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Trehalose – Sugar, Function & Applications

Trehalose is a naturally occurring disaccharide found in fungi, insects, and plants, widely used as a food additive and in pharmaceutical applications.

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Things worth knowing about "Trehalose"

Trehalose is a naturally occurring disaccharide found in fungi, insects, and plants, widely used as a food additive and in pharmaceutical applications.

What is Trehalose?

Trehalose is a naturally occurring disaccharide – a double sugar – composed of two glucose molecules. It is produced by a wide range of organisms, including fungi, yeasts, insects, certain plants, and bacteria. Trehalose serves these organisms as a protective mechanism against extreme environmental conditions such as desiccation, freezing, and heat stress. In the food industry, it is used as a sweetener and stabilizer, while in the pharmaceutical industry it protects sensitive biological substances.

Chemical Properties

Trehalose consists of two alpha-D-glucose units linked by an alpha-1,1-glycosidic bond. This bond makes the molecule exceptionally stable and resistant to heat and acidic conditions. Trehalose is less sweet than common table sugar (sucrose) – its sweetness is approximately 45% that of sucrose. The glycemic index of trehalose is around 70, placing it in the moderate-to-high range, which is relevant for dietary assessment.

Natural Sources

Trehalose is found in numerous natural sources:

Fungi and yeasts: Mushrooms, baker's yeast, and other fungal species contain notable amounts of trehalose.
Insects: Trehalose is the primary blood sugar of many insects.
Plants: Certain plants such as the resurrection plant (Selaginella lepidophylla) use trehalose to protect against desiccation.
Seafood: Shrimp and other crustaceans contain small amounts of trehalose.

Biological Functions

Trehalose plays important protective roles in living organisms. It stabilizes cell membranes and proteins under extreme conditions by replacing water molecules and thereby preventing cellular damage. This mechanism is referred to as cryoprotection (protection against cold) and anhydrobiosis (survival without water). In the human body, trehalose is broken down by the enzyme trehalase in the small intestine into two glucose molecules and subsequently used as an energy source.

Use in the Food Industry

In the food industry, trehalose is used as a food additive. It serves as:

A mild-tasting sweetener
A humectant that prevents food from drying out
A stabilizer for flavors and colors
A texture improver in baked goods, confectionery, and frozen products

Trehalose is produced industrially through the enzymatic conversion of starch and is approved as a food ingredient in the European Union and other regions worldwide.

Medical and Pharmaceutical Applications

In the pharmaceutical industry, trehalose is used as an excipient to stabilize biological drugs, vaccines, and proteins. It protects sensitive active ingredients during freeze-drying (lyophilization) and storage. In addition, trehalose is used in ophthalmology in the form of eye drops to protect and moisturize the ocular surface in patients with dry eye disease.

Potential Health Effects

Scientific studies have investigated various potential health effects of trehalose:

Cell protection (autophagy): Trehalose is thought to stimulate cellular autophagy – a self-cleaning mechanism of cells – which is being investigated in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.
Anti-inflammatory properties: Some studies suggest anti-inflammatory effects.
Protection against oxidative stress: Trehalose may act as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage caused by free radicals.

It is important to note that many of these findings originate from laboratory or animal studies. Clinical evidence in humans remains limited and further research is needed.

Possible Risks and Controversies

A widely discussed scientific study published in 2018 (Treangen et al., Nature) suggested that the increasing use of trehalose in the food industry may be linked to the spread of certain virulent strains of the gut bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), as these strains can metabolize trehalose particularly efficiently. However, this hypothesis remains scientifically controversial and has not been conclusively confirmed by subsequent studies. People with trehalase deficiency – a rare congenital enzyme defect – are unable to break down trehalose, which can lead to diarrhea and digestive discomfort after consuming trehalose-containing foods.

References

Elbein A.D. et al. (2003): New insights on trehalose: a multifunctional molecule. Glycobiology, 13(4), 17R-27R. PubMed.
Jain N.K. & Roy I. (2009): Effect of trehalose on protein structure. Protein Science, 18(1), 24-36. PubMed.
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): Scientific Opinion on the safety of trehalose as a novel food ingredient. EFSA Journal, 2001.

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