Trehalose

General properties
1. Mild sweetness
Trehalose is 45% as sweet as sucrose when compared to a 10% sucrose solution. The temporal profile of trehalose shows a rapid onset to sweetness with a persistence slightly longer than sucrose. The taste profile is nicely balanced, and the mild sweetness of trehalose can allow other flavors in food systems to be enhanced.
2. Non-reducing sugar
Trehalose is a non-reducing sugar and therefore does not react with amino acids or proteins as part of Maillard browning. Flavor, color, and nutrition are stabilized to losses in quality that would otherwise result from the Maillard reaction.
3. High glass transition temperature
Trehalose has a very high glass transition temperature compared to other disaccharides. This allows trehalose to remain stable under a greater range of temperature extremes, providing additional stability to glass systems into which it is incorporated. In addition, trehalose glasses are more resistant to moisture gain than other saccharide glass systems.
4. Chemical, acid and thermal stability
Our product Trehalose is stable under low pH conditions where other disaccharides typically undergo various reactions, such as hydrolysis into their component monosaccharides. This minimizes caramelization and browning which are typical of low pH systems that undergo heat processing. The result is retention of more natural flavors and colors in food systems.
5. Exceptionally low hygroscopicity
Trehalose dihydrate is stable up to 94% relative humidity. The low hygroscopic nature of trehalose dihydrate results in a free-flowing stable dry product. In food applications where sugars are in the crystalline form, the addition of trehalose can decrease moisture sensitivity and product caking.