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Isomalt

     

Other names:
Palatinit®

Taste:
Isomalt has a clean sweet taste.  It iis about 40% as sweet as sucrose, on a weight basis.
     The concentration vs. response relationship in water is shown below (results in food systems will vary). This graph is based on data from DuBois, Walters, Schiffman, Warwick, Booth, Pecore, Gibes, Carr & Brands in "Sweeteners: Discovery, Molecular Design, and Chemoreception," D.E. Walters et al., Eds., American Chemical Society, 1991. The units of R are percent sucrose equivalent; the units of C are percent isomalt on a weight basis.

Calories:
Isomalt is not efficiently absorbed by the body, and it is only partly metabolized. Its caloric value depends on several factors, as discussed in my essay "Polyols and Calories."  In the USA, isomalt provides 2 calories per gram for labeling purposes.  In the European Union, it is listed at 2.4 calories per gram.

Safety:
Isomalt has GRAS status in the USA.  It has been in use in Europe for over 20 years.
     The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has determined the "Laxative Threshold Value" (LTV) for a number of polyols, and lactitol has an LTV of 29 grams per meal.

Chemistry:

Molecular formula: C12H24O11

Molecular weight: 344.3

Isomalt is a polyol (sugar alcohol).  It is produced from sucrose in two steps:  enzymatic rearrangement of sucrose to isomaltulose, followed by hydrogenation.  It is a mixture of two compounds, glucosyl-mannitol and glucosyl-sorbitol.

Properties:
Isomalt's physical properties are very similar to sucrose, making it useful in hard candies and many other products.  It is less hygroscopic (less likely to pick up moisture from the air) than most polyols and sugars, so products made with isomalt may be less sticky and may have better shelf life.  Isomalt has very good heat stability, so it can be used in making hard candies and baked goods.

Other links:
Isomalt on Wikipedia

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