What Is Xylitol?

Answer:

Xylitol is an all-natural sweetener found in many fruits and vegetables, including raspberries and plums. It tastes and looks like sugar. Because it is all-natural, it differs substantially from artificially created chemical sweeteners like Splenda®, and aspartame. It is safe for people of all ages.

Xylitol was first derived from Birch trees in Finland in the 19th century and was first popularized in Europe as a safe sweetener for diabetics that would not impact insulin levels. In the late 20th century, xylitol in granular form began to be mass produced in the United States under the brand name "Ultimate Sweetener" using beet plants in California. Today, using corn sources, most world supplies reportedly come primarily from China.

Because our taste buds recognize polyols as tasting sweet, they can be used as sugar substitutes. In the case of xylitol, its relative sweetness in comparison to table sugar is 100%. This means that the same amount of xylitol or sucrose placed in a cup of coffee will impart the same degree of sweetness to the beverage. As an added benefit, xylitol does not have an aftertaste like that associated with so many sugar substitutes.