The difference between sugar alcohols

Functional sugars and sugar alcohols, as the name implies, refer to sugars and sugar alcohols with certain physiological functions or special uses; they include functional monosaccharides, functional disaccharides, functional oligosaccharides, and functional polyols.

Among them, functional oligosaccharides, in a narrow sense, are low-polymerized sugars that are formed by 2 to 10 monosaccharides connected by glycosidic bonds to form straight or branched chains. Here, sugars with a higher degree of polymerization, such as inulin (also known as inulin) and stachyose, are also classified as oligosaccharides.

Common functional sugars and sugar alcohols that have already had industrial production scale include fructose, glucose, mannose, arabinose, ribose, trehalose, allulose, sorbitol, mannitol, isomaltulose (alcohol), erythritol, maltose (alcohol), xylose (alcohol), inulin, lactulose, galactose, soy oligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, xylooligosaccharides, etc.

Different types of functional sugars and sugar alcohols have different physiological, and physicochemical properties and functional uses; but in general, the functionality of functional sugars and sugar alcohols is mainly reflected in two aspects: physiological function and physical function. Today, we will focus on understanding the physicochemical properties and applications of functional sugars and sugar alcohols.

The physicochemical properties of sugars and sugar alcohols include sweetness, viscosity, osmotic pressure, hygroscopicity, solubility, heat resistance, acid and alkali resistance, colorability, difficulty in fermentation, etc. Different physicochemical properties give functional sugars and sugar alcohols different functions and different storage, transportation, and use methods.

Sugar and sugar alcohols have a certain sweetness. In addition, they are low in calories and highly safe, so they are often used as low-calorie functional sweeteners, replacing or adding to sweeteners such as granulated sugar and filling candy. They are widely used in a series of products such as candy, beverages, condiments, and functional foods.

As shown in the table, among common functional sugars and sugar alcohols, fructose has the highest sweetness. Sugar alcohols are generally less sweet than sucrose, and their calories are mostly lower than sucrose. They can be used as low-sweetened, low-calorie sweeteners or fillers for high-sweetened sweeteners.

Sugar alcohols generally absorb heat when dissolved often have a refreshing or cool taste, and can be used as sweetness and taste adjustment ingredients or sweeteners. For example, xylitol, which has a cool taste, is often added to mints.

Mannitol and other substances can mask the rusty or bitter taste of some saccharins and are suitable for the processing of high-sweetness preserves, jellies, and jams.

Sweet foods made from sugar alcohol are also called sugar-free foods. Oligosaccharides are generally less sweet and have a certain effect on regulating taste, but when making foods that require higher sweetness, they sometimes need to be used in conjunction with other sweeteners; for example, adding oligofructose to beverages can make the product taste more refreshing and soft.

Xylooligosaccharides also have the function of enhancing flavor, and their taste is similar to that of sucrose. A certain concentration of xylooligosaccharides can make the flavor of beverages more mellow and rich.

Hygroscopicity is a very important characteristic of sugar and sugar alcohol. Different hygroscopic capacities directly affect their application areas, application methods, production and storage conditions, etc.

Some functional sugars and sugar alcohols with high hygroscopicity, such as isomaltose, maltitol, fructo-oligosaccharides, xylitol, etc., can be used as humectants or preservatives, which have a good effect on moisturizing food and maintaining its quality. Such substances can often inhibit the crystallization of sucrose or glucose, play a role in preventing sanding, and at the same time increase the toughness, viscosity, and strength of candy.

Functional sugars with strong moisturizing properties generally have the function of inhibiting starch aging. For starchy foods such as bread and desserts, adding oligosaccharides or polyfructose can delay the hardening of food caused by starch aging, making it soft and delicious, and extending the shelf life.

Highly hygroscopic sugars and sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, maltitol, chitosan oligosaccharides, etc., can also be used as hygroscopic agents and moisturizers in cosmetics. For example, chitosan oligosaccharide contains groups such as -NH2, -OH, and -NHCOCH3, which are easy to form hydrogen bonds and make the molecular chains form a network structure. Therefore, it has a significant moisturizing effect and has a film-forming function, making it very suitable as a functional product. Use of cosmetic additives.

Generally, for products with high hygroscopicity, attention should be paid to a dry moist environment during production and storage to prevent the product from clumping and becoming damp. Sugars and sugar alcohols with low hygroscopicity can be used as moisture-proofing agents or anti-sticking agents in the processing of chewing gum, gum candies, hard candies, and other foods to prevent adhesion.

Oligosaccharides with less hygroscopicity are often used to prepare flavored icings for ice cream and chocolate, such as the outer shell of crispy chocolate, to maintain the hardness of the outer skin of the product, or as a sweetener for crisp biscuits.

Mannitol and gamma-crystalline sorbitol, which have low hygroscopicity, are widely used as tablet excipients due to their good compressibility.

Functional sugar alcohols are generally more stable than sucrose and have better storage and use stability. Functional sugar alcohols are generally heat-resistant above 160°C and have no obvious decomposition under pH 2-10 conditions, except for lactitol, which will decompose under pH <3 conditions.

Good thermal stability can improve its processability; for example, the processing of hard candy requires high-temperature boiling, which is prone to decomposition or production of pigments, affecting the color and flavor. Sugar alcohols have high thermal stability, are not easily discolored at high temperatures, and have good transparency. Using sugar alcohols can effectively improve the visual effect of candy.

The heat and acid resistance of oligosaccharides is weaker than that of sugar alcohols. Most of them are close to sucrose. For example, the stability of oligofructose and oligolactofrucose is close to that of sucrose. They are stable when heated around neutral pH, but there will be some loss when heated under acidic conditions (such as pH=3).

Among them, oligo xylose and oligo galactose have high heat and acid resistance. For example, oligoxylose has almost no effect when kept warm at pH 2.5-8.0 and 120°C for 1 hour; the component content remains unchanged when stored at pH 2.5-8.0 and 37°C for 2 months; galactose can be stably stored at pH 3.0-4.5 and high temperature, and has good heat and acid resistance, and can be used in acidic foods and products with high processing temperature requirements, such as yogurt, fruit wine, carbonated beverages, etc.

Isomaltooligosaccharide will not decompose when heated for a long time at 120℃ under acidic and hot conditions of pH 2-10. It has good stability and heat resistance and can be used in beverages, canned foods, high-temperature processed or low-pH foods, and feed.

Functional sugars and sugar alcohols are soluble in water. Generally, the higher the solubility of sugars and sugar alcohols, the less likely they are to crystallize. If the solubility of sugar is high, it is significantly greater than that of sucrose and glucose, and it diffuses quickly in water, so it is difficult to crystallize. This is very beneficial for processing highly sugared foods such as jams, preserved fruits, candied fruits, and canned fruits. It not only preserves the flavor of the fruit but also prevents the surface from turning over and prolongs the shelf life. Sorbitol also has this characteristic.

Functional sugar alcohols have emulsification stability and are effective emulsifiers and foaming agents. They can produce smooth structural characteristics with a greasy feel. For example, maltitol can be used to replace fat to produce low-calorie foods with an oily structure, and the taste is very similar to fat. For example, sorbitol has good emulsification properties and is a non-ionic surfactant that is moisturizing and non-toxic. After synthetic processing, it is used as a cosmetic emulsifier and added to foundation cream, lotion, perfume, powder, lipstick, shampoo, etc.

Some sugars and sugar alcohols are also important chemical raw materials. For example, sorbitol is an important raw material for vitamin C, isosorbide, and sorbitol ester products. Ribose is a precursor for the production of deoxyribose. Xylitol is used to synthesize xylitol low-carbon carboxylic acid esters, which are used as plasticizers in the manufacture of artificial leather, plastic sandals, agricultural films, etc. This type of substance has good heat resistance and can replace epoxy soybean oil as a heat-resistant plasticizer in some plastic products.

Many functional sugars and sugar alcohols have the characteristics of low water activity, such as gentiooligosaccharides and xylooligosaccharides. When factors such as temperature and pH affect the rapid growth of microorganisms in the product, water activity becomes the most important factor in controlling spoilage. Generally, the lower the water activity, the more stable the food is, and it is less likely to spoil.

This property makes it easy to prevent some foods from being infected by microorganisms. Some functional sugars and sugar alcohols have the effect of lowering the freezing point. For example, when isomaltooligosaccharide is used in frozen foods such as ice cream, it can shorten the molding time and reduce refrigeration energy consumption. Another example is xylobiose, which has antifreeze properties and can inhibit food from freezing.

Some functional monosaccharides can be oxidized and decomposed by microbial enzymes, such as glucose, fructose, galactose, and mannose, which can be directly used by yeast, which helps the fermentation of dough, kimchi, yogurt drinks pickles, etc. However, sucrose, maltose, lactose, etc. must be hydrolyzed before fermentation, and sugar alcohols generally do not have direct fermentability.

The difficult fermentation properties of sugar alcohols can also be used as preservatives. The intake of sugar and alcohol should be moderately controlled. Some sugar alcohols, such as maltitol and sorbitol, can cause gas and bloating when consumed in excess at one time. When used, the intake should be limited. However, erythritol, for example, does not participate in metabolism, so it does not produce gas after consumption.

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