What is erythritol?

Erythritol, a white crystalline powder, is a type of four-carbon sugar alcohol with a molecular formula of C4H10O4. It is natural food additives that is not only widely found in nature, such as fungi, mushrooms, lichens, and melons, grapes, and pears, but also in the eye lens, plasma, fetal fluid, semen, and urine of animals. It also exists in small amounts in fermented foods such as wine, beer, soy sauce, and Japanese sake. Erythritol can be fermented from starchy foods such as glucose or wheat and corn, and is a new type of sweetener. It has a moderate sweetness, which is 70% to 80% of sucrose, and has a mild cool feeling, which is because it absorbs more energy when it dissolves and has a higher heat of dissolution. As natural sweeteners, erythritol is not only pure in sweetness and not bitter, but also not easy to absorb moisture, stable at high temperatures, and stable over a wide pH range. This property requires it to be used in combination with other sugars or sugar alcohols in some food processing, but for foods that require the crystallinity of sucrose, such as chocolate and table sugar, erythritol is an ideal substitute.

What are the benefits of erythritol?

1. Low energy value and high tolerance: Erythritol has only 0.2 kcal/g of calories and 70% of the sweetening power of sucrose, which makes it an effective and safe ingredient in low-calorie foods for people with diabetes and obesity.
2. Non-cariogenic properties: Erythritol can reduce plaque acid, has certain antibacterial components, reduces the number of mutans streptococci in saliva and dental plaque, and thus reduces the risk of caries.
3. Does not affect blood sugar or insulin levels: 90% of erythritol ingested with food does not undergo any biochemical action and is excreted in the urine in an unchanged form, thus not affecting blood sugar or insulin levels.
4. Anti-oxidant raw material: Due to its specific molecular structure, erythritol can also play an antioxidant role.

How to use it?

Erythritol's unique properties and multiple functions make it widely used in the food industry. First, it can be used as a natural sweetener to replace sucrose and reduce the calories of food. It is suitable for processing chocolate, candy, cakes, soft drinks, fructose, solid beverages and other foods. Secondly, due to its low solubility and easy crystallization, erythritol is suitable for foods that require the taste of sucrose, such as chocolate and table sugar. Erythritol can also be used as a humectant, flavor enhancer, texturizer, molding aid, etc. to improve the quality and taste of food.