| Description |
Occurs in a variety of plants, berries and fruits including plums, raspberries, cauliflower and endive; sweetening agent used in sugar free sweets and chewing gum_x000D_
_x000D_
Possessing approximately 40% less food energy, xylitol is a low-calorie alternative to table sugar. Absorbed more slowly than sugar, it does not contribute to high blood sugar levels or the resulting hyperglycemia caused by insufficient insulin response.; Xylitol (from Greek ????? - xyl[on], "wood" + suffix -itol, used to denote sugar alcohols) is an organic compound with the formula (CHOH)3(CH2OH)2. This achiral species is one of four isomers of 1,2,3,4,5-pentapentanol. This sugar alcohol is used as a naturally occurring sugar substitute found in the fibres of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms. It can be extracted from corn fibre, birch, raspberries, plums, and corn. Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sucrose with only two-thirds the food energy. As with most sugar alcohols, consumption can result in bloating, diarrhea, and flatulence, although generally rather less so than other sugar alcohols like sorbitol.; Xylitol is a "tooth friendly" non-fermentable sugar alcohol. A systematic review study on the efficacy of xylitol has indicated dental heath benefits in caries prevention, showing superior performance to other polyols (poly-alcohols). Early studies from Finland in the 1970s found that a group chewing sucrose gum had 2.92 decayed, missing, or filled (dmf) teeth compared to 1.04 in the group chewing xylitol gums. In another study, researchers had mothers chew xylitol gum 3 months after delivery until their children were 2 years old. The researchers found that children in the xylitol group had "a 70% reduction in cavities (dmf)." Recent research confirms a plaque-reducing effect and suggests that the compound, having some chemical properties similar to sucrose, attracts and then "starves" harmful micro-organisms, allowing the mouth to remineralise damaged teeth with less interruption. (However, this same effect also interferes with yeast micro-organisms and others, so xylitol is inappropriate for making yeast-based bread, for instance.); Xylitol is a five-carbon sugar alcohol. Xylitol is in a natural state in many fruits (strawberries, plums, raspberries) and vegetables (cauliflower.). The human body naturally processes 15gram xylitol per day during digestion. It can be produced industrially starting from primary matters rich in xylan which is hydrolized to obtain xylose. It is extracted from hemicelluloses present in the corn raids, the almond hulls or the barks of birch (or of the by-products of wood: shavings hard, paper pulp). Of all polyols, it is the one that has the sweetest flavor (it borders that of saccharose). It gives a strong refreshing impression, while remaining not cariogene; as a result, chewing xylitol gum may prevent dental caries. Chewing xylitol gum for 4 to 14 days reduces the amount of plaque. The reduction in the amount of plaque following xylitol gum chewing within 2 weeks may be a transient phenomenon. Chewing xylitol gum for 6 months reduced mutans streptococci levels in saliva and plaque in adults. (PMID: 17426399, 15964535); these three qualities make xylitol an ingredient of choice for the industry of chewing gums without sugar. In addition to his use in confectionery, one finds it in pharmaceutical industry, certain baths of mouth and toothpastes, in cosmetic (creams, soaps.). Xylitol is produced starting from xylose, the isomaltose, by enzymatic transposition of the saccharose (sugar). Xylitol is not metabolized by cariogenic bacteria and gum chewing stimulates the flow of saliva. |
