The chemical, physical, and biological properties as well as the functional applications of sugar alcohols (polyols) are discussed in this article. Sugar alcohols are derived from sugars by catalytic hydrogenation to reduce an aldehyde or a ketone group of a sugar to a hydroxyl group. The sugar alcohols are classified as monosaccharide and disaccharide alcohols, with further subclassification of the monosaccharide alcohols according to the number of carbons they contain: tetritols, ie, erythritol; pentitols, ie, xylitol; and hexitols, ie, sorbitol and mannitol. The disaccharide alcohols discussed include maltitol, lactitol, and isomalt.
Unlike the corresponding sugars from which they are derived, sugar alcohols have the advantages of anticariogenicity (ie, they do not cause tooth decay), insulin‐independent metabolism, and lower caloric values. These properties have led to the use of sugar alcohols in a wide variety of sugar‐free applications, such as chewing gum, hard candy, chocolate coatings, and bakery.