartame sucrose substitute”, and “low calorie sweetener / table-top sweetener (granular & tablets - sucralose based)”.
In the context of the proposed wordings and conditions of use, the Panel assumes that the food constituent that is the subject of the health claims is intense sweeteners, which should replace sugars in foods and beverages in order to obtain the claimed effects.
Intense sweeteners are substances with an intense sweet taste and with no energy value that are used to replace sugars in foods. Intense sweeteners (e.g. acesulfame K; aspartame; cyclamic acid and its sodium and calcium salts; saccharin and its sodium, potassium and calcium salts; sucralose; neohesperidine DC and thaumatin) vary in their chemical composition. This evaluation applies to the intense sweeteners authorised for addition to foods (Annex of Directive 94/35/EC6), according to Regulation (EC) No 1333/20087. Intense sweeteners can be measured in foods by established methods.
The Panel considers that the food constituents, intense sweeteners, which are the subject of the health claims, are sufficiently characterised in relation to the claimed effects.
2.4. Utrzymanie mineralizacji zębów poprzez zmniejszenie demineralizacji (ID 1134, 1167, 1283)
The claimed effects are “dental health/sweeteners can not be fermented by oral bacteria, they are non- cariogenic”, “foods which under typical conditions of use are neither cariogenic nor erosive, help
maintain healthy teeth and are, therefore, toothfriendly”, and “dental health”. The Panel assumes that the target population is the general population.
In the context of the proposed wordings, conditions of use, and references provided, the Panel assumes that the claimed effects refer to the maintenance of tooth mineralisation by decreasing tooth demineralisation.
Demineralisation of tooth tissues can occur following acid production caused by the fermentation of carbohydrates by acid-producing bacteria in dental biofilms. The effect may be balanced by remineralisation when pH is neutralised and a state of calcium and phosphate supersaturation is achieved. If demineralisation is not balanced by remineralisation then net demineralisation of tooth tissues results which, if sustained, can lead to dental caries. Demineralisation of tooth tissues can also occur as a result of consumption of dietary acids in foods or beverages, and frequent consumption can lead to dental erosion. Dental caries and dental erosion are diseases with a high prevalence in the EU.
The Panel considers that maintaining tooth mineralisation by reducing tooth demineralisation resulting from acid production in plaque caused by the fermentation of carbohydrates is a beneficial physiological effect, provided that it is not accompanied by tooth demineralisation resulting from erosive properties of a food.
3.4. Utrzymanie mineralizacji zębów poprzez zmniejszenie demineralizacji (ID 1134, 1167, 1283)
A claim on the sugar replacers xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol, isomalt, erythritol, D-tagatose, isomaltulose, sucralose and polydextrose and maintenance of tooth mineralisation by decreasing tooth demineralisation has already been assessed with a favourable outcome (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products Nutrition and Allergies (NDA), 2011).
The Panel considers that the scientific substantiation and proposed conditions of use also apply to intense sweeteners.
Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia
"(a) Foods which, under usual conditions of consumption, do not lower the pH of the dental plaque below 5.7, are non-cariogenic (pH measurement in vivo in the interproximal space by means of an indwelling electrode)
(b) Foods which, under usual conditions of consumption, do not expose the plaque-free tooth surface to more than 40 µmol H+ x min are non-erosive on the tooth surface (measurement in vivo with plaque-free electrode in the oral fluid)
Only foods which comply with the criteria (a) and (b) are ""toothfriendly"".
Sugarfree foods are not always and necessarily toothfriendly, because they may contain non-sugar, fermentable carbohydrates or excessive amounts of food acids with an erosive effect. The claim ""toothfriendly"" (or similar expressions) can, therefore, not simply be tied to the absence of sugar or the presence of sugar substitutes (polyols). The toothfriendly property depends upon the food's overall composition and some other characteristics. Therefore, it is best tested for each food applying the standardized tests mentioned under (a) and (b) above.
The toothfriendly property of a food is an inherent characteristic that does not depend upon the amount of food consumed."