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Sugar Substitutes: Definition, Types and Effects

Sugar substitutes are sweet-tasting substances used to replace conventional sugar in food. They provide fewer calories and have little to no effect on blood sugar levels.

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Things worth knowing about "Sugar substitutes"

Sugar substitutes are sweet-tasting substances used to replace conventional sugar in food. They provide fewer calories and have little to no effect on blood sugar levels.

What Are Sugar Substitutes?

Sugar substitutes are substances used in food and beverages in place of conventional table sugar (sucrose). They provide a sweet taste while delivering significantly fewer calories and causing little or no rise in blood sugar levels compared to regular sugar. For this reason, they are commonly found in diet products and foods designed for people with diabetes mellitus.

Sugar substitutes belong to the broader category of sweeteners and are legally distinguished from high-intensity sweeteners (such as aspartame or stevia), as they share a similar chemical structure to carbohydrates and generally contain some, albeit reduced, caloric value.

Types of Sugar Substitutes

There is a wide range of approved and widely used sugar substitutes in the food industry. The most common include:

Sorbitol (E 420): Derived from glucose, it is approximately half as sweet as sucrose. Commonly found in sugar-free chewing gum and confectionery.
Mannitol (E 421): A sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in mushrooms and algae. It produces a cooling sensation in the mouth.
Isomalt (E 953): Derived from beet sugar, it is more acid-stable than sucrose and is popular in the production of hard candies and chocolate.
Maltitol (E 965): Produced from maltose, it has a sweetness close to that of sugar.
Lactitol (E 966): Derived from lactose (milk sugar), it is less sweet than sucrose and is often used in chocolate products.
Xylitol (E 967): Also known as birch sugar, it has nearly the same sweetness as sucrose and is considered tooth-friendly.
Erythritol (E 968): A sugar alcohol with virtually zero calories that occurs naturally in certain fruits and is generally well tolerated.
Trehalose (E 995): A disaccharide with a lower glycaemic index than sucrose.

Mechanism of Action and Metabolism

Most sugar substitutes belong chemically to the group of sugar alcohols (polyols). They are only partially absorbed in the small intestine and partly reach the large intestine, where they are fermented by bacteria. As a result, their impact on blood glucose and insulin levels is significantly lower than that of conventional sugar.

The caloric content of sugar alcohols is generally around 2.4 kcal per gram (compared to 4 kcal/g for sugar). Erythritol is an exception, providing virtually no calories (approximately 0.2 kcal/g), as it is almost completely excreted via the kidneys.

Areas of Application

Sugar substitutes are used in a wide variety of food products and consumer goods:

Sugar-free and reduced-calorie sweets, chewing gums, and confectionery
Diet and light food products
Diabetic-friendly foods
Dental care products (e.g., toothpastes and mouthwashes containing xylitol)
Baked goods and desserts
Dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals as excipients

Health Aspects and Tolerability

Sugar substitutes are considered safe when consumed in moderate amounts and are recognized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). They offer several potential benefits:

Reduced caloric intake compared to sugar
Lower impact on blood glucose levels (particularly relevant for people with diabetes)
Tooth-friendly properties, as oral bacteria cannot readily ferment them into tooth-damaging acids

However, excessive consumption of sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect and cause symptoms such as bloating, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. European food labelling regulations therefore require that products containing more than 10% sugar alcohols carry the warning: excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.

Labelling and Regulation

In the European Union, sugar substitutes are approved as food additives and must be listed in the ingredient declaration by name or E-number. Their approval and monitoring are governed by the EFSA under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives.

References

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): Re-evaluation of sorbitol (E 420) as a food additive. EFSA Journal, 2015.
World Health Organization (WHO): Sugars intake for adults and children. WHO Guidelines, 2015.
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on food additives. Official Journal of the European Union, 2008.

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