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ISOMALT from Palatinit - Innovation from sugar

ISOMALT is a bulk sweetener that can replace sugar in a 1:1 ratio. Its unique nutritional and physiological benefits make it ideal for use in sugarfree, toothfriendly, low-calorie and low glycemic, i.e. diabetic, products.

It lends itself to both food and pharmaceutical applications, and also offers many convincing advantages for technical uses.

Nutritional properties of Isomalt

… is kind to teeth
The teeth benefit the most from ISOMALT. It prevents tooth cavities due to a stable molecular structure that most micro-organisms in the mouth are not able to use as an energy source. That means ISOMALT reduces the formation of plaque and prevents the production of harmful acids.
Beyond, ISOMALT promotes remineralisation: Consuming candies or chewing gum with ISOMALT helps strengthen the dental enamel. Because of these properties toothfriendly products such as chewing gum and candies containing ISOMALT are often used in caries prevention.

… cuts down the calories
When it comes to calories, there is a major difference between products made with ISOMALT and their sugar-containing counterparts. ISOMALT has only half the calories of sugar because the human body can only use 50 % of its energy.
Thus picking up a sugar-free candy of around 3 g can cut down up to 6 calories. Studies have shown that even small changes in calorie intake can have major impacts. It all depends on the overall calorie balance, e.g. consuming 50 calories less a day during 12 months can reduce your weight by approximately 2.5 kg.

… works like dietary fibre
Like the dietary fibre in green beans, onions and various types of fruit, ISOMALT belongs to a group known as ‘low digestible carbohydrates’. These carbohydrates stimulate bowel activity and aid regularity. Like with e.g. plums, excessive consumption can have a laxative effect. Just as high-fibre foods, the regular consumption of ISOMALT in moderate amounts is tolerated very well and helps to promote gut health.

… is very low glycemic
The body's enzymes metabolize ISOMALT much more slowly and less effectively than conventional sugar. This leads to a lower increase of blood glucose and insulin level compared to glucose or sugar after consumption of ISOMALT containing products. By comparing the glycemic response of ISOMALT with glucose and sugar on a gram per gram basis, glucose the reference substance has a glycemic index of 100, sugar a value of 68 whereas ISOMALT only shows a value of 2 (± 1).

Isomalt - sensorial properties

ISOMALT tastes just as natural, pure and sweet as sugar. Although its sweetening power is about 60 % that of sugar, it has a similar sweetness profile.

You can combine it with intense sweeteners to achieve any desired sweetness profile. This allows to optimize the sweetness without producing any side- or aftertaste, which is often the case with other sweeteners.

ISOMALT blends well with any flavour, from menthol to minty to fruity. With a negative heat of solution of only –39.4 kJ/kg, ISOMALT has a lower cooling effect than all other sugar replacers. The result is that products containing crystalline ISOMALT, as e.g. chocolates, low boiled candies and baked goods, have no undesired cooling effect in the mouth.

ISOMALT doesn’t undergo a browning reaction. So sweets made with ISOMALT can develop their full flavour, enabling you to make high-boiled candies with delicate aromas such as apple or peach.

Isomalt - technological properties

low hygroscopic – which is the greatest technological advantage of ISOMALT and ISOMALT products. ISOMALT absorbs virtually no moisture at a temperature of 25 °C and relative humidity up to 85 %.
ISOMALT’s hygroscopicity is lower than that of all other polyols and even sugar itself. As a result, ISOMALT makes products highly stable when stored. This is a considerable advantage in warm and moist climates.

is easy to process – even easier than sugar, in fact – because it is highly resistant to acids and enzymatic hydrolysis. This makes ISOMALT the ideal raw material for sugarfree, toothfriendly and low-calorie products.

has a good solubility – the solubility of ISOMALT is 24 g in 100 g of solution at 24 °C, increasing at greater temperatures. This facilitates its use for all common applications.

has a high heat resistance – because ISOMALT melts only between 145 and 150°C. As its chemical structure is not altered at normal cooking temperatures, ISOMALT is ideal for cooking, baking and extrusion processes.