Sweetener Sorbitol

Sorbitol is a sugar substitute, Sorbitol is about 60% as sweet as sucrose (table sugar).

Sorbitol is a white hygroscopic powder or crystalline powder, flake or granule, odorless; it is sold in the market in liquid or solid form. Boiling point 494.9℃; depending on the crystallization conditions, the melting point varies between 88 and 102℃; relative density is about 1.49; it is easily soluble in water.

It has stable chemical properties and is not easily oxidized by air. It is not easily fermented by various microorganisms, has good heat resistance, and does not decompose at high temperatures (200℃).

Sorbitol is referred to as a nutritive sweetener because it provides some dietary energy. It is partly absorbed from the small intestine and metabolized in the body, and partly fermented in the large intestine. The fermentation produces short-chain fatty acids, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid, which are mostly absorbed and provide energy, but also carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen which do not provide energy. Even though the heat of combustion of sorbitol is higher than that of glucose (having two extra hydrogen atoms), the net energy contribution is between 2.5 and 3.4 kilocalories per gram, versus the approximately 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules) for carbohydrates. It is often used in diet foods (including diet drinks and ice cream), mints, cough syrups, and sugar-free chewing gum. Most bacteria cannot use sorbitol for energy, but it can be slowly fermented in the mouth by Streptococcus mutans, a bacterium that causes tooth decay. In contrast, many other sugar alcohols such as isomalt and xylitol are considered non-acidogenic.

It also occurs naturally in many stone fruits and berries from trees of the genus Sorbus.