Erythritol is 60–70% as sweet astable sugar. However, erythritol is almost completelynoncaloric[4] and does not affectblood sugar[5] or causetooth decay.[6] Japanese companies pioneered the commercial development of erythritol as a sweetener in the 1990s.
The name "erythritol" derives from the Greek word for the color red (erythros orἐρυθρός). That is the case even though erythritol is almost always found in the form of white crystals or powder, and chemical reactions do not turn it red. The name "erythritol" is adapted from a closely related compound,erythrin, which turns red upon oxidation.[7]
It was first approved and marketed as a sweetener in Japan in 1990, and in the US in 1997.[12] In February 1997,Cerestar Holding Co.,Mitsubishi Chemical Co., and Nikken Chemicals Co. submitted a formalgenerally recognized as safe (GRAS) affirmation petition with the USFDA.[13] However, in April 1997 the FDA replaced the GRAS affirmation petition process with the current GRAS notification process, a notice was first filed by Cerestar in April 2001, and the FDA responded with "no questions" in September 2001.[14][15]
Sulá-brand sugar-freeliquorice, sweetened with erythritol
Since 1990, erythritol has had a history of safe use as a sweetener and flavor-enhancer in food and beverage products and is approved for use by government regulatory agencies in more than 60 countries.[18]
Beverage categories for its use are coffee and tea, liquiddietary supplements, juice blends,soft drinks, and flavored water product variations, with foods includingconfections, biscuits and cookies, tabletop sweeteners, and sugar-free chewing gum.[18] The mild sweetness of erythritol allows for a volume-for-volume replacement of sugar, whereas sweeter sugar substitutes need fillers that result in a noticeably different texture in baked products.[19]
Erythritol isabsorbed rapidly into the blood, with peak amounts occurring in under two hours; the majority of an oral dose (80 to 90%) is excreted unchanged in theurine within 24 hours.[18]
In 2023, theEuropean Food Safety Authority reassessed the safety of erythritol and lowered the recommended daily intake limit to 0.5 grams per kg body weight,[20] which equates to 35 g for an average adult (70 kg). The lower limit was set to "safeguard against its laxative effect and to mitigate against long-term effects, such as electrolyte imbalance arising from prolonged exposure to erythritol-induced diarrhea."[20]
Previously, in 2015, scientists assessed doses for erythritol where symptoms of mildgastrointestinal upset occurred, such as nausea, excessflatus, abdominal bloating or pain, andstool frequency. At a content of 1.6% in beverages, it was not considered to have alaxative effect.[18] The upper limit of tolerance was 0.78 and 0.71g/kg body weight in adults and children respectively.[18]
Nutritional labeling of erythritol in food products varies from country to country. Some places, such asJapan and theEuropean Union (EU), label it as zero-calorie.[24]
In the body, most erythritol is absorbed into the bloodstream in thesmall intestine and then for the most part excreted unchanged in theurine. About 10% enters the colon.[26]
In small doses, erythritol does not normally causelaxative effects and gas or bloating, as are often experienced after consumption of other sugar alcohols (such asmaltitol,sorbitol,xylitol, andlactitol).[27] About 90% is absorbed before it enters thelarge intestine, and since erythritol is not digested by intestinal bacteria, the remaining 10% is excreted in thefeces.[26]
Large doses can causenausea,stomach rumbling, and watery feces.[28] Doses greater than 0.66 g/kg body weight in males and greater than 0.8 g/kg body weight in females causelaxation,[29] and doses over 50 grams (1.8 oz) cause diarrhea.[28] Rarely, erythritol can cause allergic hives (urticaria).[30]
Erythritol is manufactured by using enzymatichydrolysis of the starch from corn to generateglucose.[34] Glucose is then fermented with yeast or another fungus to produce erythritol. A genetically engineered form of the yeastYarrowia lipolytica has been optimized for erythritol production by fermentation by usingglycerol as a carbon source and highosmotic pressure to increase yields up to 62%.[35]
Erythritol has a strong cooling effect (endothermic, or positiveheat of solution)[36] when it dissolves in water, which is often compared with the cooling effect ofmint flavors. The cooling effect is present only when erythritol is not already dissolved in water, a situation that might be experienced in an erythritol-sweetened frosting, chocolate bar, chewing gum, or hard candy. The cooling effect of erythritol is very similar to that ofxylitol and among the strongest cooling effects of all sugar alcohols.[37] Erythritol has apKa of 13.903 at 18 °C.[38]
According to a 2014 study,[39] erythritol functions as an insecticide toxic to the fruit flyDrosophila melanogaster, impairing motor ability and reducing longevity even when nutritive sugars were available.
Erythritol is preferentially used by theBrucella spp. The presence of erythritol in the placentas of goats, cattle, and pigs has been proposed as an explanation for the accumulation ofBrucella bacteria found at these sites.[40]
In the 19th and the early 20th centuries, several synonyms were in use for erythritol: erythrol, erythrite, erythroglucin, eryglucin, erythromannite and phycite.[41] Zerose is atradename for erythritol.[42]
^Vasudevan DM (2013).Textbook of biochemistry for medical students. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd. p. 81.ISBN978-93-5090-530-2.
^Moon HJ, Jeya M, Kim IW, Lee JK (April 2010). "Biotechnological production of erythritol and its applications".Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.86 (4):1017–1025.doi:10.1007/s00253-010-2496-4.PMID20186409.S2CID9560435.
^abKawanabe J, Hirasawa M, Takeuchi T, Oda T, Ikeda T (1992). "Noncariogenicity of erythritol as a substrate".Caries Research.26 (5):358–362.doi:10.1159/000261468.PMID1468100.
^(2008)European Commission Directive 2008/100/EC. Quote: "Erythritol is a polyol, and according to the current rules as provided for in Article 5(1) of Directive 90/496/EEC, its energy would be calculated using the conversion factor for polyols, namely 10 kJ/g (2,4 kcal/g). Using this energy conversion factor would not fully inform the consumer about the reduced energy value of a product achieved by the use of erythritol in its manufacture. The Scientific Committee on Food in its opinion on erythritol, expressed on March 5, 2003, noted that the energy provided by erythritol was less than 0,9 kJ/g (less than 0,2 kcal/g). Therefore it is appropriate to adopt a suitable energy conversion factor for erythritol. Current regulations (Reg. (EC) 1169/2011) preserve this conversion factor at 0 kcal/g for energy value calculation purposes."
^Munro IC, Berndt WO, Borzelleca JF, Flamm G, Lynch BS, Kennepohl E, et al. (December 1998). "Erythritol: an interpretive summary of biochemical, metabolic, toxicological and clinical data".Food and Chemical Toxicology.36 (12):1139–1174.doi:10.1016/S0278-6915(98)00091-X.PMID9862657.
^Munro IC, Berndt WO, Borzelleca JF, Flamm G, Lynch BS, Kennepohl E, et al. (December 1998). "Erythritol: an interpretive summary of biochemical, metabolic, toxicological and clinical data".Food and Chemical Toxicology.36 (12):1139–1174.doi:10.1016/S0278-6915(98)00091-X.PMID9862657.
