What the heck are sugar alcohols? 

I won't lie,  the first time I saw this ingredient on a label I had to look it up, because I wasn't quite sure. One of my clients asked me about them the other day actually when we were reviewing a protein bar's ingredient list. The short answer, is that they are a sweetening substitute for sugar itself.

To give us the low-down on this calorie saving ingredient, I went right to the source and asked my food scientist guru Liisa. And here is what she said: 

"Sugar alcohols are neither sugar, nor alcohol, yet their chemical composition contains features of both. Anything on an ingredient label that ends in “-tol” falls into this category, the most commonly seen are sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol and of recent notice, erythritol.

For many years, sugar alcohols were the ‘go to’ sugar replacement option for low sugar foods and were commonly seen in the diatetic foods section of the market. Sugar alcohols are considered to be ‘bulk” or “nutritive sweeteners” which are less sweet than sugar, 60-100% and contribute some caloric value, as opposed to “high intensity sweeteners” which can be hundreds or thousands of times as sweet and are used at a tiny fraction of the level of sugar, therefore not contributing to calorie count.

In food, sugar alcohols can provide moisture retention or humectancy (extend shelf life – prohibit staling), help control water activity (key to controlling microbial growth) can help incorporate air (creaming/foaming), are temperature stable, (don’t lose sweetness during heating) and don’t contribute to browning during baking. Sugar alcohols have a varying sensation of cooling in our mouths, which can be beneficial in gums and mints, but undesirable in other food systems.

In our bodies, sugar alcohols do not contribute to tooth decay as do sugars. They provide 0.2 to 2.6 calories/gram, as opposed to 4 calories/gram for sugar and other carbohydrates, therefore reducing overall calories. Because sugar alcohols are not completely absorbed by the digestive tract, they have a laxation threshold, or FDA recommended limit for daily consumption. Over consuming can have intestinal effects similar to high fiber intake.

Erythritol, a relative newcomer to the sugar alcohol family, is of interest because it is derived from fermentation and therefore considered to be natural. Erythritol is often combined with stevia extracts to create a natural system for sugar reduction. It’s also unique in it’s category because it is metabolized in the body differently than other sugar alcohols, giving it a high digestive tolerance (low laxation effect) and low to no calories per gram. It is versatile to incorporate in many foods, beverage, dairy, candy and sweetener packets.

As you may have noticed from reading food labels, no single replacement for sugar is ideal on it’s own. The different sugar alcohols are often combined with high intensity sweeteners to balance both the flavor profile of the finished food, along with the functional effects in the food system."

So . . . in a nutshell, don't freak out if you see sugar alcohol in your ingredient list. Your teeth aren't going to rot from them and they don’t contain the calories of straight sugar. Most likely they were put into the food item to add a little moisture and make it taste a little sweeter in a way that is kind to your waist line.