Maltitol: properties and potential adverse effects of the reduced-calorie sweetening agent
Alicja Kowalska
2026-03-23
2 min. read
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The contemporary marketplace provides consumers with an extensive selection of preparations designed to serve as alternatives to conventional sugar. These compounds, which confer a sweet flavor to foods, exhibit substantial diversity in terms of chemical composition, physical parameters, and sensory characteristics. Of particular note is maltitol—a synthetic sweetener distinguished by its reduced caloric content relative to sucrose.
Maltitol
Maltitol belongs to a group of chemical compounds called sugar alcohols polyols. It occurs in this group alongside other compounds of this type, such as xylitol, erythritol or sorbitol. It is obtained from maltose of a double sugar consisting of two residues of D-glucose. As maltitol is used as a food additive, it is listed on the official list of additives E, and its symbol is E965.
Maltitol properties
Polyols are low-calorie sugar substitutes their sweetness is defined as similar to sugar, whereas the energy value is about 50% lower. In the case of maltitol, it is estimated to exhibit a sweetness of 0.60.9 sugars, providing about 2 kcal/ 1 g of the product. Furthermore, maltital is thermostatic it does not decompose and lose properties at low and high temperatures, is easily soluble in water, is highly hygroscopic and exhibits high viscosity. These properties can be of great importance in food technology and production.
Maltitol is harmful
Many of the chemicals added to food can have certain adverse effects on the body. Of course, this applies to situations where they are consumed in excess contrary to the manufacturer's recommendations. Otherwise they would not be available in the European Union. On the packaging of products containing polyols you will most often find information about possible cleansing effects. These ingredients can have such an effect on your body because they are absorbed slightly differently from your dietary system than sugar. Namely, polyhydrogenic alcohols are not hydrolysed into the blood glucose as in the hypoglycemic diet.