What Is Erythritol And Stevia Mix

Some of our stevia blends contain another sugar alternative known as erythritol. While we are, by this point, that the majority of our customers know all about stevia, we realised that erythritol may be a substance that they are less familiar with. To fix this issue, today’s blog will focus almost exclusively on what erythritol is and why we chose it as an ingredient in our stevia-erythritol blends.

Erythritol is Much More Common Than People Realize

If you take a look at the labels of a wide range of products, especially energy and sports drinks, you will quickly notice that erythritol is a much more common ingredient than you would first expect. Erythritol is a naturally occurring sweetener in some varieties of fruits and fermented foods, however, most erythritol used in food products is man made. While some erythritol is made from highly-processed GMO cornstarch, the erythritol used in our SoPure Stevia blends is non-GMO to ensure the highest level of purity. At its most basic, erythritol is a sugar alcohol that contains between 60 to 80 percent the sweetening power of typical table sugar. It should be noted that while erythritol is a sugar alcohol, it does not produce any of the same effects associated with the more typically known alcohol in cocktails and wine.

Discovered in 1848 by John Stenhouse, a Scottish chemist, erythritol was quickly noted for its sweetening properties. Erythritol has been highly successful in Japan and since the early 90s has been used in chocolate, yogurt, jellies, jams, candies, and beverages an alternative sweetener to sugar. While erythritol hasn’t been nearly as popular in the United States as it has been overseas, it has, since 1997, been recognized by the FDA as a generally safe food additive. Erythritol is non caloric and does not raise blood sugars in individuals who consume it, making it the perfect companion to our stevia extracts.

So Why Not Just Sell Erythritol By Itself?

At this point, you may be wondering why we don’t sell erythritol as a standalone product. If it sweetens like sugar, is non caloric, and does not affect insulin levels, why not just feature it the same way we do stevia? The answer is actually pretty simple. While our non-GMO erythritol is highly potent with a clean taste, it still only has about 80 percent of the sweetening power of normal sugar. This means, that you would actually have to use more erythritol to sweeten something than you would sugar. To remedy this, we have mixed the erythritol with our Reb-A 98 percent stevia extract to provide the missing sweetening power.

At this point, you are probably now wondering why we don’t just leave the erythritol out altogether. Why blend the stevia extract with anything if it is already providing the desired amount of sweetening power? The simple answer is that by mixing our stevia extracts with erythritol, we are able to provide a substance that is very similar in taste and texture to actual table sugar. This makes our soPure Stevia + Non-GMO Erythritol blends the perfect solution to baking with stevia extracts. Many people don’t realize that not only does sugar sweeten baked good, it also adds density and mass to whatever is being baked. If you take away this added mass and density from the recipe, you will be left with a baked good that is not as big or “full” as it should be. In summation, our stevia extracts that are blended with erythritol allow you to make delicious brownies that are not only sugar free, but that also look, feel, and taste like the sugar laden brownies we have all experienced.

Erythritol And Stevia Mix Extracts

In our previous blog, we here at SoPure Stevia explained what erythritol was and why we have included it in certain stevia extract blends that we offer. While our previous post went into a few of the benefits that erythritol has as an added agent to our stevia extract blends, we felt that we didn’t do a well enough job of truly getting into what erythritol is, what advantages is has over sugar, and why it is an excellent addition to our stevia lineups. So, in today’s blog, we thought we would address those exact things. We hope that by the end of this blog, you are even more convinced that erythritol is beneficial not only as an alternative to large amounts of sugar but also has additional health benefits.

Erythritol is a Sugar Alcohol With Some Interesting Attributes

Erythritol is sugar substitute that looks and tastes very much like sugar. It is offered in both granulated and powdered form and, to the common consumer, would probably be indistinguishable from normal table sugar. Erythritol is also non caloric in nature, meaning that it adds no additional calories to whatever you put it in. When Erythritol enters the body, only about 10 percent of it actually enters the colon as the majority of the substance is absorbed by the small intestine. After it travels through the bloodstream, around 90 percent of erythritol consumed is expelled through urine. One benefit of erythritol is that, because most of it is absorbed by the small intestine it does not typically cause some of the unfortunate laxative effects that are associated with other sugar alcohols. Additionally, erythritol has the following benefits that make it stand out as a sugar alcohol:

• Noncarcinogenic: Multiple studies have proven that erythritol does not cause cancer.

• Is an Antioxidant: That’s right, erythritol has been shown to help fight free radicals within the body which are associated with the aging process. Also, erythritol is considered to be a very efficient sugar alcohol because of how easily it is absorbed and excreted by the human body.

• Heat Stable: Erythritol further stands out from other sugar alcohols because it is heat stable up to 160 degrees Celsius. This makes erythritol ideal for cooking and baking applications that call for large amounts of sugar. Our erythritol and stevia extract blends provide appropriate sweetening power with appropriate baking mass.

• Non-Glycemic: One of the biggest benefits of erythritol over other sugar substitutes is that is it does not raise the blood sugar levels of those who ingest it. This makes it a suitable sugar substitute for people who suffer from diabetes and why it is also a perfect blending agent for stevia which is also non-glycemic.

• GRAS Status: While certain websites will decry the safety of erythritol, the FDA, the authority on food safety, has recognized that erythritol is safe for human consumption within appropriate levels.

• Does Not Cause Tooth-Decay: While tooth decay is an issue that has been around for 100 of years, the increased amount of sugars in today’s food has caused an alarming spike in cases of tooth decay. Erythritol causes absolutely zero tooth decay while still providing consumers with the sweet taste they desire.
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Does Erythritol And Stevia Mix Carry Any Risks?

Like any food additive, Erythritol And Stevia Mix does come with some side effects; these side effects, however, are almost always greatly blown out of proportion. The most common complaint people voice when describing the negative side effects of erythritol, is that erythritol can cause them to have an upset stomach. However, what these complaints rarely mention is the fact that it takes a very large amount of erythritol, over 50 grams, to cause any sort of gastrointestinal distress. Like all things in life, erythritol should be enjoyed in moderation so as to not overload the body.
We hope that this blog has helped to fully answer any questions you may have had about the erythritol used in our SoPure Stevia + Non-GMO Erythritol blends. If you have any more questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact us today at SoPure Stevia.