Category: sweetener
Aliases: E953, INS 953, Isomaltitol, Palatinit, Hydrogenated isomaltulose, Hydrogenated palatinose
Isomalt is a sugar alcohol (polyol) produced from sucrose in two steps: enzymatic isomerisation of the 1,2-glucose-fructose linkage to the 1,6-linked isomaltulose (palatinose), then catalytic hydrogenation, yielding a near-equimolar mixture of two disaccharide alcohols — 6-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (GPS) and 1-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (GPM). The alpha-1,6 glucosidic bond resists salivary and pancreatic alpha-amylase and intestinal sucrase-isomaltase, so digestion and small-intestinal absorption are minimal. Most reaches the colon, where it is osmotically active and fermented by gut microbiota to short-chain fatty acids and gas. Caloric yield (~2 kcal/g) and glycaemic/[[insulin]] response are low. Sweetness is roughly 0.45-0.6x that of sucrose, with a sugar-like bulk and mouthfeel that suit hard candies and lozenges; it is non-cariogenic, as oral bacteria poorly ferment it to acid.