Trehalose also known as mycose is a 1-alpha (disaccharide) sugar found extensively but not abundantly in nature. It is thought to be implicated in xerobiosis - the ability of plants and animals to withstand prolonged periods of desiccation. The sugar is thought to form a gel phase as cells dehydrate, which prevents disruption of internal cell organelles by effectively splinting them in position. Rehydration then allows normal cellular activity to be resumed without the major, generally lethal damage that would normally follow a dehydration/reyhdration cycle.
Chemistry
Trehalose is a non-reducing sugar formed from two glucose units joined by a 1-1 alpha bond. The bonding makes trehalose very resistant to acid hydrolysis, and therefore stable in solution at high temperatures even under acidic conditions. The enzyme trehalase, present but not abundant in most people, breaks it into two glucose molecules which can then be readily absorbed in the gut.
Trehalose has about 45% the sweetness of sucrose.
Trehalose is less soluble than sucrose, except at high temperatures from >80C.
Treahlose forms a rhomboid crystal as the dihydrate. Consequetly in that form it has 90% of the calorific content of sucrose. Anhydrous forms of trehalose readily regain moisture to form the dihydrate.
Trehalose is metabolized by a number of bacteria, including streptococcus mutans the common oral bacteria responsible for oral plaque.
Natural sources
- Trehala manna
- Locust
- Resurrection plant
- Fungi
Use
Treahlsoe has been accepted as a novel food ingredient under the GRAS (generally regarded as safe) terms in the US, and also in the EU.
Trehalose has also found commercial application as a food ingredient. Lower solubility and lower sweetness than sucrose, the "gold standard" of sweeteners means it is infrequently used as a direct replacement, for the normal sweeteners..
The development has come out of Japan, where enzyme based processes have been developed to convert wheat and corn syrups.