Maltitol

Brief Overview 

Maltitol is a type of sugar alcohol that is commonly used as a low-calorie sweetener and sugar substitute in food products. It is derived from maltose, which is a type of sugar that is found naturally in some foods like grains and vegetables. Maltitol has a similar taste and texture to sugar but contains fewer calories and has a lower glycemic index.

Manufacturing Process

Maltitol is manufactured by hydride reduction of double sugar alcohols in maltose. The industrial production process can be divided into two parts. First is the hydrolysis of maltose syrup starch, followed by hydrogenation of the hydrolyzed maltose syrup. These two steps produce maltitol.

Food Industry

Maltitol's high sweetness allows it to be used without being mixed with other sweeteners and exhibits negligible cooling effect compared with other sugar alcohols. It also has a very similar subtle cooling effect to sucrose. It is used especially in the production of sweets and baked goods.

Pharmaceutical Industry     

The pharmaceutical industry uses maltitol as an excipient, where it is used as a low-calorie sweetening agent. Its similarity to sucrose allows it to be used in syrups with the advantage that crystallization (which may cause bottle caps to stick) is less likely. Maltitol may also be used as a plasticizer in gelatin capsules, as an emollient, and humectant.