Sweeteners

The category divides into high intensity sweeteners and bulk polyols. Sucralose is roughly six hundred times as sweet as sugar and Steviol Glycosides two to three hundred times, so both are dosed in small fractions of a per cent and contribute no bulk at all. Erythritol, Maltitol, Sorbitol and Xylitol are used near the weight of the sugar they replace and supply its body, while Isomaltooligosaccharide is only mildly sweet and is bought largely for syrup solids.

Taste and tolerance set the limits. Stevia and its purified glycosides are clean at low doses but show bitterness and a lingering finish as the level rises, which is why Reb M is priced above Reb A. Polyols cool the mouth, xylitol most strongly and maltitol least, and they are laxative above a threshold that is lowest for sorbitol and highest for erythritol, which is absorbed and excreted rather than fermented in the gut. Erythritol alone is close to calorie free.