erythritol

What is Erythritol

Eritritol is a polyol with 4 carbon atoms present in nature in products of vegetable origin, such as fruit, and industrially extracted starting from plant sugars subjected to intensive bacterial fermentation processes in specific bioreactors.

For a long time it has been scarcely considered on the scientific, nutritional and culinary landscape - for over a decade in the US territory and only since 2006, the date of approval granted by the European Commission, in the European and Italian territory - the? Erythritol has assumed and is assuming greater importance among sweeteners, increasingly representing a valid alternative to classic synthetic and semi-synthetic sweeteners.

Commonly indicated on the label with the initials E968, ? ™ Eritritolo has recently risen to Italian honors following the marketing by Eridania of an innovative sugar defined with the abbreviation ES50, half of which was Eritritol and half from Fruttosio, therefore characterized by advantageous caloric and metabolic properties with respect to the common sucrose while retaining comparable organoleptic characteristics.

Nutritional characteristics and Flavor

Among the reasons that have pushed the greater use of Erythritol as a sweetener, in the last few years there are certainly its nutritional and organoleptic characteristics characterized by:

Limited caloric intake: about 0.2 Kcal per gram;
Glycemic index equal to Zero;
Estimated sweetening power around 60 - 80% of the common sucrose;
Absence of the characteristic aftertaste typical of synthetic or semi-synthetic sweeteners.

To these are added also the metabolic characteristics, which prevent ™itritol from accumulating in the intestinal lumen, thus limiting the appearance of diarrhea and cramped abdominal pain, allowing instead the intestinal absorption and the consequent elimination through the kidney.

Advantages of? Erythritol

In light of the aforementioned characteristics it is easy to understand how the use of Erythritol can guarantee significant advantages, both with respect to the common table sugar and to the various synthetic and semi-synthetic sweeteners, thus facilitating their consumption in both dietary-nutritional and culinary .

Benefits compared to table sugar

Reduced energy intake, estimated at around 0.2 Kcal per gram of product, which reduces the caloric content linked to the consumption of sugar or products sweetened with sucrose, thus being adequate during hypocaloric and hypoglucid dietary protocols.
Glycemic index equal to zero, such as to avoid glycemic peaks linked to the consumption of sugar, thus being ideal in diabetic patients or in patients suffering from altered glucose metabolism for which it is necessary to reduce the glycemic load of the various meals.
Reduced cariogenic activity, which preserves the oral cavity from bacterial colonization and its often painful pathological consequences.

Benefits compared to synthetic sweeteners

The most relevant are represented by:

Reduced risk of diarrhea and cramp-like abdominal pains, given the ability of Erythritol to be readily absorbed by the intestinal mucosa, to be subsequently excreted via the kidneys, thus avoiding the accumulation and consequent recall of water in the intestinal lumen .
Potential antioxidant role of? Erythritol, as observed in some experimental studies, which would protect the intestinal mucosa primarily, from the oxidizing action of reactive oxygen species responsible for the oxidative deterioration of cellular structures and loss of function of barrier.
Reduced irritant role against intestinal mucosa.
Absent bitter aftertaste, typical of polyhydric alcohols, which allows the use of this sugar also in the preparation of common sweets or dishes.

Recipes

Diabetic Tart Without Sugar with erythritol

Without sugar, without butter, with whole wheat flour instead of 00, but absolutely tasty and crumbly. Merit also of erythritol, which in this video recipe replaces sugar to create an appetizing tart suitable also for diabetics.

Strawberry tart for diabetics - Light tart without butter and without sucrose

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Feel like a light, low-calorie pudding with no added sugar, sweetened with erythritol? We have this too! Try our video recipe Pudding with Diabetic Strawberries and Yogurt or visit the section of the site dedicated to Video Recipes for Diabetics and all the recipes with erythritol.

Disadvantages

Erythritol: only advantages?

Although the advantages related to the use of this sugar in everyday life are evident, as observed and demonstrated in numerous studies, it would be advisable to consider, for a correct evaluation, also the potential limits.

Leaving aside some unfounded fears, such as the pro-tumoral fears of? ™ Erythritol, which to date have no scientifically valid findings in the literature, it would instead be important to focus on the laxative potential of this sugar, which, while representing an advantage over other sweeteners, limits it use in beverages due to the high risk of exceeding the tolerable threshold.

In this regard, a recent study conducted on the pediatric population, therefore that potentially more susceptible to intestinal side effects of? Erythritol, has shown how the intake of 25 g compared to 5 or 15 g of Erythritol daily can determine a significant increase in diarrheal episodes and the number of daily evacuations.

Reporting everything to the adult population, daily tolerable doses of Erythritol are those ranging from 0.5 to 1 g per kg of body mass, beyond which it would be less appropriate to exceed.