structure (aldehyde group) that initiates the
browning reactions with each other and with
amino acids, so they have the sometimes
useful property of being resistant to
discoloration and flavor changes when heated
to make confections.
Intensive Sweeteners Though most of the
intensive sweeteners that we consume today
were synthesized in industrial laboratories, a
number of them occur in nature and have been
enjoyed for centuries. Glycyrrhizin or
glycyrrhizic acid, a compound found in
licorice root, is 50–100 times sweeter than
sucrose, and is the reason that licorice was
first made into a sweet by extracting the root
in hot water, then boiling down the extract.
The sweetness of the extract builds slowly in
the mouth and lingers. And the leaves of a
South American plant commonly known as
stevia, Stevia rebaudiana, have been used for
centuries in its homeland to sweeten maté tea.