REAL low calorie sugar that's actually good for you? It may sound too good to be true, but scientists have produced just such a dieter's delight in the Center for Plant Breeding and Reproduction Research in Wageningen, Holland. Transplanting a gene from a Jerusalem artichoke into a sugar beet, the Dutch researchers are growing plants in which high-calorie sucrose is transformed into fructan, a sugar that cannot be digested by the human body. Not only do fructans have less than half the calories of regular table sugar, they also offer various health benefits by inhibiting bad stomach bacteria and producing good organic acids. "Fructan is a natural product," research leader Andries Koops told Newsweek.com. "The added physiological advantage is that it improves the growth of intestinal interflora and lowers cholesterol." Inevitably, there are disadvantages too. Fructan tastes about 25 percent less sweet than sucrose, so it may still need a boost from artificial sweeteners. More embarrassingly for potential consumers, the cholesterol-combating acids also create hydrogen, which can cause gas. Still, Koops predicts his transgenic crop will be a commercial success. Existing fructan-containing supplements currently sold in countries like the US and Japan are synthesized from a fungus in a process too expensive for ordinary food items. By contrast, Koops believes the expected fructan beet production price of less than a dollar a pound will make it viable for use in sodas, cookies and other sweet goodies. "The market potential for this type of product is huge," he said. Move over Nutrasweet, here comes the sugar beet.
--Arlene Getz, Newsweek 1999.
Última Atualização: 23/Set/99
