The excellence of panettone The “Health Cake,” “Illusion,” and “Addiction” cakes were also presented at “Re Panettone®” at the Novegro Exhibition Park (Milan) on December 2-3, 2023. Now in its 16th year, the event promotes the craftsmanship of panettone, a dessert that is increasingly popular abroad and consumed year-round in several countries. The exhibit featured excellent artisanal panettoni made using natural ingredients. Other options The test showed how brilliantly an alternative to common sugar - which is sucrose made from cane or beet and composed of glucose and fructose - can be obtained. As Elena Dogliotti, a nutrition biologist, explains, “Among natural sweeteners, the ones that provide calories in addition to sucrose are the other simple sugars (glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose, sucralose) and polyalcohols. The best known simple sugar after glucose and sucrose is fructose, the sugar in fruit. One and a half times sweeter than ordinary sugar, it has slightly fewer calories.” Polyhydric alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, and the recent erythritol have fewer calories and lower glycemic load, but as with any food they should not be overused. Need for balance Among calorie-free sweeteners, a distinction is made between natural and synthetic. Among the former, the best known is the extract from the plant Stevia rebaudiana, which has long been used in South America not only for the sweetening properties of its leaves but also as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The latter include saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame k, and cyclamate, all of which have much higher sweetening power than sucrose, ranging from 50 to 500 times. “Consumers,” Elena Dogliotti concludes, “can choose moderation, balance, variety, and the quality of foods and a physically active life in order to indulge in a little ‘sweetness’ without fear.” image by Racool studio on Freepik image by jcomp on Freepik 65
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