Sorbitol is a white powder used as a sweetener. It has no smell.
It is only 60% as sweet as sucrose.
It occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables. It is mostly now made from glucose extracted from corn.
Cooking Tips
Sorbitol retains moisture when cooked, and won’t brown when heated.
Nutrition
Sorbitol is absorbed in the body more slowly than sucrose, and the body doesn’t metabolize it all.
It has 30% fewer calories than sucrose. There are 2.6 calories per gram.
Approved for use by the EU, by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and in Australia, Canada and Japan.
Sorbitol does not promote tooth decay. The FDA allows the claim “does not promote tooth decay.”
History Notes
Discovered in mountain ash tree berries in 1868 by a French chemist named Jean-Baptiste Boussingault. He also named it.