Erythritol

Erythritol (ɪˈrɪθrɪtɒl, -tɔːl,_-toʊl) is an organic compound, the naturally occurring achiral meso 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 enzymes and fermentation. Its formula is C4H10O4, or HO(CH2)(CHOH)2(CH2)OH. Erythritol is 60–70% as sweet as sucrose (table sugar). However, erythritol is almost completely noncaloric, and does not affect blood sugar or cause tooth decay. Japanese companies pioneered the commercial development of erythritol as a sweetener in the 1990s. The name "erythritol" derives from the Greek word for the color red (erythros or ἐρυθρός). This is the case even though erythritol is almost always found in the form of white crystals or powder and it does not turn red as a result of chemical reactions. The name "erythritol" comes from erythrin, a closely related compound, which turns red upon oxidation. Erythritol was discovered in 1848 by Scottish chemist John Stenhouse and first isolated in 1852. In 1950 it was found in blackstrap molasses that was fermented by yeast, and it became commercialized as a sugar alcohol in the 1990s in Japan. Erythritol occurs naturally in some fruit and fermented foods. It also occurs in human body fluids, such as eye lens tissue, serum, plasma, fetal fluid, and urine. Since 1990, erythritol has had a history of safe use as a sweetener and flavor-enhancer in food and beverage products, and is approved for use by government regulatory agencies of more than 60 countries. Beverage categories for its use are coffee and tea, liquid dietary supplements, juice blends, soft drinks, and flavored water product variations, with foods including confections, 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.