HSH

Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH), including hydrogenated glucose syrups, maltitol

syrups, and sorbitol syrups, are a family of products found in a wide variety of foods. They
serve a number of functional roles, including use as bulk sweeteners, viscosity or bodying
agents, humectants, crystallization modifiers, cryoprotectants and rehydration aids. They
also can serve as sugar-free carriers for flavors, colors and enzymes.
HSH are produced by the partial hydrolysis of corn, wheat or potato starch and subsequent
hydrogenation of the hydrolysate at high temperature under pressure. The end product is
an ingredient composed of sorbitol, maltitol and higher hydrogenated saccharides.
polyols containing sorbitol as the majority (50 percent or more) component are called
sorbitol syrups; those with maltitol as the majority component are called maltitol syrups,
maltitol solutions or hydrogenated glucose syrups. Polyols that do not contain a specific
polyol as the majority component continue to be referred to by the general term
“hydrogenated starch hydrolysate.”

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HSH are outstanding humectants which do not crystallize, enabling the production of sugar-
free confections with the same cooking and handling systems used to produce sugar
candies. These products are used extensively in confections, baked goods, a broad range of
other foods, dentifrices and mouthwashes.
HSH are nutritive sweeteners that provide 40 to 90 percent of the sweetness of sugar. Being
polyols, HSH are not sugars and are used to provide sweetness, texture and bulk to a variety
of sugarless products. Unlike sugars, HSH are not readily fermented by oral bacteria and are
used to formulate sugarless products that do not promote dental caries.

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What is sorbitol?
Sorbitol, also called D-sorbitol, E420, and D-glucitol, is a type of carbohydrate. It falls into a
category of sugar alcohols called polyols.

This water-soluble compound is found naturally in some fruits, including apples, apricots,
dates, berries, peaches, plums, and figs.

Commercially, sorbitol is used to preserve moisture, add sweetness, and provide texture to
products, as well as potentially support digestive and oral health.
Benefits and uses
Sorbitol contains approximately two-thirds of the calories of table sugar and provides about
60% of the sweetness.
It’s also not fully digested in small intestine. What remains of the compound from there
moves into the large intestine where it’s instead fermented, or broken down by bacteria,
resulting in fewer calories being absorbed.

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The sweetener is often added to foods marketed to people with diabetes. That’s because it
has very little effect on blood sugar levels when eaten.

Unlike table sugar, sugar alcohols like sorbitol don’t contribute to the formation of cavities.
This is one reason why they’re often used to sweeten sugar-free chewing gum and liquid
medications

Side effects and precautions

Consuming sorbitol or other sugar alcohols in large amounts can cause bloating and
diarrhea in some people.
Sorbitol should not be taken with calcium or sodium polystyrene sulfonate, which are used
to treat high levels of potassium in the blood. Doing so can cause an interaction that leads
to intestinal tissue death.

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Erythritol
It's a type of carbohydrate called a sugar alcohol that people use as a sugar substitute.
Erythritol is found naturally in some foods. It's also made when things like wine, beer, and
cheese ferment.
Besides its natural form, erythritol has also been a man-made sweetener.
Sugar has 4 calories per gram, but erythritol has zero. That's because your small intestine
absorbs it quickly and gets it out of your body through urine within 24 hours. This means
erythritol doesn't have a chance to "metabolize" -- turn into energy in your body.
Erythritol has no effect on glucose or insulin levels. This makes it a safe sugar substitute if
you have diabetes.
erythritol is good for oral health because it slows the growth of one type of bacteria and
decreases the acid that bacteria make.
People can handle 1 gram for every kilogram of body weight daily.
It's in the form of white crystal granules or powder.
Erythritol is generally mostly absorbed before it gets to your colon and is excreted
unchanged.