What Are Sugar Alcohols?
Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, are carbohydrates that chemically have characteristics of both sugars and alcohols.
Sugar alcohols are found naturally in small amounts in a variety of fruits and vegetables. It’s not the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages.
On the nutrition fact label, may manufacturer list the amount of sugar alcohols there are in a product, it’s voluntary. They may also list the name of a specific sugar alcohol.
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How Sugar Alcohols Comes To Be
Sugar alcohols are primary photosynthetic products that accumulate temporarily in leaves during the light period and trans-locate to other plant organs at night. (source 🗗)
Examples Of Sugar Alcohols
There are seven sugar alcohols approved internationally for use in food products
- Sorbitol (E420)
- Mannitol (E421)
- Isomalt (E953)
- Maltitol (E965)
- Lactitol (E966)
- Xylitol (E967)Erythritol (E968)