Maltitol

Maltitol (E965) is a sugar alcohol (polyol) produced by hydrogenation of maltose, reducing the aldehyde group of the glucose moiety to a hydroxyl group. With approximately 75–90% of the sweetness of sucrose, a clean sweet taste, and a pleasant cooling effect in the mouth, maltitol most closely resembles sucrose in physical and functional properties among the commercial polyols, making it the preferred sugar replacer in chocolate, confectionery, and hard-boiled sweets. Its melting point (144–145°C), water activity control capacity, and crystallisation behaviour closely mirror those of sucrose, allowing sugar-free chocolate formulations using virtually identical processing parameters to conventional chocolate manufacturing. It provides approximately 2.1 kcal/g compared to 4 kcal/g for sucrose due to incomplete intestinal absorption.

JECFA assigned maltitol a not-specified ADI, consistent with the broader polyol family evaluation (evaluated 1981), recognising that partially absorbed sugar alcohols are normal metabolic intermediates and that the only dose-dependent effect of concern is osmotic laxation rather than systemic toxicity. Unlike intense sweeteners, where ADIs are derived from toxicology studies with uncertainty factors, polyol safety is assessed on the basis of human gastrointestinal tolerance, which is highly individual and dose-dependent. Maltitol is absorbed more extensively than most other polyols — approximately 80% is absorbed in the small intestine — which gives it a glycaemic index of approximately 35 (versus 65–70 for sucrose), meaning it is not fully appropriate for strict diabetic management despite being marketed as "sugar-free." The remaining 20% reaches the colon and is fermented by microbiota to short-chain fatty acids.

Maltitol is authorised under EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 and US FDA 21 CFR §180.25. EU labelling regulations require the warning "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects" on products containing added polyols, applicable to maltitol when it may be consumed in laxative quantities. For most healthy adults, the laxative threshold for maltitol is approximately 40–70 g per day, though sensitive individuals experience effects at lower doses. Its dental non-cariogenicity (it is not fermented by oral Streptococcus mutans) is recognised by authorised health claims in the EU and Canada.