Maltitol is a sugar alcohol manufactured through hydrogenation of maltose obtained from starch, available as white crystal. It's widely used as sweetener as it has 75-90% of the sweetness of sucrose in food production for its in candies, chocolates, ice cream and various baked goods marketed as sugarless or low-fat.
Yes. Maltitol is gluten free and widely used in gluten free food to provide sweet taste to candy manufacture, particularly sugar-free hard candy, chewing gum, chocolates, baked goods, and ice cream.
To answer this question, we need to clarify another question: what is gluten. Gluten is protein composite found in wheat and related grains, including barley and rye. (Wikipedia) First, gluten is a protein. Second, gluten is mainly found in wheat and related grains. As we mentioned before, Maltitolis a sugar alcohol which is significantly different from protein. Raw materials used in manufacturing of Maltitol are Maize starc; Maltitol barely includes gluten impurity. So, Maltitol is gluten free.
Maltitol is widely used in food production to provide sweet taste to candy manufacture, particularly sugar-free hard candy, chewing gum, chocolates, baked goods, and ice cream. Maltitol is usually used in processed food rather than daily recipe.
Celiac disease: Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks the small intestine due to the presence of gluten, for which a gluten-free diet is the only medically-accepted treatment. In 2009 research showed between 0.5 and 1.0 percent of people in the US and UK are sensitive to gluten due to celiac disease. So people with Celiac disease have to stick to gluten free diet to avoid unexpected side effect caused by consumption of gluten.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity: Some people may be sensitive to gluten but do not have celiac disease and feel better on a diet with less gluten. However, there are no specific symptoms confirmed. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity also drives more people to gluten free diet when people believe that they feel better when eating gluten free.
As a top supplier of food ingredients, Foodchem has been supplying gluten free Maltitol for over 10 years. Feel free to contact us if you need gluten free Maltitol. Email: inquiry@foodchem.cn. Tel: +86-21-2206-3075.
