Is erythritol the "top student" in sugar substitutes?

Erythritol is not artificially produced, it is widely found in nature, such as mushrooms, lichens, melons, grapes, pears, etc., in wine, beer, soy sauce and other fermented foods are also present in small amounts.

Erythritol is mainly absorbed in the small intestine and enters the blood circulation, with only a small amount going directly to the large intestine as a carbon source for fermentation. Because the human body lacks the enzyme system to metabolize erythritol, erythritol entering the blood can not be digested and degraded, and can only be excreted from the urine through the kidneys, which determines the characteristics of erythritol almost no calories.

The sweetness of erythritol is 60% to 70% of sucrose, almost no calories, and high stability, added erythritol products, less sugar and can maintain taste, so it is favored by food and beverage manufacturers.

Erythritol is not metabolized by oral bacteria, the risk of tooth decay is relatively small, and it is very friendly to oral hygiene. For people who are concerned about oral health, erythritol is a good choice. Erythritol also has a relatively small effect on blood sugar levels, and it does not cause significant blood sugar fluctuations, so it is also favored by the majority of diabetics.

After long-term research and monitoring, there is no evidence that erythritol has serious adverse effects on human health. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consider erythritol to be a safe food additive. Relevant studies have shown that the tolerance of erythritol to animals can reach 20g/kg body weight, and it is recommended that the intake of no more than 1g per kg body weight per day. Above this amount, erythritol ingestion may cause discomfort, most commonly gastrointestinal discomfort, including diarrhea and gas. Because a large amount of erythritol intake, the digestive system is not fully absorbed, resulting in high effective osmotic pressure in the intestinal cavity, preventing the intestinal wall from absorbing water and electrolytes. When too much water enters the intestines, it can cause osmotic diarrhea. At the same time, a large amount of erythritol may also ferment to produce gas, leading to gastrointestinal flatulence.

Erythritol and other sugar substitutes are generally added to pre-packaged sugar substitutes. At present, China's law does not require the content of sugar substitutes, so it is difficult to accurately know the content of sugar substitutes in food, but we can make a rough calculation by sweetness. Businesses often use sugar substitutes to prepare products with the same sweetness as conventional products, taking Cola as an example, the sugar content of cola is about 10g/100ml, the added sugar is mainly high fructose corn syrup, and the sweetness of erytheritol is 78%-89% of high fructose corn syrup, then the erytheritol content in erytheritol cola is about 11.2-12.8g/100ml.