Cargill’s polyols

Polyol Overview
Polyol sweeteners, mainly based on starch derivatives, were developed in the 1930's. They do not have the extreme sweetness of many intense sweeteners but can be used to thicken and texturise, and are often blended with intense sweeteners for perfect results. However, some polyol sweeteners can cause digestive intolerance if consumed in large quantities.

A quality lifestyle is a priority for many consumers. On one side consumers look for good health and weight control. On the other lies the lure of the cookie aisle, the calorie rich desserts and sauces and the sugar-charged soft drinks.

Polyols are offering you one of the best solutions to optimise your quality lifestyle: naturally good, naturally healthful, low to zero-calorie.

The ultimate winners will be food consumers who can combine healthful, low to zero-calorie properties with excellent taste, satisfying mouthfeel and an appeal to the low-carbohydrate lifestyle market.

Definition
Polyols, or sugar alcohols, are polyhydric alcohols produced by hydrogenation or fermentation of different carbohydrates. Chemically, polyols are derived from mono- and disaccharides.

Most polyols occur naturally in a variety of food products like vegetables, fruits and mushrooms. The are also regularly presented in fermented foods like wine or soy sauces. Polyols are therefore a normal constituent of the human diet.

Production
Although most polyols are present in nature, e.g., in fruits and vegetables, their extraction is not a viable production method. For the majority of polyols, cereals, as wheat and maize, are the main raw materials. Also sugar (sucrose) and xylose derived from corn cobs, almond shells and birch bark have become a source for production of isomalt and xylitol respectively.

The typical pathway is isolation of starch from the cereal followed by enzymatic conversion to the proper saccharides which are the hydrogenated in the presence of catalysts to convert the aldehyde and ketone groups into alcohol functions.

As a consequence, the chemical structure is made linear, the chemical stability is improved and the tendency to undergo Maillard reactions (browning) is substantially reduced. It also modifies several physicochemical properties such as solubility, viscosity, hygroscopicity and boiling temperature which all contributes to the differences in behavior between polyols.

Summary Table

Main chemical and physical properties of polyols

Energy values

Examples of energy values for polyols in various countries/areas (Kcal/g)

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