Supplier-declared attributes — documentation available on request
Trehalose
CAS 99-20-9 · EINECS 202-594-7
A non-reducing disaccharide with thermal and osmotic stability, used for texture retention, freeze protection and low-osmotic-sweetening systems.
Also known as: Mycose
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Specification reviewed by Technical Review Panel, NEOLINK Industry on · Initial publication. — regulatory status is stated only where documented and cited.
Application scenarios
Typical use cases with the parameters that actually govern dosage decisions.
Bakery and baked goods
Retains moisture and slows staling by replacing free water. Effective in breads and cakes where crust softness must persist beyond day two.
Frozen and refrigerated foods
Cryoprotectant that reduces ice crystal growth during freezing and thawing cycles in frozen desserts and ready meals.
Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical
Used as a lyoprotectant in dry powder formulations and as a bulking agent where low hygroscopicity is required.
Regulatory status
Stated per market, with the reference we rely on. Where a status is not yet documented we say so rather than assert it.
Our quality system, third-party certificates and documentation policy are set out on the quality & compliance page .
| Market | Status | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| US | Not yet verified — request documentation for your market | — |
| EU | Not yet verified — request documentation for your market | — |
Regulatory status is jurisdiction-specific and changes. Always confirm the status applicable to your product, your process and your market of sale with your own regulatory function before commercialising.
Technical notes & formulation guidance
Trehalose is a disaccharide that most food formulators underestimate. Its usefulness is not that it is sweet — it is relatively sweet, at roughly 55–60% of sucrose — but that it is chemically inert in ways that matter to processing.
What makes it behave differently
Trehalose is a non-reducing sugar. That single structural fact explains most of its functional value. It does not participate in Maillard browning, it does not participate in caramelisation, and it holds water without competing for it the way sucrose or glucose do.
In a bakery application this matters directly. If your product browns prematurely during a long bake, or if the crumb dries out faster than shelf-life targets allow, the problem is usually not the fat content or the flour. It is the reducing-sugar load. Replacing part of that load with trehalose changes the thermal profile without changing the flavour system.
Typical dosage and how to calculate it
Working range is 0.5–5% w/w (typical range reported across FCC and JECFA monograph material; your water activity governs the usable figure). The correct figure is governed by water activity of the finished product rather than by a rule of thumb. For a baked item targeting a water activity around 0.85, substitution of 30–50% of the existing sucrose load is a reasonable starting point for a bench trial. Beyond that you begin to lose the Maillard contribution you may still want for colour and flavour development, so most projects cap around 50%.
The practical approach is to run a small matrix. Fix everything else and substitute at 20%, 35% and 50%, then measure aw, moisture migration and colour after bake. The answer is nearly always product-specific.
Regulatory note
We publish regulatory status only where we hold the documented reference for the market in question. Trehalose is widely used in food applications, but the approvals that matter to you depend on your jurisdiction, your use level and your product category. Ask us for the current position for your specific market and application, and we will send the reference rather than a summary.
Handling and supply
Crystalline trehalose is stable and low-hygroscopic, which means storage conditions are forgiving compared with most sugar systems. Standard 25 kg fibre drums with liners; palletised and shrink-wrapped for containerised freight. Held in North American stock for the volumes most trial projects need, with factory-direct supply above that.
Frequently asked questions
How does trehalose compare with sucrose for shelf-life extension?
Trehalose works through a different mechanism. Sucrose competes for water and participates in browning reactions; trehalose is non-reducing and holds water without entering Maillard chemistry. In bakery that combination — moisture retention plus lower browning load — usually extends both texture and colour stability better than a like-for-like sucrose swap at the same substitution rate.
Is trehalose suitable for diabetics or sugar-reduction labelling?
Trehalose is a carbohydrate and is fully digested to glucose, so it contributes to available carbohydrate. Like any added disaccharide, it is counted as added sugar under US FDA labelling rules and under equivalent provisions in other markets. Its functional properties — non-reducing behaviour, lower relative sweetness (approximately 55–60% of sucrose), and thermal stability — can support reformulation of the sweetener system, but any sugar-reduction or added-sugar claim must be validated by the buyer against the labelling regulations applicable in the target market. We supply the documented composition data to support that assessment.
What is the minimum order quantity and lead time?
Minimum order quantity is 25 kg, available from North American stock with a typical dispatch of 3 to 5 business days. Volumes above our stocked depth are supplied factory-direct with a longer lead time, confirmed in the quotation.
Trehalose alternatives & related
Other sweeteners in the same function class — different function, price band and regulatory profile, so the comparison is worth doing.