Sugar alcohols

The US Food and Drug Administration describes sugar alcohols as carbohydrates with characteristics of both sugars and alcohols, though they do not contain the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. They occur naturally in small amounts in fruits and vegetables, and they are also made commercially from sugars and starch.

In foods they give a sweet taste with fewer calories per gram than sugar, and they are common in baked goods, chewing gum, frozen desserts, jams, frostings and hard and soft candies. They add bulk and texture, help retain moisture, and prevent the browning that happens during heating. In high concentrations, as in sugar-free hard candy or gum, they can give a cooling sensation in the mouth. Because they are slowly and incompletely absorbed, large amounts can cause abdominal gas or bloating in some people. Erythritol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol are among those named by FDA.