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Lactitol

     

Taste:
Lactitol has a clean sweet taste.  It is about 40% as sweet as sucrose.
     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 lactitol on a weight basis.
 
Calories:
Lactitol 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, lactitol provides 2 calories per gram for labeling purposes.  In the European Union, it is listed at 2.4 calories per gram.

Safety:
Lactitol has GRAS status in the USA.   It is approved for use in the European Union (EU),
Canada, Japan, and several other countries.
     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 24-50 grams per meal.

Chemistry:

Molecular formula: C12H24O11

Molecular weight: 344.3

Lactitol is produced by hydrogenation of lactose.

Properties:
Lactitol is not hygroscopic (does not absorb moisture from the air), so it is useful in products where crispness is desirable. It also performs well in chocolate.  It has very good stability and solubility.

Other links:
Lactitol on Wikipedia

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