Explain the sources and benefits of sugar alcohols as alternative sweeteners

Answer 1

The sugar alcohols can be derived from fruits or commercially produced from dextrose and are absorbed more slowly and metabolized differently than other sugars in the human body. The sugar alcohols are not readily used by bacteria ordinarily found in the mouth and therefore are associated with less cavity formation. Although the sugar alcohols are used as sugar substitutes, they do add calories (about 1.5 to 3 calories per gram) to a food product. The common sugar alcohols found on food labels include: erythritol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol. Xylitol may actually inhibit the production of tooth-damaging acid by the caries-producing bacteria in the mouth and prevent them from adhering to the teeth. For this reason, the FDA authorizes use of the health claim on food labels that sugar alcohols do not promote tooth decay. Sugar alcohols are found in a wide variety of chewing gums, candies, and dietetic foods.