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Erythritol (, ) is an organic compound, the naturally occurring achiral meso compound four-carbon sugar alcohol (or polyol). It is the reduced form of either D- or L-erythrose and one of the two reduced forms of erythrulose. It is used as a food additive and sugar substitute. It is synthesized from corn using and fermentation. Its formula is , or HO(CH2)(CHOH)2(CH2)OH.
Erythritol is 60–70% as sweet as sucrose. However, erythritol is almost completely calorie (2026). 9789350905302, Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd. ISBN 9789350905302 and does not affect blood sugar or cause dental caries. Japanese companies pioneered the commercial development of erythritol as a sweetener in the 1990s.
Starting from 1945, American chemists applied newly-developed techniques of chromatography to sugarcane juice and Molasses, finding in 1950 that erythritol was present in molasses fermented by yeast.
It was first approved and marketed as a sweetener in Japan in 1990, and in the US in 1997. In February 1997, Cerestar Holding Co., Mitsubishi Chemical Co., and Nikken Chemicals Co. submitted a formal generally recognized as safe (GRAS) affirmation petition with the US FDA., 6 March 1997. However, in April 1997 the FDA replaced the GRAS affirmation petition process with the current GRAS notification process, a notice was first filed by Cerestar in April 2001, and the FDA responded with "no questions" in September 2001.
Beverage categories for its use are coffee and tea, liquid dietary supplements, juice blends, soft drinks, and flavored water product variations, with foods including confectionery, biscuits and cookies, tabletop sweeteners, and sugar-free chewing gum. The mild sweetness of erythritol allows for a volume-for-volume replacement of sugar, whereas sweeter sugar substitutes need fillers that result in a noticeably different texture in baked products.
Previously, in 2015, scientists assessed doses for erythritol where symptoms of mild gastrointestinal upset occurred, such as nausea, excess flatus, abdominal bloating or pain, and feces frequency. At a content of 1.6% in beverages, it was not considered to have a laxative effect. The upper limit of tolerance was 0.78 and 0.71g/kg body weight in adults and children respectively.
In the United States, erythritol is among several sugar alcohols that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food manufacturing.
Under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling requirements in the United States, erythritol has a caloric value of zero.
In small doses, erythritol does not normally cause laxative effects and gas or bloating, as are often experienced after consumption of other sugar alcohols (such as maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, and lactitol). About 90% is absorbed before it enters the large intestine, and since erythritol is not digested by intestinal bacteria, the remaining 10% is excreted in the feces.
Large doses can cause nausea, stomach rumble, and watery feces. Doses greater than 0.66 g/kg body weight in males and greater than 0.8 g/kg body weight in females cause laxative, and doses over cause diarrhea. Rarely, erythritol can cause allergic hives (urticaria).
Erythritol is preferentially used by the Brucella. The presence of erythritol in the placentas of goats, cattle, and pigs has been proposed as an explanation for the accumulation of Brucella bacteria found at these sites.
Absorption and excretion
Erythritol is absorbed rapidly into the blood, with peak amounts occurring in under two hours; the majority of an oral dose (80 to 90%) is excreted unchanged in the urine within 24 hours.
Safety
In 2023, the European Food Safety Authority reassessed the safety of erythritol and lowered the recommended daily intake limit to 0.5 grams per kg body weight, which equates to 35 g for an average adult (70 kg). The lower limit was set to "safeguard against its laxative effect and to mitigate against long-term effects, such as electrolyte imbalance arising from prolonged exposure to erythritol-induced diarrhea."
Dietary and metabolic aspects
Caloric value and labeling
Nutritional labeling of erythritol in food products varies from country to country. Some places, such as Japan and the European Union (EU), label it as zero-calorie.(2008) European Commission Directive 2008/100/EC. Quote: "Erythritol is a polyol, and according to the current rules as provided for in Article 5(1) of Directive 90/496/EEC, its energy would be calculated using the conversion factor for polyols, namely 10 kJ/g (2,4 kcal/g). Using this energy conversion factor would not fully inform the consumer about the reduced energy value of a product achieved by the use of erythritol in its manufacture. The Scientific Committee on Food in its opinion on erythritol, expressed on March 5, 2003, noted that the energy provided by erythritol was less than 0,9 kJ/g (less than 0,2 kcal/g). Therefore it is appropriate to adopt a suitable energy conversion factor for erythritol. Current regulations (Reg. (EC) 1169/2011) preserve this conversion factor at 0 kcal/g for energy value calculation purposes."
Human digestion
In the body, most erythritol is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine and then for the most part excreted unchanged in the urine. About 10% enters the colon.
Blood sugar and insulin levels
Erythritol has no effect on blood sugar or blood insulin levels, and therefore may be used as a sugar substitute by people with type 2 diabetes. (2026). 9781118373941 ISBN 9781118373941 The glycemic index (GI) of erythritol is 0% of the GI for glucose and the insulin index (II) is 2% of the II for glucose.
Oral bacteria
Erythritol is tooth-friendly; since it cannot be metabolism by oral bacteria, it does not contribute to dental caries. In addition, erythritol, like xylitol, has antibacterial effects against streptococci bacteria, reduces dental plaque, and may be protective against tooth decay.
Manufacturing
Erythritol is manufactured by using enzymatic hydrolysis of the starch from corn to generate glucose. Glucose is then fermented with yeast or another fungus to produce erythritol. A genetically engineered form of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has been optimized for erythritol production by fermentation by using glycerol as a carbon source and high osmotic pressure to increase yields up to 62%.
Chemical properties
Heat of solution
Erythritol has a strong cooling effect (endothermic, or positive heat of solution) when it dissolves in water, which is often compared with the cooling effect of Mentha flavors. The cooling effect is present only when erythritol is not already dissolved in water, a situation that might be experienced in an erythritol-sweetened frosting, chocolate bar, chewing gum, or hard candy. The cooling effect of erythritol is very similar to that of xylitol and among the strongest cooling effects of all sugar alcohols. Erythritol has a p Ka of 13.903 at 18 °C.
Biological properties
According to a 2014 study, erythritol functions as an insecticide toxic to the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, impairing motor ability and reducing longevity even when nutritive sugars were available.
Synonyms
In the 19th and the early 20th centuries, several synonyms were in use for erythritol: erythrol, erythrite, erythroglucin, eryglucin, erythromannite and phycite. Zerose is a tradename for erythritol.
See also
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