ERYTHRITOL
• 2023 BUYING GUIDE •

Quick Facts about Erythritol

• Erythritol is a synthetic sweetener – Erythritol is found naturally in some foods (fruits, mushrooms, fermented foods). However, due to being available in minuscule amounts, store-bought erythritol doesn't come from any of the natural sources. Instead, it's synthetically produced from corn via fermentation or an electrochemical process. When made from non-GMO corn, it's imported from China. 

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• Erythritol is less sweet than sugar, so use more – Erythritol is 60 to 70 percent as sweet as table sugar. Expect to add 1/3 more and pay a higher price than table sugar to get the same sweetness. To compensate for the reduced sweetness, you'll often find erythritol combined with high-intensity sweeteners such as stevia, monk fruit, and sucralose. Erythritol and its blends produce crispy and soft baked goods but don't dissolve as readily as table sugar.

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• Erythritol creates a cooling effect on the tongue – When you have it in powder form, erythritol creates a cold sensation as it dissolves in the mouth, referred to as a cooling effect. It feels like sucking a mint but without the mint flavor. To minimize it, sweetener manufacturers often sell erythritol blended with other low-digestible sweeteners (polyols and soluble fibers).​

• Technically, erythritol is a carbohydrate and counts towards the "total carbohydrate" on the nutrition facts label, but it offers zero net carbs – Most of the erythritol we consume is absorbed and excreted unchanged, without any decomposition, through urine. Here's what you need to know if you're tracking your carbs intake. Erythritol is counted towards the total carbohydrates on the nutrition facts label, but it's not available for digestion, so it has zero net carbs. Net carbs are digestible carbs that break down into glucose and raise blood sugar levels.
   

• The caloric value of erythritol per gram is close to zero (0.4 cal), being promoted as a calorie-free sweetener – A small amount of erythritol [anywhere between10 to 40 percent of the amount ingested] reaches the large intestine, where it's fermented by the gut microbes. So, even though we cannot metabolize erythritol, bacteria in the large intestine can, and we obtain their energy indirectly. Powdered erythritol provides 1.2 calories per teaspoon (3 grams). Granulated erythritol has about 1.6 calories per teaspoon (4 grams). One cup of erythritol contributes approximately 70 calories.
   

• Erythritol is not gut friendly to newbies and people with a sensitive digestive system. Excessive intake of erythritol on an empty stomach and without any other food may cause bloating, cramps, and laxative effects. Some people experience digestive discomfort even with intakes as small as ⅛ of a teaspoon. So, if you have a sensitive stomach, be aware that erythritol is a FODMAP—an acronym for carbohydrates associated with adverse gastrointestinal effects.

• Erythritol advantages – It provides about 1.5 calories per teaspoon and 70 calories per cup, versus 16 and 770 for table sugar. It doesn't affect blood glucose levels. It counts towards the total carbohydrate on the nutrition facts label, but it offers zero net carbs. Erythritol tastes almost like regular sugar, with an aftertaste (cooling effect). It provides bulk (volume & mass) to recipes and is heat stable. It helps make baked goods crispy. It masks off-flavors of stevia & monk fruit extracts.
   

• Erythritol disadvantages – Pure erythritol has nine main problems. (1) Compared to table sugar, it's 60 to 75 percent less sweet, so you can't swap it cup for cup. (2) It's 8 to 40 times more expensive, costing 4 to 20 dollars per pound. (3) It may cause adverse gastrointestinal effects. (4) It has a cooling effect when dissolved in the mouth, which is sometimes difficult to ignore. (5) It doesn't dissolve as well as regular sugar. (6) It tends to recrystallize in cold temperatures. (7) It doesn't brown or caramelize. (8) It doesn't attract and hold on to moisture like sugar. (9) It tends to harden and form lumps during storage. Learn more by reading my blog posts below: