Mannitol is a low calorie sweetener that could replace sucrose, lactose or fructose in food products, conferring similar sweetness and taste.
Mannitol is only about 70% as sweet as sucrose and is also noncariogenic. Because of its nonhygroscopic nature, mannitol is used as a dusting powder and anticaking agent, besides its special dietary food application.
The highest demand for mannitol is in sugarless chewing gum and sugar free chocolates.
Mannitol can be used in chocolate-flavored compound coatings that are sued to enrobe ice cream and confections such as marshmallows and butter creams.
Mannitol replaces the sucrose in this application to make a sugar-free compound coating.
D-mannitol is widespread in nature. It is naturally occurring sweetener in many plants, algae and molds. It occurs in the sap of manna tree, an ash native of southern Italy, and can also be made by the reduction of either of the monosaccharides, mannose or galactose.
The by far largest quantity of mannitol is produce by chemical hydrogenation of fructose which yields a mixture of mannitol and sorbitol. The mixture of subjected to fractionated crystallization.
As sweetener mannitol may be effective in preventing tooth decay, since oral bacterial are unable to form acid from mannitol.
Mannitol food applications
