Maltitol
What it does
Bulk sweetener.
How it's made
Made by hydrogenating maltose.
Maltitol is a sugar alcohol (polyol) used as a sweetener that is close to sugar in sweetness (about 90%) and behaves much like sugar in recipes, which makes it popular in sugar-free chocolate, sweets and baked goods. It provides fewer calories than sugar and is tooth-friendly.
It is made from maltose, a sugar obtained from starch. Starch (from corn or wheat) is broken down to maltose-rich syrup, which is then hydrogenated — hydrogen is added under pressure with a catalyst — converting the maltose into maltitol. This is essentially the sugar-to-sugar-alcohol reduction used for other polyols.
The maltitol is purified and supplied as a syrup or crystallised into a powder. Because it tastes and behaves so like sugar, it is a favourite for sugar-free chocolate; it is absorbed only partly, so it gives fewer calories and a smaller blood-sugar rise, though like all polyols it can have a laxative effect if eaten in quantity.
Possible reactions
Laxative effect and bloating in larger amounts.