Sugar Substitutes
- Erythritol, a polyol (sugar alcohol), is currently used as a bulk sweetener in reduced calorie foods.
It has been part of the human diet for thousands of years as it is present in fruits such as pears, melons and grapes, as well as foods such as mushrooms and fermentation-derived foods such as wine, soy sauce and cheese.
Since 1990, erythritol has been commercially produced. Because erythritol is rapidly absorbed in the small intestine and rapidly eliminated by the body within 24 hours,
laxative side effects sometimes associated with excessive polyol consumption are unlikely when consuming erythritol containing foods.
- Isomalt is a unique, excellent tasting sugar-free bulk sweetener. Discovered in the 1960s, isomalt is made from sucrose and looks much like table sugar.
Because the same amount of isomalt is used in products as would be used if they were sweetened with sugar, isomalt-containing products have the same appearance and texture as those made with sugar.
- Oligofructose is a natural constituent of inulin. Inulin is a natural food ingredient that is found in more than 36,000 plants including leeks, onions, artichokes, garlic, wheat, and chicory roots.
It is resistant to digestion in the stomach and small intestine. Oligofructose may have anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic actions in some.
It may also help improve mineral absorption and balance, and may have anti-osteoporotic and anti-osteopenic activities.
- Sucralose is the only non-caloric sweetener made from sugar. Sucralose is derived from sugar through a multi-step patented manufacturing process.
This change produces a sweetener that has no calories, yet is 600 times sweeter than sucrose. Sucralose tastes like sugar.
Sucralose is not utilized for energy in the body because it is not broken down like sucrose. It can be used by all populations, including pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children of all ages.
Definitions from the Calorie Control Council and Thompson PDR