Replacing Miracle Berry for Sugar in Food - Essay Example

There are needs to reduce sugar intakes into the body (seems to be impossible especially among children) or introduce an alternative sugar (sweetener) that will not subject the body to these health risks. According to the USDA documents, the consumption of sugar has since increased by 19%, from 1970 to 2005. This statistics indicates that, on average, a person consumes 140 pounds of sugar per year or 30 teaspoons per day. This value is inclusive sugar taken up by the body from different kinds of foods especially the processed foods.

The same study revealed that the consumption of corn syrup per person increased by 387% within the same period (Rada, Avena, and Hoebel, 2005). The increased consumption of sugar is largely associated with the increased consumption of processed foods. Nearly all processed foods contain sugar since sugar is added into these foods as a sweetener. Notably, miracle berry, which is noted to be 400,000 times sweeter and healthier than sugar should be used as an alternative food sweetener in food processing (Public Health England, 2015).

Different research works have indicated that the miracle berry can be used as normal sugar and can be processed into different forms; hence, can as well be used in processing different foods (Inglett and Chen, 2011). Therefore, to reduce or completely eliminate health risks associated with the intake of sugar, all the concern stakeholders should advocate for the elimination of sugar content from foods and replace with healthier miracle berry sweetness. References Chen, C. C., Lui, I. M., & Cheng, J. T., (2006).

Improvement of insulin resistance by miracle fruit (Synsepalum) in fructose-rich chow-fed rats. Phytotherapy Research. 20(11) pp. 987-92. Chen, C., Wu, P., Huang, T., Lin, C., Li, Y., Chou, R., Chang, H., & Wang, H., (2009). The Sour Taste-Modifying Protein (Miraculin), Tyrosinase Inhibitors and Antioxidants from Synsepalum. Current Nutrition & Food Sciences. 5. Du, L., Shen, Y., Zhang, X., Prinyawiwatkul, W., & Xu, Z., (2014). Antioxidant-rich phytochemicals in miracle berry (Synsepalum) and antioxidant activity of its extracts.

Food Chemistry. 153, pp. 279-284. Elsevier. Hirai, T., Sato, M., Toyooka, K., Sun, H., Yano, M., & Ezura H. (2010). Miraculin a taste-modifying protein is secreted into intercellular spaces in plants cells. Journal of Plant Psychology. 167(3) pp. 209-215. Inglett, G. E., & Chen, D., (2011). Contents of Phenolics and Flavonoids and Antioxidant Activities in Skin, Pulp, and Seeds of Miracle Fruit. Journal of Food Science, 76 (3). NHS Choices. (2014). Top Sources of Added Sugar in Our Diet.

Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/Top-sources-of-added-sugar-in-our-diet.aspx, Public Health England. (2015). The impact of obesity. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://www.noo.org.uk/LA/impact. Rada, P, Avena, N.M, & Hoebel, B.G. (2005). Daily Bingeing on Sugar Repeatedly Releases Dopamine in the Accumbens Shell. Neuroscience. 134 (3), 737-744. Wong, J. M., & Kern, M., (2011) ‘Miracle fruit improves the sweetness of a low-calorie dessert without promoting subsequent energy compensation. 56(1) pp. 163-166.

Yamamoto, C., Nigai, H., Takahashi, K., Nakagawa, S., Yamaguchi, M., Tonoike, M., & Yamamoto, T. (2006). Cortical representation of taste modifying the action of miracle fruit in humans. Appetite. Neuroimage, 33(4) pp. 1145-1151.