Sorbitol’s non-toxic nature has long been recognized and in 1974 the FDA named sorbitol as one of the first four chemicals on its revised list of substances of which use in foods is ‘general recognized as safe’ or GRAS.
Naturally this carbohydrate found in many berries cherries, plums, peaches, pears, apples, seaweeds, algae, and is even detected in blackstrap molasses.
Sorbitol is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as a sweetening agent, moistening agent and diluents. It used to sweeten products is far more concentrated than naturally occurring sorbitol in fruits.
The body can make it from glucose. In 1809, the French chemist Joseph Louis Proust identified natural sorbitol, derived from sorbose, in the ripe berries of the mountain ash.
The body only partly absorbs sorbitol. The unabsorbed part pulls water into the large intestine, causing distention that stimulates the muscle of the bowel and translates into the urge to have a bowel movement.
Sorbitol has a caloric value of 4 kcal/g and it is recommended for diabetics.
It is only 70% as sweet as sucrose. However, it has many functional properties desirable in a sweetener. It could improve food texture, because sorbitol acts as a crystallization modifier, humectants, softening agent, controlled of sweetness or viscosity and an aid in rehydration.
Sorbitol can be found in some laxatives that treat constipation and it’s often used as a sweetener in ‘diet’ foods and sugar free chewing gum.
In general, sorbitol is used in foods to aid retention of product quality during aging, or to provide texture or other product characteristics to the formulation.
Sorbitol can be found in toothpaste and other oral care products as the primary sweetener. The role of oral care products is to prevent tooth decay.
Sorbitol does not lower the pH of the mouth and cannot be utilized by the microorganisms that dominate in dental plaque, so it will not promote the growth of bacteria that can lead to tooth decay.
The sweetener of sorbitol
