Truvia In Depth
Truvia and Erythitol
Truvia is a natural plant based sweetener that is sourced from rebiana, the best tasting part of the stevia plant. Although Truvia is a plant derivative-based product, it does contain added flavors that help enhance its sweet taste. Truvia also contains a bulking agent called erythritol, which is added to give the product texture and body.
There have been several questions relating to erythritol, and its presence in Truvia. So, what exactly is erythritol and, more importantly, how safe is it for use?
Erythritol belongs to a group of compounds called sugar alcohols, which are neither really sugars, or alcohols. The compound structure of a sugar alcohol resembles both sugar and alcohol in equal part. These sugar alcohols are actually carbohydrates, and they each vary in the intensity of their sweetensss. Beside erythritol, the other common sugar alcohols are sorbitol, xylitol, hydrogen starch hydrolysates, maltitol, lactitol and mannitol. Because these sugar alcohols provide all the bulk that is needed in food products without adding the calories, they are commonly used in baked foods and frozen desserts. They also don’t cause tooth decay, and so, are widely used in toothpastes, mouthwashes, cough syrup etc.
Erythritol is a crystalline white powder that has about 70 per cent of the sweetness of sugar, with only about 5 percent of the calories. However, like many sugar alcohols, it tends to be absorbed easily into the smaller intestine, and consuming excessive amounts can lead to digestive problems.