Powdered Erythritol What Is It?

Erythritol is a new type of fermented low calorie sweetener produced by biotechnology. In June 1999, the International Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) approved Erythritol as a food sweetener without the need to specify the ADI value. At present, erythritol has been used in food production in the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Mexico and other countries. On June 19, 2007, China's Ministry of Health announced the approval of erythritol as a sweetener used in chewing gum, solid beverages, prepared milk and other foods.

1 The nature of erythritol

Erythritol is widely distributed in nature. It is found in seaweeds, mushrooms and fruits such as melons, grapes and peaches. Erythritol is also found in fermented foods such as wine, beer and soy sauce, as well as in the body fluids of humans and mammals due to the fact that bacteria, fungi and yeasts can also produce erythritol.

Erythritol is a white crystalline four-carbon polyalcohol compound with the chemical name 1,2,3,4-butanetetetrol, molecular formula C4H10O4, molecular weight 122.12, melting point 126℃, boiling point 329～331℃, heat of solubilization -97.4J/g, its chemical properties are similar to those of sorbitol.

Its chemical properties and sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol and other sugar alcohols are similar.

1.1 Pure sweetness

Erythritol is very close to the sweetness of sucrose, clean and no aftertaste, the sweetness is about 70% ~ 80% of sucrose. Mixed with other sweeteners to improve and coordinate the taste, such as erythritol and high sweetener stevia glycosides to 1000: (1-7) mixed use, can effectively cover the stevia glycosides of the aftertaste; will be more than 20% of the erythritol and sugar and its aftertaste and sweetness is more ideal than sugar; 1% to 3% of the erythritol in the solution can effectively disguise the irritating taste, improve the texture and flavor of the solution. The 1%-3% of erythritol in the solution can effectively mask the irritating taste and improve the taste and flavor of the solution.

1.2 High stability

Erythritol is stable in heat, acid and alkali conditions, the applicable acid and alkali range is pH2-12, which is in line with the general requirements of food on acid and alkali, because it does not contain carbonyl, so in the case of coexistence with amino acids, there is no Melard reaction. Tests show that erythritol will not decompose or change color under the high temperature of 160℃, avoiding the scorching of food during high temperature processing.

1.3 Good crystallization

Erythritol has low hygroscopicity, good crystallinity, easy to be crushed to make powdered products, and its hygroscopicity is the smallest among sugar alcohols and sweeteners such as sucrose. Temperature of 20 ℃, relative humidity of 90% of the environment, placed in 5d after the hygroscopic weight, maltose is about 17%, sucrose is about 10%, and erythritol is only about 2%.

1.4 High melting heat

The heat of dissolution is -97.4J/g, due to the large heat of dissolution, dissolved in water will absorb more energy, there is a strong refrigeration effect. Experiments show that 10g of erythritol dissolved in 90g of water, the temperature drop of about 4.8 ℃, with it added to the production of solid food and candy in the consumption of cool taste characteristics.

2 Biological properties of erythritol

2.1 Low energy value

Erythritol molecular energy value of 1.67kJ/g, while xylitol 11.7kJ/g, isomaltitol 8.36KJ/g, sucrose 16.72 kJ/g, so its caloric value of sucrose is only about 10%. At the same time, due to the small molecular size of erythritol, it is easy to be absorbed by the small intestine through passive diffusion. 80% of erythritol can enter the blood circulation, and the molecules of erythritol absorbed by the human body cannot be decomposed by the enzyme system in the human body, and it does not provide heat for the human body, and does not participate in the metabolism of sugar, causing the change of blood glucose, and it can only be filtered out through the kidneys from the bloodstream, and then discharged with the urine from the human body. Experiments show that a one-time intake of erythritol 25g, 3h within 40% from the urine discharge, about 24h, there are 80% from the urine discharge, the total amount of urine discharge of more than 90%, was not ingested by the small intestine 20% of erythritol into the large intestine, intestinal bacteria fermented into unsaturated fatty acids were less than 50% of the body's utilization. Therefore, only 5% to 10% of ingested erythritol can provide energy for the human body, so the actual energy value of erythritol is only 0.84KJ/g, which is the lowest energy of all polyols sweeteners, also known as “zero” calorific value ingredients.

2.2 High tolerance, no toxic side effects

Erythritol is well tolerated, safe and non-toxic, animal and clinical trials will not lead to diarrhea, the maximum single dose of sorbitol is 0.24g/kg body weight, while erythritol is 0.80 g/kg body weight, xylitol, maltitol, isomaltitol and lactitol 2-3 times, 3-4 times the glycol, compared with other polyols, erythritol in the body of the maximum tolerance for 50g / d. This is because the vast majority of polyols in the body are not used as sweeteners, but are used as sweeteners. Compared with other polyols, the maximum tolerated amount of erythritol in human body is 50g/d. This is because most of erythritol can be absorbed by the small intestine, which can avoid the phenomenon of hypertonicity in the intestine caused by the non-absorption of high concentration of carbohydrates, preventing the appearance of diarrhea, and also avoiding the non-absorption of the substance in the intestinal bacterial fermentation of a large number of volatiles to make the intestinal and gastrointestinal flatulence. Experiments also show that erythritol has no teratogenic toxicity, does not affect reproduction and development, does not cause chromosome mutation, does not cause cancer, and does not stimulate tumor growth.

2.3 Anti-caries

Erythritol is not utilized by Streptococcus pyogenes in the human oral cavity, which belongs to acid-producing bacteria. It produces acidic substances when it interacts with carbohydrates in the food components, especially the sucrose-rich food, and the bacteria can accelerate the reproduction of these sugars to produce a large amount of acid (glucose is in the oral cavity for 8h, and the pH value of the oral cavity will be reduced to 5). Acidic substances react with tooth enamel to decalcify and soften the surface of the teeth, resulting in cavities and caries. However, because erythritol is not broken down by such microorganisms into acidic substances, and also has an inhibitory effect on oral pathogenic bacteria, it can play a role in protecting the teeth, and has anti-caries properties.

3 Application in food industry

The above properties and biological characteristics of erythritol make it widely used, especially in the food industry as a low calorie sweetener and high sweetness sweetener diluent, widely used in confectionery (including chocolate foods), dairy beverages, bakery products, soft drinks and so on, the maximum use amount is 3%.

3.1 Candy, chocolate food

Erythritol can be used to replace granulated sugar in confectionery formulations, in addition to significantly reducing calories, it can also improve the digestive tolerance of low-calorie confectionery, and improve the flavor, tissue morphology and storage stability of products; in the manufacture of sugar-free confectionery to replace the traditional sweeteners, so that the calorie reduction of about 85%, used in chocolate, calorie can be reduced by about 30%; through the use of a mixture of aspartame, acesulfame and other powerful sweeteners, it can give food similar to the flavor of granulated sugar, and can be used to give food similar to the flavor of granulated sugar. By mixing with aspartame and acesulfame, it can give the food similar to the flavor of sugar; high soluble heat can be made into candy with a sense of coolness, easy to crush and non-hygroscopic properties, convenient for all kinds of candy storage of humidity; good stability, it can prevent browning or decomposition of the general food processing phenomenon, especially hard sugar production under the high temperature boiling browning. The application of erythritol has solved the problem of chocolate frosting caused by the high hygroscopicity of most functional sweeteners in chocolate manufacturing. Chocolate made from erythritol and other sweeteners is better than sucrose products in terms of taste, flavor and texture, and its heat stability can be used to manufacture chocolate at temperatures above 80°C, which can greatly shorten the processing time and improve the flavor of chocolate products.

3.2 Bakery products

Erythritol with low melting point and low hygroscopicity can be used in bakery products to prevent moisture and prolong the shelf life of food. Experiments show that pancakes in 125 ℃ erythritol solution impregnated 1 ~ 2s, cooling at room temperature, in the relative humidity of 80%, the temperature of 30 ℃ placed in 5d, the water absorption rate of only 0.5%, the uncoated water absorption rate of 0.5%, the water absorption rate of 0.5%, the water absorption rate of 0.5%.

The water absorption of the uncoated was 18%. The use of erythritol to replace sucrose with low energy value, pure sweetness and sweetness coordination is not only beneficial to health, but also provides baked products with better structural compactness and softness, as well as different oral solubility, so erythritol can be widely used in bakery products. Erythritol can be widely used in bakery products.

3.3 Health food

Erythritol is not easy to be degraded by enzymes, does not participate in sugar metabolism, does not lead to changes in blood glucose, which is suitable for diabetic patients; instead of sucrose to make low-energy value of health food, suitable for obese people, high blood pressure patients and cardiovascular patients to eat; consumption of metabolism in the intestine, suitable for gastrointestinal dysfunction of the crowd; the use of anti-caries function, can be made into confectionery and chewing gums beneficial to oral health. Using the anti-caries function, it can be made into candies and chewing gums which are beneficial to oral health.

3.4 Dairy products

Erythritol osmotic pressure reduction, inhibit lactic acid fermentation, control the rise of acidity, can extend the shelf life and shelf life of the product, with skimmed milk 10%, 90% of the water for lactic acid fermentation, pH value adjusted to 4.2, lactobacilli 8.8 × 108 of the fermented milk, add 10% of erythritol, 10 ℃ to maintain a month later, the pH value of 4.1, the number of lactobacilli for the 7.2 × 108, to achieve the sour taste The pH value was 4.1 and the number of lactic acid bacteria was 7.2×108 after one month at 10℃. While using sucrose to achieve the same effect, it is necessary to add more than 20%, and the sweetness rises, and the palatability effect is not as good as the former; the texture of ice cream using erythritol alone is hard, and it can be used to produce new products of hard ice cream drenching.

3.5 Beverages

The influence of erythritol on the main sensory characteristics of beverages is reflected in the increase in sweetness, heaviness and smoothness, reduce bitterness and astringency, disguise off-flavors and improve the overall flavor of beverages, such as erythritol used in tea drinks can significantly reduce the bitter taste; the use of erythritol to make cool solid beverages by using the characteristics of the dissolution of the heat-absorbing; the use of erythritol to produce a new type of low-calorie beverages, the addition of erythritol in the fruit juice drinks, can reduce calories by 75% to 50%, and can reduce the calorie level of the juice drinks. Erythritol can be used to produce new types of low-calorie beverages, adding erythritol fruit juice drinks, can reduce calories by 75% ~ 80%; stabilization characteristics can be applied in the need for pasteurization, high temperature and ultra-high-temperature and other sterilization process of beverages. Erythritol promotes the combination of ethanol molecules and water molecules in solution, which can reduce the odor and sensory stimulation of alcohol in alcoholic beverages, and improve the quality of distilled spirits and wines.

4 Production methods of erythritol

The production of erythritol can be divided into chemical synthesis and biosynthesis method.

4.1 Chemical synthesis

Chemical synthesis method can be butenediol and hydrogen peroxide reaction, and then its aqueous solution and active nickel catalyst mixed with ammonia and add blocking agent, in about 0.5MPa through the hydrogen, hydrogenation of erythritol products, but the chemical method of production efficiency is low, has not yet been realized industrial production.

4.2 Microbial fermentation

Fermentation method for the production of erythritol began in the 1990s, the international are using microbial fermentation method for mass production of erythritol. The carbon sources for the production of erythritol are alkanes, monosaccharides and disaccharides, etc. Glucose, fructose, mannose and sucrose are good carbon sources for the production of erythritol, among which D-mannose has the highest conversion rate of 31.5%.

However, due to the cost factor, at present, the main starchy raw materials such as wheat or corn are degraded by enzymes to produce glucose, which is fermented by high permeability yeast or other strains to produce erythritol, which can be produced by Pseudofilamentous yeast (Candida), globular anamorphic yeast (Torulopsis), Trichosporon (trichosporum), Trichosporon (Trigonopsis), Bicarbonate (Trigonopsis) and Bicarbonate (Trigonopsis). Trigonopsis), Pichia, and so on. The industrial production process of erythritol fermentation is as follows: starch - liquefaction - saccharification - glucose - fermentation of production strains - filtration - chromatographic separation - purification - concentration - crystallization - isolation. Purification - Concentration - Crystallization - Separation - Drying, and finally get erythritol, the average yield is about 50%. Studies have shown that the fermentation of erythritol is affected by a variety of factors, such as osmotic pressure changes significantly affect the generation of polyols, the inorganic salts Mn2+ and Cu2+ can increase the yield of erythritol, oxygen, temperature have an impact on its yield, compared with chemical synthesis, fermentation method has more advantages in the production.

5 Application Prospects

Erythritol can be used in medicine, cosmetics, chemical industry and many other aspects, in addition to its application in the food industry. It can partially replace the role of glycerol in the production of cosmetics, and slow down the deterioration of cosmetics; as an intermediate in organic synthesis, it can be used as raw material for the manufacture of paints, explosives and pharmaceuticals, etc.; it can also be used as a corrective agent for medicines and an excipient for tablets, which can effectively improve the taste of medicines; and it can also be used as a component and additive for the manufacture of polyether polymers, which can be used to produce polyether polymers. As a component of polymers and additives, it is used to produce polyether polyhydroxy compounds. At present, the dosage of erythritol is increasing year by year, and the market demand is increasing, the application prospect of erythritol is very wide.

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