Definitions for "Sugar Alcohols"
Ingredients used to add sweet flavors to food. Those often used instead of sugars include sorbitol, mamitol, and xylitol. Many fruits and vegetables contain sugar alcohols naturally. They’re also found in some sugarless gum, hard candies, jams and jellies. Besides adding sweetness, sugar alcohols also add texture, help foods stay moist, prevent browning when food is heated and give a cooling effect to the taste of food. They supply four calories per gram, but are absorbed slowly and incompletely and thus require little or no insulin for metabolism. They are not cavity-producing because they are not metabolized by bacteria that produce cavities.
(also known as polyols) are food additives that are used as sweeteners and bodying and texturizing agents in foods. The limited absorption and metabolism of sugar alcohols are important factors in their use in dietetic foods. Sugar alcohols include erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, maltitol syrup, mannitol, sorbitol, sorbitol syrup, and xylitol.
Sugar Alcohols are a group of carbohydrates that are not completely digested by the body. Commonly found in diet products to reduce calories, sugar alcohols cause intestinal discomfort and bloated feeling. Examples include sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol or xylitol.