Erythritol

Erythritol is a four-carbon sugar alcohol, meso-erythritol, CAS 149-32-6, molecular formula C4H10O4 and molecular weight 122.12. It is not made by chemical synthesis at commercial scale: a carbohydrate feedstock, normally glucose from maize or wheat starch, is fermented by food-grade osmophilic yeasts such as Moniliella pollinis or Moniliella megachiliensis, then purified, crystallised and dried. Thovek supplies the food additive quality carrying the E968 identity, assaying not less than 99% after drying, with ribitol and glycerol held below 0.1%, reducing substances below 0.3% expressed as D-glucose, sulphated ash below 0.1% and lead below 0.5 mg/kg, in line with the EU purity criteria for E968. Formulators buy erythritol as a bulk sweetener, not a high-intensity one. It carries 60 to 70 per cent of the sweetness of sucrose, so it fills the volume sugar vacates and is normally paired with steviol glycosides, sucralose or monk fruit to close the remaining sweetness gap. Two physical properties drive the grade choice. Erythritol dissolves endothermically, reported at roughly 180 joules per gram, which reads as a distinct cooling note that is welcome in mints, gum and chocolate but has to be moderated in bakery and dairy, usually by moving to a finely milled cut or blending with other polyols. Its water solubility is low for a polyol at about 37% w/w at 25 degrees C, it melts at 121 degrees C, it is practically non-hygroscopic and it carries no reducing group, so it will not brown through the Maillard route and holds crisp texture in panned coatings, compressed chewables and dry mixes without caking. Under EU Regulation 1169/2011 Annex XIV erythritol carries an energy conversion factor of zero kilocalories per gram and its glycaemic index is measured at zero; roughly 90 per cent of an ingested dose is absorbed in the small intestine and excreted unchanged in urine. EFSA's 2023 re-evaluation of E968 set an acceptable daily intake of 0.5 g per kg body weight per day, and the general polyol labelling requirement on laxative effect at high intake continues to apply, so buyers should model total polyol load per serving and check category-level authorisation in the destination market. The material is vegan and vegetarian with no animal input, and is free of milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean and nut sources; gluten status follows the starch feedstock and is declared lot by lot. Every shipment travels with assay, residual polyol, heavy metal, microbiology and origin documentation.