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Maltitol

     

Taste:
Maltitol has a clean sweet taste with minimal cooling effect in the mouth.  It is about 70% as sweet as sucrose on a weight basis.  
      The concentration vs. response relationship in water is shown below. 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 maltitol on a weight basis
Calories:
Maltitol is only partially 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, maltitol provides 2.1 calories per gram for labeling purposes.  In the European Union, it is listed at 2.4 calories per gram.

Safety:
Maltitol has GRAS status in the USA.   It is approved for use in the European Union (EU),.
    The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has determined the "Laxative Threshold Value" (LTV) for a number of polyols, and maltitol is one of the less laxative polyols with an LTV of 60 grams per meal.

Chemistry:

Molecular formula: C12H24O11

Molecular weight: 344.3

Maltitol is produced by hydrogenation of the disaccharide maltose.

Properties:
Maltitol is not very hygroscopic, so it performs well in chocolate and other low-moisture foods.  Like the other polyols, maltitol does not participate in browning reactions.

Other links:
Maltitiol on Wikipedia

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