SWEETENER SOLUTION FROM NOREL, SACCHARIN-FREE

The main target of the Sweeteners is to improve the palatability of the feeds making them more appealing to animals, with their capacity to mask certain unpleasant tastes. The sweeteners known as high-intensity sweeteners (HISs) have a much greater sweetening effect compared to sucrose, between hundreds and thousands of times greater and can consequently be used at low level of dosage. Some sweeteners have a powerful sweetening effect, although most of them have an unpleasant aftertaste and a short-lasting effect. Finally, Norel has developed, with great effort and dedication, several combinations of HISs that mitigate the disadvantages of every individual sweetener, resulting in a synergy that can be used to take advantage of the strengths and minimize their weaknesses. With more than 40 years of experiences in sweeteners and flavors for animals, Norel can help you to design your sweetener solution according to your specifications and constraints.

High-intensity sweeteners are usually classified into two groups: synthetic and natural. Some natural sweeteners have an advantage over artificial sweeteners, because they can be used in all animal species and without restrictions or dosage limits. Stevia is one of the natural sweeteners that is increasingly used in animal feed. Steviol glycosides are obtained from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, which is why this sweetener is usually referred to as stevia. It is between 200 and 300 times sweeter than sugar. There is also Thaumatin which is the most potent natural sweetener known, being some 2,500 times sweeter than sugar. It is a protein that is extracted from a West African shrub called katemfe (Thaumatococcus, family Marantaceae).

With the future withdrawn of Na saccharin as feed additives due to some environmental issues expressed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)1, Norel developed some solutions to improve the feed palatability, saccharin-free, thanks to its main natural component Stevia.

Norel proposes for example DULCOAPETENTE NT-75, a natural sweetener with stevia and thaumatin.

In collaboration with the University Autonoma of Barcelona and SNBA (Servei de Nutrició i Benestar Animal) a trial was designed to compare the efficacy of DULCOAPETENTE NT-75 against the most popular high-intensity sweetener, Na saccharin. This trial studied their impact when used to supplement piglet weaning diets.

A total of 198 piglets weaned at 21d were divided in 3 treatments: T1-control diet, T2-control diet + Na saccharin (100g/ton) and T3-control diet + DULCOAPETENTE NT-75 (300g/ton). The sweetener dosage was calculated to achieve a similar cost for both treatments T2 and T3. At 7d pigs treated with DULCOAPETENTE NT-75 had better performance parameters, with an average daily gain of 77.1g/d, 25.78% more than those supplemented with saccharin (60.9g/d). Animals from the control treatment reached 63.2g/d. DULCOAPETENTE NT-75 was able to improve ADG compared to a high-intensity sweetener during the first week after weaning, without the hassle of any restrictions. These results are of great importance because of the role that ADG plays during the first week after weaning; it is estimated that animals with better ADG at the end of that period could reach target weights up to 10 days before. The feed conversion ratio and final body weight were also higher for the piglets with DULCOAPETENTE NT-75 compared to T1 and T2.

Norel offers as well a combination of synthetic and natural sweeteners, saccharin-free: DULCOAPETENTE NEO. This product contains a synthetic sweetener Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), synthesized via the chemical transformation of neohesperidin, a substance presents in the pulp of certain citrus fruits. This sweetener is between 1,500 and 1,800 times sweeter than sugar. However, it should be noted, NHDC has some restrictions about species.

1. Bampidis V, Azimonti G, de Lourdes Bastos M, et al. Safety of a feed additive consisting of sodium saccharin for suckling and weaned piglets, fattening pigs, calves for rearing and for fattening. EFSA Journal 2023;21(1):7710 2023;21.

Marie Cadieu and Juan José Mallo