Sugar-free pancake syrup is made from a variety of artificial ingredients and chemical additives. Unlike pure maple syrup, regular pancake syrup usually contains corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, karo syrup and caramel color. Sugar-free pancake syrup uses sugar alcohols such as malitol or sorbitol for sweetness and may also contain aspartame, commercially known as NutraSweet or sucralose, also known as Splenda.
Common Ingredients
Although each brand of sugar-free pancake syrup has a slightly different formula, they all have several ingredients in common. The first ingredient is most often water, followed by a sweetener such as sorbitol or malitol, some sort of artificial maple flavor, another type of sweetener such as sucralose or aspertame and then a combination of "gums" to add thickness, caramel color and preservatives.
Sugar Alcohols
Sorbitol, malitol, xylitol and erythritol are all types of sugar alcohols. The American Diabetes Association explains that sugar alcohols are a type of reduced calorie sweetener that have about half the calories of regular sugar and a low impact on blood glucose levels. Although they may be a good choice for diabetics or people trying to lose weight, they contain carbohydrates and may have a laxative effect, especially for children.
Artificial Flavors
"Artificial Flavors" or artificial flavoring, is a catch-all term manufacturers use to describe chemical compounds that enhance taste. Most flavorings are petroleum-based and according to the FDA are "GRAS" -- generally recognized as safe, but have not necessarily been individually tested. People with food allergies should be wary of artificial or natural flavorings, which may contain gluten. Celiac.com has artificial color, natural flavoring and natural flavors on their unsafe food list for people suffering from Celiac disease.
Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar-free pancakes syrups contain artificial sweeteners such as Splenda or NutraSweet. The Mayo Clinic reports that artificial sweeteners are synthetic compounds often made from a natural sugar or herb. They are often much sweeter than sugar but contain few, if any, calories. Widely used in processed foods, artificial sweeteners don't cause cavities, may help weight loss and are good options for diabetics. There are health concerns associated with artificial sweeteners, with reported side effects ranging from headaches to cancer. The FDA regulates artificial sweeteners as food additives and they must be generally recognized as safe.
Sugar-free Pancake Syrup
Sugar-free pancake syrup has about 30 calories in a 1/4-cup serving. By comparison, regular pancake syrup and pure maple syrup both have about 200 calories in a 1/4-cup. None of the syrups have protein, fat or cholesterol. Pure maple syrup is sodium-free, but both sugar-free and regular pancake syrup have more than 100 milligrams per serving. Sugar-free syrup may also contain sulfites -- 5 percent of people in the U.S. are allergic to sulfites, and reactions include asthma, headaches, nausea and sinus congestion, according to Natural Health Techniques website.
Member Comments