Sugar-free candy frequently contains artificial sweeteners. A sugar alcohol is one such artificial sweetener. Sugar alcohols belong to a family of compounds known as polyols, and can occur naturally in fruits and vegetables. These compounds are slowly and partially absorbed in the small intestine, with absorption rates of anywhere from zero to about 80 percent. According to Health Canada, for large-scale use such as for sugar-free candy, sugar alcohols are made from common sugars. Sugar alcohols included in candies include mannitol, sorbitol, isomalt, maltitol, lactitol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates. A relatively easy way to recognize them is to remember that they end in 'ol'.
Mannitol
Mannitol has 50 to 70 percent of the sweetness of sugar and provides less than half of the calories, namely 1.6 kcal/g, compared to 4 kcal/g for most other sugars. It is frequently used for candy and ice cream chocolate coatings, and occurs naturally in carrots, pineapple, asparagus, sweet potato and olives. For commercial use it is made from seaweed or mannose, a type of sugar.
Sorbitol
Sorbitol has the same sweetness as mannitol and provides about 2.6 kcal/g. It is frequently found in: candies and gums; breakfast items like cereal; pastries; pancake syrup; granola bars; cookies; ice cream; pie fillings and fruit spreads; mouthwash and toothpaste. Sorbitol is found naturally in many fruits and vegetables; however, when used for commercial purposes, it is made from glucose or corn syrup.
Isomalt
Isomalt has 45 to 65 percent of the relative sweetness of sugar, and provides about 2 kcal/g. It is commonly found in hard candies, such as candy canes, lollipops, toffee and fudge. Isomalt is manufactured from sucrose, and marketed under the brand name, Palatinit.
Maltitol
Maltitol provides 90 percent the sweetness of sugar, and 3 kcal/g. It provides a creamy texture to foods and is frequently used in baked goods and ice cream, and for chocolate coatings of nutritional bars and baked products. Maltitol is manufactured from high-maltose corn syrup.
Lactitol
Lactitol has about 30 to 40 percent the relative sweetness of sucrose, and provides 2 kcal/g. Lactitol is manufactured from lactose and can be found in hard and soft candies, chocolate bars and coatings, sugar-reduced preserves, and ice cream.
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysates
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates are produced from the partial breakdown of corn, wheat or potato starch. It is marketed as Stabilite, Hystar or MaltiSweet, and can be found in hard and soft candies, caramels, chocolate, ice cream and nutritional bars.
Other Uses
Sugar alcohols are frequently used in mouth-care products because -- unlike starch -- they are resistant to breakdown in the mouth. According to Health Canada, due to this they are thought not to promote tooth decay as they do not promote decay-causing acids. Sugar alcohols are also used widely as sugar substitutes for diabetes, since -- unlike regular sugar -- these sugars do not promote considerable changes in blood sugar.
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