What Is Erythritol? Applications, Dosage, Alternatives & Specifications

Erythritol is a naturally occurring four-carbon sugar alcohol (polyol) belonging to the important category of functional sugar alcohols, with wide application value in the global food industry, pharmaceutical field, cosmetics, and daily chemical industry. Its molecular formula is C4H10O4, molecular weight is 122.12, CAS number is 149–32–6, EINECS number is 205–737–3, CNS number is 19.018, and INS number is 968. Erythritol appears as white crystalline powder or granules, odorless, with a refreshing sweet taste. Compared with sucrose, erythritol has extremely low calories, approximately 0.2–0.4 kcal/g, which is only 5% to 10% of sucrose calories, and is the lowest among all sugar alcohols. Its sweetness is approximately 60% to 80% of sucrose. Erythritol is naturally widely present in mushrooms, melons, watermelons, grapes, pears, as well as fermented foods such as wine, soy sauce, and cheese. It is the only functional sugar alcohol prepared by microbial fermentation technology, and its pure green production process aligns with the current food industry‘s demand for natural, safe, and clean-label ingredients. Erythritol is metabolized in a unique way in the human body. Most of it is absorbed by the small intestine and excreted unchanged in urine (approximately 90%), does not participate in blood glucose metabolism, produces no calories, does not stimulate insulin secretion. It also avoids the risk of dental caries caused by excess sugar and performs well in both efficacy and health evaluation.

Erythritol is recognized as the gold standard for natural zero-calorie sweeteners, holding an irreplaceable position in the global sugar reduction industry. Its most outstanding core advantages lie in its extremely low caloric contribution, excellent physiological tolerance, refreshing taste characteristics, and wide synergistic compatibility.

Extremely Low Calories and Zero Glycemic Index: Erythritol has the lowest energy value among all sugar alcohols, with caloric value only 5% to 10% of sucrose. Approximately 90% of ingested erythritol is absorbed by the small intestine and excreted unchanged in urine, without affecting blood sugar or insulin levels.