Health and Functional Benefits of Sorbitol CAS# 50-70-4

Sorbitol Overview
Sorbitol, with the chemical formula C6H14O6, exists in two optical isomers: D-sorbitol and L-sorbitol. It is the primary photosynthetic product of Rosaceae plants and is commonly used as a sweetener. Sorbitol has a cool, refreshing sweetness, providing about half the sweetness of sucrose while delivering a comparable caloric value.

What is Sorbitol?
Sorbitol offers a pleasant taste with sweetness approximately 50%–70% that of sucrose. When metabolized, 1g of sorbitol generates 16.7 kJ of energy in the human body. Unlike glucose, it is not converted directly into blood sugar and is unaffected by insulin, making it suitable for special dietary needs.

In addition, sorbitol has excellent moisturizing properties. It helps foods retain moisture, prevents drying, and reduces crystallization of sugar and salt. Because it is a stable polyol, sorbitol also aids in preserving the aroma of foods.

Applications of Sorbitol

Food & Nutrition: Used as a sweetener, humectant, stabilizer, and chelating agent.

Pharmaceutical & Medical: Applied as a diuretic or dehydrating agent to treat cerebral edema, elevated intracranial or intraocular pressure (glaucoma), and cases of edema or oliguria with normal kidney and heart function.

Industrial Uses: Serves as a raw material for vitamin C production (via fermentation and chemical synthesis), in plastics, coatings, chromatography, and as a thickener, hardener, or insecticide.

Personal Care: Acts as a moisture-retaining agent in toothpaste, cosmetics, and tobacco.

Aquatic Products: Used to retain water in seafood; for example, combining sucrose (2.1%), sorbitol (3.15%), and compound phosphate (1.0%) effectively reduces water activity in dried fish fillets and enhances Ca-ATPase activity.

Physical and Chemical Properties

Forms: Found in both liquid and solid forms. Liquid sorbitol is commonly sold as a 50% or 70% clear solution, while solid sorbitol appears as white crystalline needles, flakes, or granules, sometimes with water of crystallization.

Flavor & Sweetness: Offers a refreshing, cool taste with sweetness about 60% of sucrose at equal concentrations.

Solubility & Viscosity: Highly soluble in water (220 g/100 mL at 20 °C vs. 195 g/100 mL for sucrose), with lower viscosity than sucrose solutions, making it less prone to crystallization during production.

Moisture Retention: Strong hygroscopic properties help extend product shelf life, though it may agglomerate under high humidity. γ-crystal sorbitol has lower hygroscopicity.

Freezing Point: Sorbitol solutions lower freezing points, which helps prevent ice crystal formation in frozen foods, improving texture and taste.

Stability: Chemically stable, non-volatile, and resistant to acids, alkalis, and oxidation. It remains thermally stable but can undergo reactions like esterification, etherification, and chelation under specific conditions.

Osmotic Pressure: With a molecular weight slightly higher than glucose, sorbitol’s osmotic pressure is about 1.88 times that of sucrose, giving it strong antimicrobial effects. This makes it useful in controlling microorganisms in fruit and vegetable sauces.