Maltitol, also known as hydrogenated maltose, has a chemical name of 1,4-o-α-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol. It is a disaccharide composed of one molecule of glucose linked to one sorbitol through an α-1,4-bond. The molecular formula is C12H24O11, and the relative molecular mass is 344.31. Maltitol is a colorless transparent crystal, easily soluble in water, insoluble in methanol and ethanol.
The functional properties of maltitol：
1. Non-corrosive:
Maltitol is not an acidogenic substrate and almost completely does not lead to the synthesis of insoluble glycans by bacteria. Therefore, maltitol is a non-corrosive new sugar that is extremely difficult to form dental caries.
2. Promotes calcium absorption:
Animal experiments have shown that maltitol can promote the intestinal absorption of calcium and increase bone mass and enhance bone strength.
3. Does not stimulate insulin secretion:
Because maltitol is difficult to digest and absorb, the blood sugar level rises less, so it has no stimulating effect on the secretion of insulin necessary for glucose metabolism, thus reducing the secretion of insulin. So maltitol can be used as a sweetener for diabetics.
4. Inhibit excessive accumulation of body fat:
If you take in high fat and sugar at the same time, because it stimulates the secretion of insulin, the activity of lipoprotein decomposing enzymes increases, so it is easy to increase the accumulation of body fat. If maltitol is used instead of sugar to make high-fat foods such as ice cream, cakes, and chocolate. Since it does not stimulate insulin secretion, it can reduce excessive accumulation of body fat.
5. Indigestibility:
Maltitol can hardly be decomposed by saliva, gastric juice, small intestinal membrane enzymes, etc. in the human body. Except for a part that can be used by intestinal bacteria, the rest cannot be digested and excreted. About 10% of maltitol ingested in the body is used as energy after being decomposed and absorbed in the small intestine. The remaining 90% is decomposed into short-chain fatty acids by the bacteria in the large intestine, and the rest is used as energy after being absorbed in the large intestine. Therefore, the calorie value of maltitol can be calculated to be about 2 Kal/g by adding the absorption amount of maltitol in the small intestine to the absorption amount of short-chain fatty acids in the large intestine.
Maltitol is a new type of sweetener, which is widely used in the processing of sweet food. In the past, the sweeteners that people ate were basically sugars with high calories and high sweetness, which could easily cause diseases such as diabetes, obesity, arteriosclerosis, and heart failure. Maltitol has high sweetness, low calories, good safety, sufficient raw materials, simple manufacturing process, and unique properties that other sweeteners do not have.