Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone (NHDC) is a sweetener extracted from natural citrus plants with the following characteristics:
1. High sweetness, low calories: Its sweetness is about 1500-1800 times that of sucrose, but its calories are very low, making it suitable as a sugar substitute for diabetics and people who want to lose weight.
2. Antioxidant activity: NHDC has antioxidant activity, helps to scavenge free radicals and protect cells from oxidative damage.
3. Improve taste: It can be added to food, medicine and feed as a flavoring agent to shield bitterness and improve the taste and flavor of the product.
4. Stability: It has good stability during food processing and is not easy to decompose.
5. Safety: It is considered a safe additive and is widely used in the food industry.
In the field of medicine, NHDC also shows certain pharmacological effects, such as protecting the liver, anti-influenza, whitening cosmetics, lowering blood sugar and blood lipids and other physiological functions.
The production process of NHDC usually involves extracting neohesperidin from citrus fruits and then converting it into dihydrochalcone through hydrogenation. It is widely used in many industries such as food, medicine, and feed.