Erythritol is a new functional sweetener, It is the most common sweetener currently used as a calorie-reducing food. It has been part of the human diet for thousands of years, as it is in fruit such as pears, melon and fruit, grapes as well as mushrooms such as wine fermentative food, soy sauce and cheese food. Since 1990, erythritol has been produced commercially and added to foods and drinks, offering sweetness, as well as improving their taste and texture

Erythritol
Other names of Erythritol: meso-erythritol , erythrol, phycitol
Molecular Formula: C4 H10 O4
MW:122.12
Cas NO.: 149-32-6

1.Pharmaceutical applications
Pharmaceutical applications include a wide range of solid and liquid formulations where erythritol's taste masking properties are of great advantage when using bad tasting actives. Because erythritol is not metabolized by the human body, it is used as an inert excipient and carrier of drugs in capsules. Erythritol also provides good flowability and stability to powder formulations
2.Cosmetics applications
Erythritol can also perform as a multifunctional agent in oral care applications such as toothpaste and mouthwash. It helps masking the astringent, irritant and especially bitter tastes associated with the use of some actives such as chlorhexidine in mouthwash. Erythritol  can enhance the humectant properties of glycerol through a synergistic effect on water retention capacity of the combination. In addition, several studies have shown that erythritol can inhibit activity and growth of cariogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans.
3.Erythritol Use in Food Industry
As Erythritol has many distinct character like natural, low calorie, anti-cariogenic, none moisture absorption, high stability and quick absorption, it is widely used in food industry. In recent years, consumers care more about the safety, nutrition and health balances of the food, and low calorie and sugar-free food become more and more popular, Erythritol then comes to be a reliable choice to add in drinks, confectionery, bakery food, sweetness flavoring and other functional food.

4.Confectionery
Confectionery industry is now facing a change from traditional products to sugar-free & healthy products, and a better substitution product is needed to be instead of sugars, Erythritol takes the opportunity and is widely used in confectionery industry accordingly. For production of gums, Erythritol has high heats absorption to make a longer and refreshing cooling sensation, it can be singly used or mixed with other polyols to improve the quality of the product like prolonging the shelf life, improves the flexibility and the coat adherence. For production of chocolates, high temperature refining is the most important procedure, Erythritol by it heat stability and low moisture absorption can help to refine product under higher temperature to improve the flavor of chocolate and make the product have lighter colors, be more crispy and smooth, cooling and refreshing.

5.Bakery Food
Erythritol is used widely in bakery food, the dosage in some biscuits, cakes and cookies can be over 10%, and it is good to improve the stability of baking and prolong the shelf life. By concerning experiments, Erythritol can be mixed with Maltitol and be totally instead of sucrose to produce high quality, low calorie and sugar-free bakery food.
6.Drinks
Erythritol is very stable in acid situations, and thus can be used in both traditional and new types of low calorie drinks. By experiments, Erythritol can improve the sweetness, thickness and smoothness of the drinks, and also reduce the bitter taste, cover the unfreshing taste to improve the whole flavor of the drinks. By its good heat stability, Erythritol will not have Maillard Browning Reaction during the production, and can be added in drinks needed Pasteurization and high temperature sterilization.

7.Meal Flavoring or Seasoning
Erythritol can be flavoring or seasoning for the meal to improve the taste and cover the bad after-taste. Erythritol can offer similar taste, crystalline structure and density as sucrose,and being as crystalline also has good fluidness and stability to become good carrier for strong sweetener.
8.Erythritol is testified its safety by many animal toxicity experiments and clinic experiments, it is easily absorbed but not utilized by anabolism. Many countries have approved the application of Erythritol in food.