Course:FNH200/Assignments/2020/SQUISH GUMMY BEARS

Very briefly introduce your products here.

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Briefly introduce your food products (Optional)

We choose to analyze the difference between Squish Gummy Bears and Squish Sugar-Free Gummy Bears. Squish Candies are manufactured in Montreal, Canada and have a variety of regular and candy alternatives such as sugar-free, non-GMO, and vegan.

Sugar-Free Gummy Bears

Regular Gummy Bears

Back of package information

Back of package information

Images from Wikimedia Commons can be embedded easily.

Ingredient lists (6 points)

1. Ingredients
   1. No Sugar Added Gummy Bear Ingredients: Maltitol syrup, Water, Gelatine, Malic Acid, Lactic Acid, Black currant, Carrot, Caramel colour, Safflower, Vegetable oils (coconut, palm kernel),  Acesulfame potassium (14mg /50mg serving), White and yellow beeswax, Carnauba wax, Natural flavours.
   2. Rainbow Gummy Bear Ingredients: Glucose syrup (sugar, water), Sugar, Gelatin, Citric acid, Fruit juice concentrate (apple, pear, grape, peach), Flavour, Natural colourants (black currant, black carrot, turmeric), colourant (curcumin, brilliant blue FCF, paprika extract), Palm oil, Glazing agents: White and yellow beeswax, Carnauba wax.  
2. Identify fat substitutes, sugar substitutes, and/or additives used, if there are any:
   1. Maltitol syrup
   2. Malic acid
   3. Lactic acid
   4. Caramel colour
   5. Yellow & white beeswax
   6. Carnuaba wax.
3. Explain the roles of fat substitutes, sugar substitutes, and/or additives used in terms of the functional properties they contribute to the product
   1. Maltitol syrup: Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that is used as a sugar substitute. Maltitol syrup is created by hydrogenating corn syrup and is about 75-90% as sweet as sucrose. If you look closely at the nutrition label for the sugar-free gummy bears you’ll notice that it actually has the same amount of carbohydrates as the gummies with sugar in them, but human digestive enzymes have a hard time breaking apart Maltitol, so only about 85% of those carbohydrates will be digested when eaten. This results in a lesser effect on blood glucose from Maltitol than sugar, which could be advantageous for diabetics. Since Maltitol is so hard to digest, though, it often causes problems like stomach rumbling, flatulence, nausea and stomach pain at low doses (~1 bag of sugar-free gummy bears) and could have a laxative effect at higher doses.
   2. Acesulfame potassium: Acesulfame-K (Ace-K) is a widely used, calorie-free, artificial sweetener. On it’s own, it’s a white powder that is first sweet, then leaves a bitter aftertaste. It is 200 times sweeter than table sugar. This chemical has an acceptable daily intake of 15mg/kg bodyweight and is considered safe by the FDA. However, studies have shown that Ace-K is not very good for you. It is shown to increase weight gain and disrupt the gut microbiome, increasing the risk of developing chronic inflammation. It has also been linked with the development of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
   3. Malic Acid: Malic acid is an organic compound (found in almost all fruits) that contributes to the flavour. It has a tart flavour and is totally safe for consumption.
   4. Lactic Acid: Lactic acid is added to these sugar-free gummies to produce a sour flavour and as a food preservative. It is safe for consumption and is found in many natural foods such as yoghurt and kefir.
   5. Citric Acid: Citric acid is a natural flavour enhancer (gives a slightly sour/tart flavour) and preservative that is totally safe for consumption.
   6. Yellow & white beeswax: Beeswax is added to these gummies to help give it structure and to keep them moist. It is not digested well in the human gut so does not provide much, if any, nutritional value. Beeswax is totally safe for consumption and just passes through our guts.
   7. Carnauba wax: Carnauba wax is a natural product of a certain species of palm tree found only in Brazil. As well as it’s use in these gummy bears to provide texture and stability from melting, it is the key ingredient in car wax that produces a brilliant shine. Interesting fact about Carnauba wax: it is harder than concrete in it’s purest form! Safe for consumption but provides little to no nutritional value.
4. Compare and contrast the lists of the two products and explain differences

The main difference between the two product is the usage of sugar substitute instead of sugar, glucose, and natural flavours in the No Sugar Added Gummy Bear. These three missing elements contains sugar and thus, are missing from the sugar-free version of the gummy bear. Instead the No Sugar Added Gummy Bear contains sugar substitutes such as malitol syrup and acesulfame-K as sweetener and malic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid to create the missing fruity flavours.

Labels (2 points)

1. Provide detailed description of the information found on the labels
2. Indicate whether the information complies with the regulatory requirements as outlined in Lesson 04.

·      The mandatory labeling such as establishment date, type of gummies, common food name, weight, nutritional facts, and ingredients for both the Sugar Free Gummies and Regular Gummies are written in French and English.

·      Country of Origin- is not specified but the company was founded in Montreal, Canada therefore the country of origin will be Canada

·      Common Name of the food is known as Gourmet Candy

·      The weight is 120 grams (4.2oz)

·      There are no storage life instructions on the packaging. By doing some research on the Squish Gummies website, under FAQs it does give some instructions on storage life but since it is not written on the package it does not comply with the regulatory requirements

·      The manufacturing location is

4700 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC, V5H 4N2

·        List of ingredients is on the back of package along with the Nutritional Facts.

Due to COVID-19 we were unable to obtain the physical packaging since the store is closed, and because of this we were unable to see the back side of the package. However, since some of the labeling requirements are not met and some requirements are on the website instead of the packaging, this product does not fulfill the labeling requirements.

Personal Choice (2 points)

Please submit your individual component of this assignment on Canvas to protect your privacy and your personal opinion

References

Please use the Wikipedia reference style. Provide a citation for every sentence, statement, thought, or bit of data not your own, giving the author, year, AND page.

Note: Before writing your wiki article on the UBC Wiki, it may be helpful to review the tips in Wikipedia: Writing better articles.

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