April 2011
BENEO’s claims for ISOMALT and Palatinose™ receive positive EFSA opinion
Not a ‘black’ but ‘bright Friday’ for BENEO on April 8, 2011. All Article 13.1 claims filed by
BENEO for ISOMALT and Palatinose™ (isomaltulose) have been positively evaluated by
EFSA1 within the 4th batch. The claims in question relate to two areas in which the choice of
food can make a difference: one is the maintenance of dental health and the second
concerns the reduction of post-prandial glycaemic response, in short the low-glycaemic
effect. The BENEO-Institute however is realistic enough to know that there still many steps
to take on this ‘claims journey’.
Dental health
On the dental claims filed by BENEO2 EFSA stated that “the claimed effects are „dental health‟,
„remineralisation of teeth‟, „not cariogenic‟ and „do not promote tooth decay‟ reflecting the scientific
evidence as frequent consumption of sugars contributes to tooth demineralisation”.3 EFSA
concluded that consumption of foods/drinks containing ISOMALT or Palatinose™ instead of easily
fermentable carbohydrates like traditional sugars may help maintain tooth mineralisation by
decreasing tooth demineralisation. It further reads “in order to bear the claim […] such foods or
drinks [should] not lower plaque pH below 5.7 during and up to 30 minutes after consumption and
not lead to dental erosion.” As such the condition is the well-known plaque pH-telemetry test as
developed by the University of Zürich and promoted by the non-profit organisation, Toothfriendly
International. Measurements are conducted on a routine base at institutes such as the Zürich
University of Dentistry (Switzerland) or the University Witten-Herdecke of Preventive Dentistry
(Germany).
Low glycaemic effect
On BENEO‟s glycaemic claims filed for ISOMALT and Palatinose™ EFSA established a cause and
effect relationship between the consumption of foods/drinks containing isomalt or isomaltulose
1
2
3
EFSA Journal 2011; 9(4): 2076
ID 647, 1591, 2921
The cause and effect is related to an exposure of four times daily or more
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(Palatinose™) instead of traditional sugars and a reduction in post-prandial blood glucose
responses.
The results confirm the scientific substantiation for both functional carbohydrates and are a clear
sign that EFSA acknowledges the advantage of using ISOMALT or Palatinose™ (isomaltulose);
the two functional carbohydrates offer specific physiological characterisitics to improve the health
related properties of the final product, for the benefit of the consumer. Furthermore, it shows that a
solution was born out of the „comparative or replacement claims discussion‟ in which many
macronutrients, like health beneficial carbohydrates, were held since 2009 when EFSA raised an
eligibility issue with these type of claims in the context of the Nutrition and Health Claim
Regulation.
Anke Sentko, Vice President Regulatory Affairs & Nutrition Communication at BENEO: “We are
relieved about this result that acknowledges the unique physiological characteristics of our
longstanding and well-known polyol, ISOMALT and in particular of our new functional carbohydrate
Palatinose™. We‟re pleased that the role of functional carbohydrates in helping to maintain dental
health as well as to follow a low-glycaemic diet was accepted by the panel. We believe this
decision was based on the sound science backing the claims and the result of the intense
explanatory work conducted since 2009, as well as continual, finally constructive dialogue along
the way.”
The BENEO-Institute considers this evaluation as a step in the right direction for the whole Health
Claim Regulation and will continue to explain those product health claims that are still pending.
Furthermore BENEO continues to develop new dossiers to secure the health benefits of its
ingredients, helping to fuel future innovation in the food industry and provide diversity for
consumers.
ENDS
The BENEO-Institute is an organisation which brings together BENEO‟s expertise from Nutrition
Science, Nutrition Communication and Regulatory Affairs teams. It acts as an advisory body for
customers and partners reaching from ingredient approval, physiological effects and nutritional
composition to communication and labelling. The key nutritional topics that form the basis of the
BENEO-Institute’s work include weight management, digestive health, bone health, physical and
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mental performance, the effects of a low glycemic diet in the context of healthy eating and disease
prevention, as well as dental health.
The BENEO-Institute facilitates access to the latest scientific research and knowledge throughout
all nutritional and regulatory topics related to BENEO ingredients. It provides BENEO customers
and partners with substantiated guidance for some of the most critical questions in the food
industry. BENEO is a division of the Südzucker Group, employs almost 900 people and has
production units in Belgium, Chile, Germany and Italy.
www.BENEO-Institute.com
www.BENEO.com
For further press information, please contact:
Catherine Hamou, Beth Milsom or Jo Kent at Publicasity
Tel: +44 1442 261199
Email: [email protected]
For further information please contact:
Claudia Meissner, Corporate Communication Manager, BENEO
Gottlieb-Daimler-Str. 12, 68165 Mannheim, Germany
Phone: +49 621 421-148
Fax: +49 621 421-160
Email: [email protected]