ABSTRACT
A sweet taste is a quality of some chemical substances that the human race has always associated with pleasure. As a result, high value has been placed on materials exhibiting sweetness. Cane and sugar beets are the most agriculturally efficient crops for the production of sucrose. As a source of food calories, these crops produce more per acre than potatoes, com, or wheat. During the past two decades the corn sweetener industry has been in an exciting and rapidly developing stage. These developments were largely due to advances in enzyme technology. Sweet polyhydric alcohols include such substances as sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, and xylitol. Many people around the world use intensely sweet plant materials of natural origin to sweeten foods; these plant parts are often used for medicinal purposes. A sweet tea, Amacha, is served at Hanamatsuri, the flower festival celebrating the birth of Buddha.
