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Sorbitol
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Sorbitol, also known as glucitol, is a sugar alcohol that the body metabolises slowly. It is obtained by reduction of glucose changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group.
itol is a sugar substitute often used in diet foods (including diet drinks and ice cream) and sugar-free chewing gum, mints and cough syrups. It may be listed under the inactive ingredients. It also occurs naturally in many stone fruits and berries from trees of the genus Sorbus.
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Encyclopedia
Sorbitol, also known as glucitol, is a sugar alcohol that the body metabolises slowly. It is obtained by reduction of glucose changing the aldehyde group to an additional hydroxyl group.
Uses
Sweetener
Sorbitol is a sugar substitute often used in diet foods (including diet drinks and ice cream) and sugar-free chewing gum, mints and cough syrups. It may be listed under the inactive ingredients. It also occurs naturally in many stone fruits and berries from trees of the genus Sorbus. Sorbitol is referred to as a nutritive sweetener because it provides dietary energy: 2.6 kilocalories (11 kilojoules) per gram versus the average 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules) for carbohydrates.
Laxative
Sorbitol can be used as a non-stimulant laxative as either an oral suspension or suppository. It works by drawing water into the large intestine, thereby stimulating bowel movements. Sorbitol has been determined safe to use in the elderly although it is by no means recommended.
Medicine
Sorbitol is used in bacterial culture media to distinguish Escherichia coli 0154:H7 from most other strains of E. coli.
Sorbitol, combined with kayexalate, helps the body rid itself of excess potassium ions in a hyperkalaemic state.
The kayexalate exchanges sodium ions for potassium ions in the bowel, while sorbitol helps to eliminate it.
Health care, food, and cosmetics
Sorbitol is often used in modern cosmetics as a humectant and thickener. Sorbitol is often used in mouthwash and toothpaste, as it is said that when mixed with other certain ingredients it can help fight plaque. Some transparent gels can only be made with sorbitol as it has a refractive index sufficiently high for transparent formulations.
Sorbitol is used as a cryoprotectant additive (mixed with sucrose and sodium polyphosphates) in the manufacture of surimi, a highly refined fish paste most commonly produced from Alaska (or walleye) pollock (Theragra chalcogramma).
It is also used as a humectant in some cigarettes.
Other uses
A mixture of sorbitol and potassium nitrate has found some success as an amateur solid rocket fuel.
Sorbitol is identified as a potential key chemical intermediate from biomass resources. Complete reduction of sorbitol opens the way to alkanes such as hexane which can be used as a biofuel. Sorbitol itself provides much of the hydrogen required for the transformation.
- 19 C6O6H14 ? 13 C6H14 + 36 CO2 + 42 H2O
The above chemical reaction is exothermic; 1.5 mole of sorbitol generates approximately 1 mole of hexane. When hydrogen is co-fed, no carbon dioxide is produced.
Medical importance
Even in the absence of dietary sorbitol, cells produce sorbitol naturally. Too much sorbitol production can cause damage. Diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy may be related to excess sorbitol in the cells of the eyes and nerves. The source of this sorbitol in diabetics is excess glucose, which goes through the sorbitol-aldose reductase pathway.
In some human enzymes deficiencies such as galactosemia, sorbitol excess arises and can cause damage to the body. In diabetes mellitus, enzyme deficiency in the lens of the eye may cause sorbitol accumulation and cataracts.
Safety
Sorbitol’s safety is supported by numerous studies reported in the scientific literature. In developing the current U.S. food and drug regulation which affirms sorbitol as Generally Reconized as Safe (GRAS), the safety data were evaluated by qualified scientists of the Select Committee on GRAS Substances selected by the Life Sciences Office of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). In the opinion of the Select Committee, there was no evidence demonstrating a hazard where sorbitol was used at current levels or at levels that might be expected in the future. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s regulation for sorbitol requires the following label statement for foods whose reasonably foreseeable consumption may result in the daily ingestion of 50 grams of sorbitol: “Excess consumption may have a laxative effect.”
The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has reviewed the safety data and concluded that sorbitol is safe. JECFA has established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for sorbitol of “not specified,” meaning no limits are placed on its use. An ADI “not specified” is the safest category in which JECFA can place a food ingredient. JECFA’s decisions are often adopted by many small countries which do not have their own agencies to review food additive safety.
The Scientific Committee for Food of the European Union (EU) published a comprehensive assessment of sweeteners in 1985, concluding that sorbitol is acceptable for use, also without setting a limit on its use.
Overdose effects
Ingesting large amounts of sorbitol can lead to abdominal pain, gas, and mild to severe diarrhea.
Sorbitol ingestion of 20 grams/day as sugar-free gum has led to severe diarrhea leading to unintended weight loss of 24 lbs in a 114 lb woman; another patient required hospitalization after habitually consuming 30 grams/day.
See also
External links
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