Recent test results from the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene of Kera vegetable candy have discovered that this product contains sweetener Sorbitol with a content of 33.4 g/100g. However, this ingredient is not clearly stated on the product label as prescribed.
The Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) informed that Sorbitol is an organic compound belonging to the sugar alcohol group, with the chemical formula C6H14O6. It is white, unscented, sweet and completely dissolved in water and wine. Sorbitol is commonly used as a food additive to create sweetness, moisture and shinyness for the product. In industry, Sorbitol is produced from glucose through the process of hydrogenation with Niken, meaning that glucose sugar will be hydrogenated with Niken catalyst to create Sorbitol.
Sorbitol is also naturally present in fruits such as apples, pears, plums, and can be extracted from corn, pumpkin, peach, wild mulberry, dried plums, etc. In addition, Sorbitol has anti-bacterial properties and ability to prevent bacteria, helping to improve the ability to preserve fatty products.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines Sorbitol as a sugary wine that is about 60% sweeter than sugarcane but has fewer calories, only about 2.6 kcal per gram, compared to 4 kcal of regular sugar. Since 1929, Sorbitol has been used in the US food industry, and foods can contain up to 7% of Sorbitol according to FDA standards. The popularity of Sorbitol as a sugar substitute sweetener is increasing.
Sorbitol is widely applied in the industry, not only in food but also in products such as paint, polymer, detergent, glue, and in fields such as textiles, paper, leather, ... In addition, Sorbitol is also used in foods such as mint, cough syrup, sugar-free candy, helping to keep moist and make the product softer.
In the pharmaceutical industry, Sorbitol is used as a laxative and ap pharmaceutical in medications such as vitamin C. It is also used in the treatment of potassium increase in the blood and bacterial culture environments. However, when consumed excessively (over 50g per day), Sorbitol can cause side effects such as diarrhea, digestive disorders, and intestinal imbalances.
A prominent feature of sorbitol is its sweetness but slow absorption, so it does not increase insulin levels like sugar and will not cause cavities, used in low-calorie candy and in many other foods and is also used to detoxify the liver, bleach meat, fish in processing...
In addition to being a sweetener and sugar substitute in foods that reduce sugar, Sorbitol is also used as a moisturizer in cookies and foods with low humidity such as fruits and preserved peanut butter. In baked goods, this chemical is also effective because it acts as a flexible substance and slows down the burning process.
Although Sorbitol has many benefits, consumers need to pay attention to their consumption and read the product label carefully to avoid unwanted effects.
