At present, the sugar alcohols used more in nutritional sweeteners include sorbitol reduced by glucitol; maltitol reduced by maltose; maltose maltose Malt maltol reduced; xylitol reduced from xylose; lactol reduced from lactose; erythritol fermented from glucose and mannitol reduced from sugar. Among them, sorbitol and maltitol are designated as food additives.
The main characteristics of sugar alcohols are as follows:
1. No browning: Unlike amylase, sugar alcohols have no reducing group and work together with amino acids. No browning occurs when heated.
2. Strong heat resistance: When glucose and sugar are heated to 130℃~140℃, they will brown significantly due to thermal decomposition. However, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol will not decompose or color when heated at 180°C; maltitol is stable at 140°C~150°C.
3. Low sweetness: Compared with the sweetness of sucrose, sorbitol is 70%, reduced maltose is 85%, and xylitol is 65%.
4. Will not cause dental caries: Sugar alcohols will not be decomposed by microorganisms in the oral cavity to produce organic acids, and have no corrosive effect on teeth.
5. Others: It also has properties such as water retention, reducing water activity and increasing gloss.