Erythritol is a four-carbon molecular sugar alcohol, a member of the polyol family, and its appearance is a white odorless crystal with a molecular weight of only 122.12. It is commonly found in various fruits, such as melons, peaches, pears, grapes, etc.; it also exists in fermented foods, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce; it also exists in animal body fluids such as human eyeballs, serum, and semen. Erythritol is a bulking bio-sweetener with a cool taste. It not only has all the excellent functions of sugar alcohol products, but also has the unique characteristics of low energy value and high tolerance. Its heat is only 0.2 kcal/g, and its sweetening property is 70% of the sweetening power of sucrose, which makes it an effective and safe ingredient for low-calorie food for people suffering from diabetes and obesity. Toxicological studies have shown that erythritol is well tolerated without any side effects or toxic effects. In addition, 90% of erythritol ingested with food does not undergo any biochemical effects and is excreted in the urine in an unchanged form, thereby not affecting blood sugar or insulin levels. Due to its specific molecular structure, erythritol also acts as an antioxidant. These potential application properties of erythritol have led to increasing interest in this compound in the food industry as well as in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Application of erythritol in food.

Erythritol has a very wide range of applications in the food industry, mainly including candy (including chocolate food), health care products, milk beverages, bakery products and soft drinks.

Candy and chocolate food.

The application of basic raw materials in the confectionery and chocolate market has extended from traditional sugars such as sucrose and maltose in the early days to products using new low-sugar and low-calorie sugar bases as raw materials. However, not all low-calorie and low-sugar sugar bases can replace sucrose for the production of candy and chocolate. The new raw materials used must be able to replace sucrose from the perspective of taste and physicochemistry, and must also be beneficial to human health. After long-term practical research, it has been proved that the new functional raw material erythritol fully meets the requirements. The taste of erythritol is the same as that of sucrose, and there is no need to add strong sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin. The resulting candies have a cooler mouthfeel than other "non-sucrose" candies, with pure sweetness and no unpleasant aftertaste. Moreover, the joint use of erythritol and other sugar alcohols can increase the tolerance to reduce the risk of unilateral use. Erythritol, like other sugar alcohols, cannot be used by Streptococcus mutans. It can prevent Streptococcus mutans in the oral cavity from rotting the enamel of teeth and has anti-caries function. Therefore, candies and special cleaners made of erythritol Dental supplies have a very effective role in promoting the protection of dental health. Erythritol is also easily crushed and has low hygroscopicity, so it can be used to make low-calorie, non-erosive, anticarious candies. It would be better to use high-purity erythritol crystalline powder in candy chocolate, so that better quality and taste can be obtained.

Health food/functional food.

Erythritol is not easily degraded by enzymes, does not participate in glucose metabolism, and does not cause changes in blood sugar.So it is suitable for the application of health food for diabetic patients. It can replace sucrose to make health food with low energy value, and is suitable for obese people, hypertensive patients and cardiovascular patients. It has the characteristics of metabolism in the intestinal tract after eating, and is suitable for people with gastrointestinal dysfunction. Utilizing the anti-caries function, it can be made into candies and chewing gums that are beneficial to oral health.

Dairy products, beverages, wine, etc.

Adding a certain concentration of erythritol to fermented dairy products can properly prolong the shelf life of the product. The impact of erythritol on the main sensory characteristics of beverages is reflected in the improvement of sweetness, thickness and smoothness, the reduction of bitterness, the masking of peculiar smell, and the improvement of the overall flavor of beverages. For example, when erythritol is used in tea drinks, it can significantly reduce its bitter taste. Cool solid drinks can be made with the help of the characteristic of large heat absorption of erythritol when dissolved. The juice drink added with erythritol can reduce the calorie by 75%~80%. Erythritol can be used to produce low-calorie alcoholic beverages, which can reduce the alcoholic odor and sensory stimulation of alcoholic beverages, improve the quality of distilled spirits and wines, and enhance the natural flavor of products.

Bakery products.

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that has proven to be very good for obtaining higher quality functional or low-calorie baked goods. The compound use of erythritol and polydextrose can replace the application advantages of sucrose in terms of physical and chemical properties, and it can also increase health effects. Compared with products using sucrose as raw material, the bakery products added with erythritol have better structural compactness and softness, and have different mouth melting and subtle color differences from sucrose products. When using erythritol in baked goods, it is best to be in powder form or crystal with fine particle size (<200um), and the fine particles will bring a smooth and round taste to the product.

With the continuous expansion of the application industry of erythritol and the increasing market demand for low-calorie functional sweeteners, its consumption is also increasing year by year. The consumer demand for erythritol in the market is very active. There is a large demand for erythritol and a wide range of market development space. The application prospect of erythritol will be very broad.