Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC) is an excellent sweetener derived from natural ingredients of citrus (naringin or hesperidin) by biotransformation or chemical transformation. NHDC is an efficient sweetener, sweetness and flavour enhancer with non-toxic, low calorific, flavor and bitterness masking characteristics. It also has some physiological activity, such as antioxidant, reduction of cholesterol and blood glucose. It is used in a wide range of products including foods, medicines, dietary supplements, cosmetics and feeds.

Application:

1. Food Sweetener / Sweetness Enhancer NHDC is a low calorific sweetener roughly 1500-1800 times sweeter than sugar. Its sweet tastes like licorice. It has a strong synergistic effect when used in conjunction with other artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, and cyclamate, as well as sugar alcohols such as xylitol. NHDC usage boosts the effects of these sweeteners; smaller amounts of other sweeteners are needed, and reduce the costs. Widely used in water-base, milk-based, and juice-based beverages, ice-creams, wines, desserts, cakes, bakery products, candies, chewing guns, sauces, etc.

2. Sweetener for Dietary Supplements NHDC is a low calorific sweetener, and also some physiological activities, such as antioxidant activity, reduction of cholesterol and blood glucose. It is particularly applicable for functional foods, health care products, and dietary supplements as an alternative sweetener, including liquid dietary supplements, solid dietary supplements, syrup and chewable dietary supplement.

3. Bitterness Masking for Pharmaceuticals Pharmaceutical companies found that NHDC can bind to bitter receptor even below its sweetness threshold, and reduce the bitterness of pharmaceutical drugs in tablet or syrup form. In Europe, Viagra and pediatric ibuprofen suspension were both added with NHDC as a means of masking the bitterness.

4. Food Flavor / Flavor Enhancer The flavor of NHDC is similar to maltol and ethyl maltol, and it produces a significant synergistic effect with other flavor ingredients. Widely used in frozen milk products, candies, puddings, fruit juices, non-alcoholic beverages, condiments, jams, chewing gums and so on.

Regulatory Status

1. GRAS by the Expert Panel of FEMA as a flavor ingredient (#3811);

2. EU food additives regulations included (#E959);

3. Australian National Food Authority approved as "flavoring substances";

4. "European Pharmacopoeia" (EP-7) included;

5. U.S. Pharmacopoeia Commission "Food Chemicals Codex substance" (US-FCC8) included.