Instead of Removing Sugar, Enzyme Converts it to Fiber

I read a story in by Jesse Newman in the Wall Street Journal last week that I had to share. It was about a new branch of research into sugar, but approaching it in a whole new way.

The idea sprang from scientists at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.  The concept is that sugar is way too tasty to simply remove from foods…the trick is to make it turn into something else when it enters the body. And it’s working.

“The problem is not the sugar itself,” said Sam Inverso, of Wyss. “The problem is that we eat too much sugar.” So the scientists have developed an enzyme that reduces the sugar absorbed by food by 30% though it has the potential to remove even more than that.” It would turn the sugar into fiber, something the body needs more of, instead of the dangerous effects of sugar.

“The enzyme, used by plants to create stalks, is encased in spherical nanoparticles–tiny mesh-like cages made of pectin that allow the enzyme to be added to food without being activated until it reaches the intestine. Once there, a change in pH causes the cage to expand, freeing the enzyme to float through its holes and start converting sugar into fiber.”   WOW!

The other similar product is being worked on is called Monch Monch. It has no taste, smell or color and you put it into drinks, from water to wine. Once it gets to the stomach, the microscopic sponges in the drink start to swell and sequester sugar, reducing its burden on the body. Another product called Incredo is sugar that has been physically altered to taste sweeter using a mineral carrier that dissolves faster in saliva and targets the sweet-taste receptors on the tongue. This allows cookies to be baked with 50% less sugar.