erythritol

[Guest guest]

I saw the product "ZSweet" on the grocery shelf today. It is erythritol. I know that erythritol is a sugar alcohol and that sugar alcohols are illegal. However, I did a google search and found the following info from Stonyfield Farm website http://www.stonyfield.com/OurProducts/erythritol.cfm

What is erythritol?Erythritol is an all-natural, no-calorie alternative to sugar. It looks like sugar, feels like sugar, and bakes and tastes like sugar.

While its name may seem terribly scientific, erythritol is found in nature at low levels in grapes, melons and pears and can be found at higher levels in fermented products like wine. Each day, it is estimated that we consume somewhere between 30 and 100 mg of naturally occurring erythritol in our regular diets.

How is it made? The erythritol in the Stonyfield Farm products is made from sugar. The sugar is mixed with water and fermented with a natural culture. This is essentially the same biological process that produces yogurt/cheese from milk, wine from grapes and soy sauce from soy beans.

The result is an all natural granular sweetener, technically classified as a sugar alcohol that has about 70% of the sweetness as sugar and has a zero glycemic index because it does not have an effect on blood sugar levels.

Is it like Splenda® or Equal®?No. Splenda® (sucralose) and Equal® (aspartame) are not naturally occurring in any plants or fruits. They are produced using a chemical process. And, they are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar so they are blended with dextrose or maltodextrin to reduce the sweetness to closer to an equal weight of sugar. Erythritol occurs naturally and is produced naturally, and is used in its pure form.

Because erythritol occurs naturally and is produced naturally, it is very different from sweeteners such as Splenda® (sucralose) and Equal® (aspartame) that are artificially produced using a chemical process.

Is it GMO-free?Yes. The erythritol in Stonyfield Farm’s products is custom produced so that we can assure that no genetically modified (GM) sugars or cultures are used.

How else is it different?Erythritol does not cause undesired gastrointestinal effects under its intended conditions of use. Based on clinical studies in which erythritol was administered with foods and beverages at daily doses up to 75-80 grams, there are no discernible issues. That means you can have multiple servings of per day and not feel an effect. Compared to the other sweeteners classified as sugar alcohols, erythritol has the highest digestive tolerance, which is 2 to 3 times better compared to xylitol, lactitol, maltitol and isomalt, and 3 to 4 times better compared to sorbitol and mannitol.

Stonyfields references this study on the benefits and safety of erythritol: http://www.stonyfield.com/OurProducts/Saftey%20Review%20Article.pdf

www.askdefine.com says that erythritol, when compared with other sugar alcohols, is also much more difficult for intestinal bacteria to digest, so it is unlikely to cause gas or bloating, unlike maltitol, sorbitol, or lactitol. Erythritol cannot be metabolized by oral bacteria. Interestingly, erythritol exhibits some, but not all, of the tendencies to "starve" harmful bacteria like xylitol does. Unlike xylitol, erythritol is actually absorbed into the bloodstream after consumption but before excretion.

Right now I'm begrudgingly giving my son 1 diet Coke a week. I would rather give him a lemon slush sweetened with erythritol once a week. (Honey just doesn't taste right).

Any thoughts on this?