About Sugar Alcohols

Sugar Alcohols
Sugar alcohols are found naturally in fruits and vegetables or are synthesized by hydrogenating certain sugars. They include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, isomalt, lactitol, and erythritol. Although primarily sold to food manufacturers as ingredients, isomalt is available to professional chefs. One of the benefits of sugar alcohols is the cooling sensation experienced when they dissolve in the mouth, so they are used in such products as sugarless gums, dietetic candies, sugar-free cough drops, throat lozenges, breath mints, and tablet coatings. Sugar alcohols do provide some calories (kcal), although fewer than sucrose. Sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol supply 1.6 to 3.0 calories (kcal) per gram compared to the 4 grams provided by sucrose. Sugar alcohols have other advantages besides their mouth-cooling property. They are cariostatic, or cavity-preventing, because they cannot be digested by the bacteria responsible for dental caries (cavities). Sorbitol, the most widely used sugar alcohol, has the added quality of acting as a humectant and is frequently used in marsh-mallows and shredded coconut to maintain moistness.

One drawback of sugar alcohols in dietetic foods is that they are more slowly absorbed from the small intestine than other sugars, which can lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain, and gas. For this reason, consumption of food products containing over 30 grams of sorbitol is not recommended, and only limited quantities of xylitol are allowed in special dietary foods.